The Mist

“This is what happened.”

The opening line of The Mist establishes David’s narrative voice. He tells the story from the first person and, at the end of the novel, reveals that the narration is a documented confession of what happened during the four days after the storm. David tells whoever will find his papers that “this is what happened” (6) not only to convince them that he is telling the truth but also to convince himself. The absurd, horrifying experiences are not over by the time he finishes the account, so he needs to assure himself of the truth of his newfound reality. David is trying to convince himself as much as he tries to persuade his readers.

“He was circling the lake, coming toward the Bridgton side, toward us, and all the houses and cottages and summer places were bursting into purple-white flame like lightning, and soon the smoke covered everything.”

The mist does not care about the individuals that it affects. While everyone in Bridgton has their own opinions about locals and the people who come from out-of-town, the mist affects everyone the same. Houses that have belonged to the same families for generations are swallowed up as quickly as the summer houses only occupied for a few weeks every year. Rich or poor, man or woman, everyone is bound together in opposition to the horrifying unknown lurking inside the mist.