E! True Hollywood Story: Stephen King

Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947 in Portland, Maine to parents Nellie Ruth and Donald Edwin King. Two years later his father abandoned the family, leaving Stephen and his adopted older brother David completely in their mother's care. Later in his childhood he experienced a rather traumatic experience in which he witnessed one of his friends being hit and killed by a train. Some believe that this incident inspires his dark writings, but he casually has dismissed that idea. After graduating from Lisbon Falls High School, he then attended the University of Maine where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in English. During his time at the University of Maine, he wrote a column in the school newspaper and wrote his first published short story "The Glass Floor". King would continue to write short stories in his younger years as a job while also holding teaching credentials. He also married Tabitha Spruce, a classmate at the University, a year after graduating. In 1974 King published his first novel, "Carrie" which made 400,000 dollars. This was the start to a very successful career for King with such great novels to follow such as "The Shining", "Salem's Lot", "The Stand" and many more. In the summer of 1999, King was hit by a car while walking around town in Lovell, Maine. The incident nearly made him consider retirement due to the pain he endured while sitting down, but he has yet to do so. King has been majorly influenced by writers Richard Matheson and H.P. Lovecraft. He said when he first saw the cover to a collection of H.P. Lovecraft's short stories, a drawing of a monster hiding in a cave, he then immediatley knew that he wanted to write horror novels for the rest of his life.

Pet Sematary Quotes

1. " Death was a vague idea;the Pet Semetary was real. In the texture of those rude markers were truths which even a child's hands could feel." p.55

Ellie, Louis' daughter, has confronted her father in a very sad and distraught manner with the idea of death and how it will eventually take their cat Church. This idea had been put into her mind after a visit to the local pet cemetery in which pets dating back to the early 1900's lay. This brings a very foreboding feeling to the story, that many things are leading towards death and back to the cemetery. Louis while describing his cat sleeping even described him as dead looking adding onto the feeling of foreboding.

2. " Don't go beyond, no matter how much you feel you need to, Doctor. The barrier was not made to be broken." p.160

After being warned by a dead student from Louis' school to not venture beyond the barrier, we find him and Jud far beyond the barrier in the real cemetery where he tries to bury his dead cat in hopes of him being resurrected. He does not want to have to break the news to his daughter that their beloved cat had died, and have to deal with her mourning. The warning from his dead student gave me great feelings that of course he would venture beyond the barrier. His actions also represent evil, because he is undoing one of the natural laws of the world because of temptation to be able to go through things easier.

3. " It was only the bad it wanted to talk about though. It was only the bad it wanted us to remember because it was bad... and because it knew we meant danger for it." p.369

After the death of Louis' young son Gage, he starts to reconsider using the cemetery again to bring back his son. However Jud Crandall, his old neighbor, knows what he is thinking and comes to his house to try and talk him out of it. He tells him of the story of Timmy Baterman, who was resurrected through the cemetery and how he turned out to be an abomination. Timmy Baterman's resurrected soul, was a direct representation of evil in King's eyes, that it was all evil and had no good in it. Much like the evil character in "The Stand", Randall Flagg, who very much was pure evil and every action of his was meant for his own purposes.

4. " For a moment Louis saw the Pet Sematary as a kind of advertisement... a come-on, like the kind they gave you on freak alley at the carnival." p.387

Once again King uses temptation to show evil. From all the foreboding that he has created about the cemetery it is obvious that it is an evil place, yet Louis still is attracted to what it has to offer. I think this brings a keen view on good and evil for King. Evil will try to get you at any cost and will come in many different forms as things that you want. Good, will not be as noticeable and gives you the choice to either follow the right path or go the other way, making it easier to become evil than to be good.

5. " She listened to the steady drone of the big trucks, and it came to her with a sudden vicious certainty that the truck that had killed her son was here among them... not muttering but chuckling."

Rachel, Louis' wife, sits and watches the road in front of her house where her son was run over by a truck. The trucks represent a materialistic world because they bring the materials here and there, and this brings back an idea that I noticed in "The Stand". The evil people in "The Stand" lived in Las Vegas, one of the most materialistic places in the world. I believe that King thinks that materialism blinds people from true goodness and steers them towards evil and misfortune, which it clearly has i this book with the death of a toddler and in "The Stand" where the human population was nearly wiped out

The Stand Quotes

1. "He got the Lake Shore Drive address of one Erin D. Macfarlane from the Detroit phone book and walked out there. It was almost dark by the time he made it and his feet hurt. He was no longer trying to tell himself that this was a casual stroll; he wanted to shoot and he wanted to shoot bad." p.346

This passage is taken from a chapter in which King describes the aftermath deaths from the plague, in which he describes certain deaths of people that occur because of the absence of society. In this one particular story he introduces us to Richard Hoggins, a heroine addict who has run empty on his supplies. After remembering of an old heroine house in Detroit, he decides to take a stroll their just to kill the time. However upon his arrival, many things start to hint that he is going to be tempted into using. First, the name of the street on which the house is on, Lake Shore Drive, is a nickname for the drug LSD. Second, the darkness that was developing around him gives an even more foreboading feeling of evil and temptation taking over his mind. And last, his feet hurt, implying that he was tired and weak exposing him even further to the temptation of something relaxing to him. The temptation, darkness, and weakness all represent evil which is a key theme to the story.

