Stephen King--his stories and their effect on you

[Matt]

I posted this somewhere but I thought it would be nice to have a place where we can relate the effect Stephen King has had on all of us through his stories.

One of the key things in my life is about how a person has to "stand" when the shit hits the fan, to have conviction in the face of the worst kinds of problems.

Its easy to stand when things are going okay. When its hard, that is when you know.

So The Stand did that for me. I love the story of course but the idea that we must defend what is right stuck with me.

When Dora and I first started talking seriously about marriage I asked her if she would "stand"

[Ruki]

"stand and be true" is definitely the main thing that makes me love stephen king and his work. it was already a big part of who i am but seeing him bring it up so often showed me that i can press the issue and try to drill it into people's heads. :)

[Steve]

Yes, that quote is one of my faves. That and "I kill with my heart" and "Life is a wheel."

[Darkthoughts]

What always stays with me is the way he writes about children, how they deal with fear - and meeting their fears. Maybe thats because I have kids? I know that I certainly take something different from his stories that I didn't see before I became a parent.
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was the most poignant in this respect, I became really involved with that story as a parent, I think had I read it before I had kids it wouldn't have had the same, profound sort of impact.

Does anyone else find this? Even if you aren't a parent, are there books of his that you've come to appreciate on a different level as you've gotten older and reread them?

[ZoNeSeeK]

Even though I'm not a dad (yet :P ) I love the way King draws his child characters. He is so in tune with his own childhood and it comes through in all of his books. Kids are usually the underdog against all adversity in some way or another so each story contains themes of children overcoming adversity and growing up, which everyone can relate to.

Similar to another feature about DT that I loved - the character weaknesses. He's very careful to handicap them all in some way, whether physically (Roland, Susannah) or emotionally (Jake, Eddie). These are people with real problems which makes their talents even more amazing.

[Darkthoughts]

Definately.

He is so in tune with his own childhood and it comes through in all of his books.
You hit the nail on the head, its what I love so much about his writing.

[Rjeso]

I certainly agree with your points about King's approach to his child characters. From the Loser's Club to Jack Sawyer to Jake to Bobby Garfield to the young Dreamcatcher boys, his child characters are my favorites by far. They're always brave (quite often moreso than the adults surrounding them), they have a magical sort of intuition, are intelligent (even if it's not booksmarts), and they stick together and value their friends. If only more people could be like that, you know? I respect them more than the rest of his characters and find myself rereading their stories far more often than those of their elders. They epitomize the "stand and be true" theme, and even though they're just kids, I want to be like them.

[Matt]

I agree on that as well. I think that the kids in all of SK's stories are probably pieces of himself.

I loved IT for instance, the richness of the story and their environment.

I wasn't real high on the

group sex in the sewer thing

but other than that I was good. And...a bad part of me wanted them to do it again as adults. :lol:

[The_Nameless]

The effect King's writing on me is how his stories make me think of human nature, and some of the evils we are capable of. Even though he writes about people acting strangely because of outside forces or whatnot, he writes what people will actually do to each other.
Either that, or it'll make me think of experiences in my own life, especially when he writes about children. So many times it has made me think of my own childhood, and similirities I find.
I'm not a parent, so I cannot relate to the fear he makes the parents experience throughout his tales, although I imagine it is horrible. Like Pet Semetary, for example. They lose their child, then bury him so he can come back, but he does not come back their child. I imagine that would be one of the wrost things to ever happen. First losing the child, then so desperate to have him back, that you bury him in hopes you can go back to a normal life only to have him come back soul-less.

I guess what I am trying to say is, King's writing makes me reflect on human nature.

[Daghain]

I think King has a really good handle on what makes us all tick. It scares me sometimes how much he has "nailed" human behavior in his books - he seems to be able to pick out the little things we all do and put them in his stories. For example, the pharmacist in DotT's internal running commentary about the woman who wanted her painkillers refilled - I laughed so hard I cried - he seems to know what we're all thinking.

He needs to get out of my head, already. :D

[Grillslinger]

Both The Jaunt and The Raft left me deeply, deeply bothered. Amazing stories, those.

