The Contrast Between Good and Evil

The contrast — and the struggle — between good and evil is a classic theme in literature and it's the primary theme of Cycle of the Werewolf. With a single exception, the people of Tarker's Mills are portrayed as good, hard-working, God-fearing people who continue to go about their daily routines in the face of an evil presence among them.

The theme is most clear in the contrast between Marty and the werewolf, and the two sides of Rev. Lowe. Marty, as an innocent child, is inherently presumed to personify goodness, but he is also confined to a wheelchair, making him an even more sympathetic character. Marty is written as being accepting of his situation and remarkably tolerant of the wide-ranging treatment he receives from various members of his family. His mother is brusque — an overcompensation to avoid coddling him — while...