The Urban Legend of the Backseat Murderer Essay -- Urban Legends Ghost

The Backseat MurdererA good urban legend is like a good movie. It unfolds perfectly and it appeals to the audiences hopes, fears, and anxieties. The urban legend I am about to describe was told by a first year womanly biology major at the University. She is of Indian descent and both her parents work in the biotechnology field. I collected this story on a sunshine night in the dorm. The fact that it was nighttime helped create the proper mood for the story. It was told in a dimly lit dorm room. The story was told with an eerie face of voice, with emphasis and excitement during certain parts. The final part of the story was told in a mysterious fashion, which helped with the deli genuinely of the ending.I heard this story a bit ago from a friend. It starts out with a woman who is driving late at night in the middle of nowhere, trying to get home from a long road trip. She is exhausted and is having trouble staying awake and paying attention to the road. Next, the low gas light on her car comes on and the car ineluctably gas. The woman doesnt know where the nearest town or gas station is, but she keeps driving. Eventually she comes upon an old rundown gas station. She doesnt pauperization to stop there since its so quiet and she feels unsafe, but the car needs gas so she decides to pull in. An attendant walks out to help surfeit her car up with gas. He is very shady looking and creeps her out. She did not like the whole situation at all and felt very uncomfortable. As soon as he is done filling her car with gas, she pays him. Next, the attendant tells her he needs to talk to her inside. She refuses, but he keeps on insistence that it is very important. When she refuses again, he grabs her arm in an attempt to get her to come inside, but the wo... ...er. She is unwilling to obey his requests. This shows societys view of strangers and how they should not be trusted. However, the fact that she did not trust the stranger led to her ultimate demise. The overt moral of this story is dont be quick in sound judgement someone that you dont know, they may be trying to help you. Works CitedBrunvand, Jan Harold. Too Good To Be True. New York W. W. Norton, 1999. (pp. 97-100).Joyce, Darrel A. Modern Folklore Cybermythology in western Culture. The AnthroGlove Journal. http//www.anthroglobe.ca/docs/cybermythology.htm Mikkelsen, Barbara. The Killer in the Backseat. Urban Legends Reference Pages. http//www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/backseat.htm Smith, Paul. The Book of Nasty Legends. London Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983. (pp. 95-96).Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. http//www.wikipedia.org.