The Mist and Gray Matter were absolutely amazing.

[Matt]

I think King has a really good handle on what makes us all tick. It scares me sometimes how much he has "nailed" human behavior in his books - he seems to be able to pick out the little things we all do and put them in his stories. For example, the pharmacist in DotT's internal running commentary about the woman who wanted her painkillers refilled - I laughed so hard I cried - he seems to know what we're all thinking.

He needs to get out of my head, already. :D

I remember thinking how spot on that whole internal dialog was when I read the book the first time. :lol:

[Daghain]

Yep, and I almost spit Diet Coke all over my book. :D

Damn, that was funny. I'm laughing just thinking about it.

[Matt]

He was really miserable wasn't he? Not just the current crank either, he wanted to be something else and his dad stuck him with that stupid pharmacy. :lol:

What he wanted to be would make a great trivia question.

[Daghain]

Yeah, it would. But I'd have to look it up first! :D

[She-Oy]

As strange as this may seem to some, Mr. King helped form the basis of my "spirituality". Perhaps by vicarious ways, but the DT series has no doubt led me down and interesting, educational and esoteric path.

Ka and the notion that we are simply "blades of grass" (not important nor unimportant neither) in this huge universe plays a big part in my belief system.

And there are others unconventional things I believe that are un-related to King, but if it wasn't for really diving in deep into this fabulous fictional epic, I might not have looked for more.

I always think it's funny when I hear or read atheists saying the "love" this series, because it is filled with faith, belief, spirit and the unknown. Seems it stands for everything aethism does not.

[OchrisO]

Just because you don't think that stuff exists in this world doesn't mean you can't enjoy the idea of it in a make believe world. :)

[Daghain]

True, OchrisO. I know exactly where you're coming from, I think. :)

I kind of like the whole "ka" thing - it's kind of part karma, part religon, part fate. Seems appropriate to me, for some reason.

[Matt]

Same here

[Erin]

Both The Jaunt and The Raft left me deeply, deeply bothered. Amazing stories, those.


I second this. Especially with The Jaunt. I had trouble sleeping after reading that.

[Ruthful]

I just want to amplify some of the sentiments expressed above-since I have no original thoughts.

:unsure:

Actually, a few things.

1. I agree that his child characters are almost always his most captivating and well-drawn. I think they form the fulcrum of his literary universe in many tangible ways, which capture the imagination of not only kids themselves but their parents as well as adults who remember those childhood experiences vividly. I also loved reading The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon, although for different reasons-obviously-which have nothing to do with looking after a daughter or son.

2. His distillation of some essential human qualities-in general, but especially in some of the books in The Dark Tower-is one of the things that keeps drawing me back to his work. Admittedly, I don't always see this as an unqualified positive. One of the things that's really offputting-but something that's nevertheless inescapable-in King's work is the way he peels away some of the veneers that people like to use in order to obscure their less than savory thoughts.

One of the recurring themes I find to be somewhat disturbing-and I don't know how many other people here feel the same-is how characters in his work immediately jump to (pernicious) conclusions about certain individuals based upon surface appearances. Maybe the fact that this is by and large an accurate observation about human nature is what makes it so unnerving, i.e. it hits a bit too close to home.

[Darkthoughts]

I also loved reading The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon, although for different reasons-obviously-which have nothing to do with looking after a daughter or son.
There were other angles from which I loved Tom Gordon , non parent angles. Firstly I thought that, for an author, it was such a brave book to write - in the sense that it was a bit of a gamble writing a story where there's essentially only one character and that most of the story is really an inner monologue. The fantastic thing - in my opinion - was that it worked...perfectly...because as usual - SK's character was so believable I really lived the experience with her. Infact, I stayed up until the early hours of the morning reading the book from start to finish, because I just couldn't go to sleep with her being stranded out there in the forest!

Secondly, I loved the theme of the story. It dealt entirely with fear and how we cope with it. Do we choose to be consumed by it, or do we face it? If we face it, will we triumph or fail? I loved it.


