Importance of Mike Enslin

Mike Enslin is the central character in “Room 1408.” He has made a career of spending the night in places that are said to be haunted and then writing about his experiences. He claims he has never seen a ghost. In fact, he does not believe in ghosts. Mike has convinced Olin, the manager of the Dolphin Hotel, that he will not give up until Olin allows Mike to spend a night in Room 1408.

When Mike begins to see strange things in the hotel room, he believes at first that Olin’s attempts to convince him the room is the home of paranormal activity have impacted his perception. Later, he realizes there is really something badly wrong in the room. He spends only a total of 70 minutes there before he lights a book of matches on fire, burning himself in the process, to escape. Mike stops writing completely after this experience. He suffers adverse health effects, as Olin warned him he might, after his time in the room.