Content Warning: The source material features discussions of suicide, self-harm, and distressing imagery. It also includes ableist language, specifically the author’s use of the r-word.

On its surface, “1408” presents itself as a story about a man who learns that the haunting he once considered to be a hoax is, in fact, real. However, the conflicts of the story, its shifting points of view, and reliance on verisimilitude and allusion reveal that “1408” is more critically about Idealism Versus Cynicism and how this relates to Belief and Superstition.

While the story is told over four sections, there are two major conflicts that drive its plot. In the first conflict, protagonist Mike Enslin has set out to stay in the allegedly haunted room 1408 at the Hotel Dolphin but is continually blocked by the hotel manager, Mr. Olin. Enslin believes that Olin is employing various methods to scare him out of the room. This only strengthens Mike’s desire to stay and vindicate himself. Near the end of the second section, Mike becomes convinced that none of his suspicions are true.