One of the recurring themes I find to be somewhat disturbing-and I don't know how many other people here feel the same-is how characters in his work immediately jump to (pernicious) conclusions about certain individuals based upon surface appearances. Maybe the fact that this is by and large an accurate observation about human nature is what makes it so unnerving, i.e. it hits a bit too close to home.
Yes! I can apply that to Regulators having only recently read it. In that alot of the characters harbour bitchy, unfounded opinions about each other - and they are played upon by the fear and anxiety they experience throughout their ordeal.
We love to hate those characters, but I always feel theres alot to be said for Jung and his shadow self theory! ;)

[Ruthful]

You make a good point about fear.

It's so often a focus of Stephen King, but it really was a bold move on his part to craft a work that addresses the issue from the standpoint of an interior dialogue between the protagonist and her fears.

It really is a gripping work, especially when you begin to realize how parlous life can become when you decide to give in to your fears.

The thin line between reason and terror.

[MaraJShakespeare]

In a new thread I posted yesterday, in the non-King section, I described the effect King has had on my life as well as I could, as an example, to introduce my new topic. That thread, 'Strange Books For Strange People', is intended as a place where we can discuss and recommend to others non-King books and authors who've had a major impact upon our lives and worldviews. Not necessarily our 'favourite' books, but the books that have taught us important things, good or ill, and changed the way we look at the universe. So I won't repeat that here, but I do want to talk about the effect rereading The Green Mile had on me recently. . .

For some reason, over the years, I've tended to think of The Green Mile as somewhat overrated. I originally read it during a very busy time in my life, as it was originally coming out; I enjoyed it at the time, and reread it a few times over the next few years. As much as I tended to enjoy the story whenever I was reading it, at other times I tended to think of it as being one of King's lesser efforts. I don't know why, exactly; as I sit here trying to think of the criticisms that were shading my opinion of it, I can't quite remember what they were exactly, or how to phrase them. Perhaps it was just the story's immense mainstream popularity, as reflected by the film, or its relative lack of weirdness in relation to both King's other work and the rest of my general reading matter. I don't know; can't recall exactly. It had been a rather long time since I'd read it- the last time I did was probably some time in 1999, or so. But some months back- earlier this year, at some point- I found an excellent deal on the Subterranean Press 6 vol. hardcover 10th anniversary edition, so I bought it. When it got here, I just put it on my rare book/limited editions shelf, as I had too many other things to read and to deal with at the time to reread The Green Mile. I was sure I get to it sooner or later, but had no idea when. . .

Fast forward to this week. I finished three very intense, challenging books at the same time, including the very formidable trilogy of historical novels I'd been reading, as well as another novel I'd put down a while back, and aside from those, I was (and still am) in the middle of Joyce's Ulysses, a biography of King Henry VII, a book on practical Kabbalah, and a collection of Aleister Crowley's diaries from the early 1920s. I needed a break, more than anything, from complex, non-linear, philosophical writing, quantum logic, historical exegesis, esoteric spirituality, etc., but I can't stand to just stop reading for a day or two and watch TV or something. So it crossed my mind to finally read that lovely hardcover set of The Green Mile; the perfect antidote!

Looking at it eleven years after it first came out, and roughly eight years after I last read it, The Green Mile is ageing quite well. I may have enjoyed it more this time even than I did the first; after all, I had the next volume right there and ready to go after finishing each one, rather than having to wait a month between them. There were all sorts of details I'd forgotten over time, but it was nice to be back in the world of those particular characters again- like visiting old friends, as it often is with rereading King. The Green Mile is a very well-crafted story, elegantly written, never excessive in any given direction or emotionally manipulative- and I doubt most novelists could've avoided the latter pitfall, considering the subject. One could call this piece a meditation upon capital punishment without being pretentious, I think; it makes its point without being preachy or raising the ugly spectre of politics. Perhaps most importantly, where King is concerned, it says what it has to say without sacrificing any significant element of story to polemic. The Green Mile is a truly wonderful piece of writing, and if I start to think otherwise again later, some distance after the lovely two days I just spent rereading it, I'll just have to come back and read this post again. It's a delightful thing to come back to a good story again after the years and increased knowledge have further seasoned your understanding; it makes the story that much richer an experience. If anything, it makes the fate of John Coffey and the cruelty of blind justice even harder to take, when you know more about how the world operates from living in it; I live in Texas, a state that's quite needle-happy where the death penalty is concerned. I can't help but wonder how many John Coffeys- perhaps not powerful healers, of course, but maybe perfectly good people, or at least those who meant no harm- have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and have paid the ultimate price for it.

