Horror: A study on Clive Barker Part 3, The Midnight Meat Train.

Welcome to Part Three of my study on Clive Barker.

Today I'll be looking at his short Story, The Midnight Meat Train.

Summary: The MC Leon is a disenchanted person who after moving to New York City (which he calls The Palace of Delights) to only learn it is just like any other type of city. As the story progresses we meet another Character who is a serial killer. He kills people in order to feed monstrous entities that live under the city. As the story progresses Leon falls asleep on the subway and wakes up to witness the serial killer at work. The two men fight which results in Leon killing the serial killer. The story ends with Leon meeting the monsters under the city and he becomes enticed by them, taking up the mantle of a new 'butcher.'

Notes: There is a great description of New York City that I want to highlight. Often I read some people describing a city by the cars, highways, shapes and material of buildings etc. I often this type of description dull and uninspiring. Let's take a look at how Clive Barker, through Leon, describes New York City.

"New York City was just a city.
He had seen her wake in the morning like a slut, and pick murdered men from between her teeth, and suicides from the tangles of her hair." (Page 15.)

One of the purposes of Imagery is to reveal things about the speaker, and right now Clive Barker is revealing how the Leon feels about the city.

The last thing I want to look at is the ending. Just like in Book of Blood, Leon is looking for some way to reinvigorate his love for the city and gains this by becoming the new 'butcher' for the monsters under the city. A common theme I've noticed in Clive Barker's works is that the heroes of the story usually get what they want by becoming the very monster they just defeated or through the pain and suffering of another person.

This first example: Leon kills the serial killer, decides to take up the killer's mantle, and finds the great happiness in doing so.

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