2. "There was a button on each breast of his denim jacket. On the right, a yellow smile-face. On the left, a pig wearing a policeman's cap. The legend was written beneath in red letters which dripped to simulate blood: HOW'S YOUR PORK?" p.172

This is part of a description of Randall Flagg, the leader of the evil side. This kind of hints as to why he is so evil. The smiley face on his jacket strongly yrepresents his sarcasm, being that he is a very unhappy man, and temptation in false acceptance. The sarcasm that he carries seems to be how he looks at the world, which portrays that he has never gotten along with society. Yet the warmer part of the smiley face,the temptation part, hides this from people and misguides them into believing that he is something that he is not. This trickery and temptation is the very root of evil. The pig in the police cap only further enhances his sarcasm, and depicts his rebellious attitude towards authority, which most likely fuels his evil acts.

3. "There was a red flaw in the center of it, and to Lloyd it looked like a terrible eye, bloody and half-open, peering at him. Then Flagg turned it slightly between his fingers, and the red flaw in the dark stone looked like...a key. Flagg turned it back and forth between his fingers." p.355

In this passage, Flagg appears at a prison where he finds Lloyd Henreid, the only surviving inmate stuck in his cell. With Lloyd at such a weak and vulnerable point, Flagg procedes to tempt him into joining him. He succeeds by offering his freedom which is represented by bloody half-open eye that is the key to his cell. The key itself clearly represents evil both in its appearance and its purpose of temptation. Before Flagg arrived, Lloyd knew he belonged in prison and was at peace that he shouldn't be with the rest of the world. But with Flagg's proposal, his mind becomes clouded from what is just, and is overcome by temptation and evil as he chooses to join Flagg.

4. " 'Is this a bribe from your God? Because if it is, He can take His cure back. I'd rather have the pain if Stu comes with it.'
'God don't lay no bribes, child,' Mother Abigail whispered. 'He just makes a sign and lets people take it as they will.'" p.904

Fran, a young pregnant woman, is arguing with Mother Abigail, the leader of the good people that there cause is pointless and that they should all just go home and live out the rest of their lives. In that moment, Mother Abigail grabs her wrists and and takes away Fran's back pain that she has been suffering from. This act of kindness and the miraculousness of it deeply symbolizes good, and that it can eventually overcome all obstacles. God, the leader of good against evil, is described here as someone who ever bribes you into something, but as someone who lets you choose your own path. Randall Flagg on the other hand is the leader of evil and does the exact opposite. He bribes you into his own dilemmas and if you don't agree with him he disposes of you.

5. "The mushroom cloud stood out on the horizon like a clenched fist on the end of a long, dusty forearm. It was swirling, fuzzy at the edges, begging to dissipate. It was backlighted in sullen orange-red, as if the sun had decided to go down in the early afternoon." p.1076

Here Stu, injured in the middle of the desert, witnesses the atomic explosion that engulfs Las Vegas and all of the people there including two of the good people Larry and Ralph. The explosion represents the fist of God, and good, coming down upon Randall Flagg and his evil. The significance here is that good will always eventually overcome evil in its divine ways. Explosions are usually destructive ugly actions, but this explosion is described to look like a sunset, one of the most beautiful natural things that marks the end of the day.

The Stand Theme

"The Stand" by Stephen King is an apocalyptic book about a man made virus that wipes out 99.4% of the human race, and the story of the survival of the last .6%. The main theme being put across in the story is good versus evil, which is portrayed very clearly. The good happen to reside in Boulder, Colorado, a very environmentally clean and natural place. The people there are led by a very elderly woman who immediately attempts to re-organize them into a democratic society. All of these thing represent good: the environment is clean and natural representing life,the elderly woman represents a warm family feeling, and the democratic system represents a free and liberal society. The evil side on the other hand, resides in Las Vegas, dirtier run down place ripe with crime, corruption,temptation, and materials. They are led by a tall dark man who controls his people through force and intimidation, murdering and crucifying those who defy him. These opposite forces are clearly incompatible, and thus only can remain for the other to thrive.

Books Briefly Noted

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Santiago has spent most of his life doing what he wanted to: traveling as a shepherd. But with a visit from an unusual king and the advice of a gypsy, Santiago embarks on a journey to the Pyramids of Egypt to find his personal treasure. On his quest he faces many obstacles(one that delays his adventure for a year), while learning of the worlds secrets and finding his true love at an oasis.
But, Santiago learns that even true love cannot get in the way of one's destiny as he perseveres through the desert to the pyramids to find his treasure. Filled with problematic situations, Santiago's journey to find his treasure is the actual treasure after all, as it brings the reader hope in the realization that everyone is near their own personal treasure.

Outside Reading: The Alchemist

For my outside reading book I chose to read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I picked to read it because I have heard from friends and family that it is an epic book that is hard to put down.
Also, I typed in books to read before you die, on google and this book popped up on several of the lists I looked at. Hopefully I will not be disappointed....

Hemingway's voice