If you haven't read The Green Mile, by all means do so. It's a great story, elegantly told, by our master storyteller. I really can't recall any substantial reason for why I've spent the last decade underestimating it; either way, the last two days I've spent re-experiencing it have wiped that false perception from my mind. It's the kind of story that ages quite well, and is worth paying a visit every few years.

[MaraJShakespeare]

As strange as this may seem to some, Mr. King helped form the basis of my "spirituality". Perhaps by vicarious ways, but the DT series has no doubt led me down and interesting, educational and esoteric path.

Ka and the notion that we are simply "blades of grass" (not important nor unimportant neither) in this huge universe plays a big part in my belief system.

And there are others unconventional things I believe that are un-related to King, but if it wasn't for really diving in deep into this fabulous fictional epic, I might not have looked for more.

I always think it's funny when I hear or read atheists saying the "love" this series, because it is filled with faith, belief, spirit and the unknown. Seems it stands for everything aethism does not.



If you like this kind of esoteric spiritual thinking, look into the work of Robert Anton Wilson. Just trust me on this.

[Adumbros]

what does it the most for me, especially as i aspire to one day be published myself, is this:

every single story by Stephen King, whether published or not, whether widely-known or not, whether rare in quantity or abundant and easily-obtained, have the same astounding quality:

they were all based on actual experiences OF Stephen King.

what more proof does a writer need of how personal the craft truly is? you don't have to do something that others will like. King doesn't. essentially, his entire personal library is his life story.

[Tiffany]

Stephen King is the only author I've ever read that really stirs something in me, especially when he's writing children. I don't have kids yet but I love how they so often see and feel things that adults don't.

It inspires me to stay open to feeling and seeing anything. I run the risk of sounding really corny in saying this but I don't care.

His stories make me feel like there really is a bit of magic in the world.

Not the wizards and witches kind of magic but the magic of hope and love and pressing on in the face of fear.

[Adumbros]

i can see your point. at the same time, i advance this theory: if one is going to believe in the magic of Good, of the White, such as love, then one must be equalling accepting of sorcery and such. One, it only makes sense, two, though I am not what you would label 'Christian', the Bible itself, which, in large context, I take to heart, tells us tales of witchcraft, even instructs us of the evils of performing such. we would not be given such a warning if it could not be.

Advancing a further theory, one i have yet to convince anyone of: If love, hope, magic, God, all consist of faith and rituals (like it or not, prayer and worship are rituals; ritual is not itself defined as a bad thing), wouldn't it stand to reason, then, that acts of great evil, such as vampirism, sorcery, and the like, would also have to consist of faith and ritual? considering that God demands fealty in exchange for his gifts, i find it difficult to believe that the entity we common refer to as the devil would be willing to settle for any less; after all, does he not require our souls for the mere purpose (or privilege, depending on your POV) of worshipping him, of carrying through with his many sects of devoted apostles?

[Adumbros]

It's also interesting to note the way King explores children and childhood. while i'm sure many of his memories of that time are now lost, faded, or distorted, he still manages to capture quite amazingly the essence of being a child. I could not sit down and do the same, yet reading tales such as The Body, It, The Library Policemen, so accurately define the horrors and travails of youth that I find myself reliving memories I didn't know were there. It, for instance: I was "Trashmouth"; I was the smartass that always had something to say about everything, and usually in what an adult would consider a less-than-acceptable manner. I had a friend (whom I still cavort with, albeit less often) who was reminiscent of Stan: aloof, quiet, seemingly nerdy and timid, but yet, when the chips were down, balls-to-the-wall behind your back. Another friend (whom, again, I am fortunate enough to still cavort with, albeit fleetingly) who mirrored Ben Hanscom: intelligent, witty, arty, shy, rather large, rather unkeen toward confrontation, but who would charge into a line of artillery fire when the line seemed depleted. Then there was a female, who like Beverly Marsh/Rogan, preached full-tilt the wisdom and value of love. She, alas, is no longer with us, having perished along with her younger son on May 27, 2008.

