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skoutln.txt
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1994-10-26
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Controlling Purpose: This paper is to examine the works of Stephen
King from a literary, biographical, and historical point of view.
I. Biographical
A. Environment
1. Author's Life
a. Grew up in a rural environment (SKS, pg 21)
b. Lives in Bangor Maine (SKS, pg 93)
c. Vermont Billboards (CoT, pg 132)
d. You write about places you know (CoT, pg 137)
2. The billboards used in The Shining
3. `Salem's Lot set in a rural environment like Bangor
4. Environment has a great affect on his life and his
works.
B. Childhood Experience
1. Cracks his head on the ice
2. Johnny in Dead Zone cracks his head on the ice (CoT pg
90)
C. Family Experience
1. Naomi's Cat gets run over (SKS, pg 84)
2. Got idea for Pet Semetary from cat incident
3. Draws idea's for books from both childhood and adult
life.
D. Phobia of Rats
1. Dream about rats on airplane (CoT, pg 1)
2. Edited rat scene from `Salem's Lot
3. By using real life phobia's his works seem more
realistic and believable to the reader.
E. Fire
1. Fascination with fire (CoT, pg 30)
2. The Trashcan Man in The Stand blowing many things up
F. Children
1. One of his reasons for writing horror (CoT, pg 3)
2. Gunslinger
a. Jake dies.
b. Jake gets run over by car.
II. Historical
A. Atomic Bomb
1. First generation to grow up in the shadow of the
atomic bomb. (CoT, pg 183)
2. Shows prominently in two works.
a. The Stand
b. The Gunslinger
B. Ecological Hazards
1. Chemical Spill. (CoT, pg 23)
2. The Stand
C. Generation
1. 1970's
2. No over use of 70's in Dead Zone (CoT, pg 99)
III. Critical - The Gunslinger
A. Van Hise
1. The Slow Mutants is drawn out.
a. Roland is doing inexplicable things.
b. King is still not telling us what is going on
c. Everything that happens seems to be senseless and
murky.
2. Disagree
a. As seen previously in the book everything that
Roland does has a purpose.
b. It does not fit Roland's personality to do
something "senseless".
c. King is doing a good job of keeping the reader
informed. It is obvious Roland and Jake are
chasing the Man in Black.
B. Van Hise
1. Strong implication that Jake is a trap
2. Agree
a. King has the reader feeling paranoid that
everyone and everything is out to get Roland and
do him harm.
b. So far the only human's that Roland has met he
ended up killing because they were a trap left by
the Man in Black.
C. Van Hise
1. The final stage is just a set-up for the next book.
2. Disagree
a. King leaves the reader feeling that they finally
have some sense as to what is going on with the
Man in Black and the Dark Tower.
b. Lets Roland know how powerful the thing is that
he is up against really is.
D. Winter
1. New Order
a. Roland is a knight-errant like person whose job
it is to help establish a new order
b. Because of his talent with the guns Roland can
establish this new order
2. Disagree
a. Once the Gunslingers may have been powerful but
that was long ago
b. Roland is too worried about survival and reaching
the Dark Tower to worry about establishing a new
order
E. Winter
1. Sacrifice of Jake
2. Agree
a. Shows that Roland is going to need to make
sacrifices on his quest
b. Shows that Roland is not going to let anything
get in the way of his goals
IV. Conclusion
A. King is a great author who makes his works more real
(therefore increasing the terror) with personal experiences
1. Biographical
2. Historical