The most fucked up thing is that, even though I do still chum with some of these guys on an almost daily basis, unlike the grownup Losers, who fell apart, if it weren't for King, I would've, identical to the Losers, lost those memories completely, and perhaps forever.

It sort of makes you wonder if the man doesn't keep a secret journal stashed somewhere that transports him back to those days.

[Tiffany]

Edit: I think that King knows some things that we don't, sometimes.

I'd be a total hypocrite if I turned my nose up at the thought of sorcery and the kind of magic that might fall under that category. If I can believe in psychics and ghosts (which I do), then I have to be open to even more. It's just not necessarily the kind of magic that an SK book evokes for me.
Well, maybe a little bit.

As for the ritualism of evil, I can see your point. I think in some cases, sure, there's faith and ritual but the first thing that comes to my head is chaos.

[Adumbros]

chaos.

of which, i am the chancellor.

<--

:D

[Tiffany]

Pleasedtameetcha! :D

I think I need to have a re-read of Insomnia. I'm thinking of little doctors and chaos and short-timers.

Another way I could word how King's books make me feel is that there's MORE. To everything. And when I turn the last page and go outside for a smoke or just to sit with a glass of wine or iced tea, I try to see it. I want to see it.

[theBeamisHome]

i agree with you Adumbros. i'm a firm believe in both sides. it irritates me a lil when some Christian people claim that there is no such thing as sorcery and psychics when it's actually forbidden in the Bible.. if it's forbidden it must be real.. if you believe in that sort of thing... which i do.

[Adumbros]

wtf?! you took down the avatar!!!

[Jean]

i'm a firm believe in both sides. it irritates me a lil when some Christian people claim that there is no such thing as sorcery and psychics when it's actually forbidden in the Bible..
Lion - I heard, with my own years, some Christian (of Protestant denomination I don't want to name because there maybe people of the same denomination, but far more intelligent here) say that there was no devil or hell. After I tried to get it through to them that if they believed in Christian God they had no other choice than to believe in the existence of devil, too, I was answered that of course Catholics would believe anything, all sorts of magic and sorcery, and look at their rituals and saints and stained glass and rosaries and medallions. It's such wonderful logic, you know... you say, "but if it is forbidden, it means it exists?" - they answer, "no, it is forbidden, so it doesn't exist."

[theBeamisHome]

sorry Adumbros... i kept it tho :D

Jean, i have met some Christians from those denominations as well. and all i could say was "are we reading the same book??".... it's amazing how people in the same RELIGION don't believe the same things... i know that it's true for other religions too and is not just exclusive to Christianity, but it's crazy to me how everyone says everyone else is wrong..

[Adumbros]

i'm a firm believe in both sides. it irritates me a lil when some Christian people claim that there is no such thing as sorcery and psychics when it's actually forbidden in the Bible..
Lion - I heard, with my own years, some Christian (of Protestant denomination I don't want to name because there maybe people of the same denomination, but far more intelligent here) say that there was no devil or hell. After I tried to get it through to them that if they believed in Christian God they had no other choice than to believe in the existence of devil, too, I was answered that of course Catholics would believe anything, all sorts of magic and sorcery, and look at their rituals and saints and stained glass and rosaries and medallions. It's such wonderful logic, you know... you say, "but if it is forbidden, it means it exists?" - they answer, "no, it is forbidden, so it doesn't exist."

ok...that is retarded. That would be like a parent trying to claim that since they don't allow their teenagers to have premarital sex, penises and vaginas don't exist. I've encountered the same shit. While I may not agree with the beliefs of my peers, at least they're intelligent enough to know that, if it's forbidden, it has to exist!! WTF would be the point of forbidding something like that?! "Son, don't you dare let me find out you were playing with that Lord Voldemort boy!"

????????????!!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?!??!?

[Jean]

ok guys, now back to Stephen King stories

[theBeamisHome]

what i would like to know from them is why we're here, if that's the case... i mean, what are we fighting against? i've talked to one such person before and she was of one of those sects that believe they are the only ones going to heaven... and she said everyone else was just gonna go to the grave... but my problem with the whole thing is why would we have to work our way to heaven if there's no devil?? where did the original sin come from that made us all damned to be separated from God??? its so frustrating..

[Adumbros]

sorry Adumbros... i kept it tho :D

Jean, i have met some Christians from those denominations as well. and all i could say was "are we reading the same book??".... it's amazing how people in the same RELIGION don't believe the same things... i know that it's true for other religions too and is not just exclusive to Christianity, but it's crazy to me how everyone says everyone else is wrong..

actually, not to sound rude, but I think RELIGION is what is wrong with this world.

To wit: God did not say that you were going to hell if you ate meat on friday, or didn't wear a turban, or watched television, etc. etc. No more than he said that if you're not Protestant, or Methodist, or Baptist, Or Latter-Day Saint, or Catholic, or Jewish, or Nazarene, you're going to hell. I'm so fucking sick of these goddamn people cherry-picking what they want to believe from the Bible. either the whole fucking thing's real, or none of it is. The verse that people like this seem to neglect the most is the following (i'm not quoting directly, and don't have my Bible open, so don't hold it against me):

That man can ascend to Heaven by faith alone, not by works, lest he should boast.

And yet, what the fuck are these pretentious bastards and cowards doing but boasting and posturing and preening?

And you most def don't wanna get me started on the idea of the Pope; in fact, i'll draw the line there myself, 'cause otherwise you'll have to kick me off the site.

[Adumbros]

ok guys, now back to Stephen King stories

sorry about that; you posted before i got finished typing my response and i didn't see it til after i hit 'enter'

[Brice]

ok guys, now back to Stephen King stories


^^^ Please!

There are other threads more suitable for this conversation.

The religious discussion or even the In My Mind thread would work. :)

[Adumbros]

ok guys, now back to Stephen King stories


^^^ Please!

There are other threads more suitable for this conversation.

The religious discussion or even the In My Mind thread would work. :)


hey dammit i said i was sorry :P

[Tiffany]

How's this:

Stephen King has made me desire to keep a young outlook on life.

And also, he's helped me to love Corgis.

[theBeamisHome]

oh yes... sorry...

about Sai King and his stories effects on me... his stories keep the child in me alive and active... it's like food for the imagination. things to reflect on in life. TDT also made me think about spirituality and karma and the such. his stories about love are very touching: Bag of Bones, Lisey's Story, etc... love survives even death... he often is very romantic... in the layman's term, not so much the traditional literal meaning. and all know i'm a hopeless romantic.

[theBeamisHome]

apparently i take too long to type... hey... move the posts to the amicable religion discussion thread.

[Adumbros]

ALL romantics are hopeless. :D

j/k

actually, there have been times when i was in certain (seemingly insurmountable) situations, and reading a story from King taught me how to overcome those situations.

[Brice]

apparently i take too long to type... hey... move the posts to the amicable religion discussion thread.


Nah, it's fine. I can't move posts from here anyhow. I know y'all weren't ignoring Jean's request and that y'all probably just hadn't seen it yet.


Stephen King inspired me to stop all who try to reach TDT...at all costs. :evil:

[Adumbros]

You know, I actually had an idea related to TDT that I wrote about...no one will ever read it in its entirety, for fear of being sued for plagiarism, but the basic premise was about Roland renewing his Quest, only this time with the knowledge of the previous attempts to complete it, and in the end (of my version), the Gunslinger learned this:

It is not, he surmised, the writer. Nor is it the Creator, although it is of him. It is not even the sainted flora. No, thought he, the great spoke upon which the wheel of the Tower spins is none of these things. The Dark Tower is the apotheosis of the one thing he could never truly appreciate, could never comprehend, before this very moment, this epiphany.

Imagination.

Thus thinking, thus understanding, at long last, the Gunslinger lay down his guns at its door. He raised the ancient Horn and blew, trumpeting for all that he was worth, trumpeting for his father, for his lost friends, for his quivering, mortal soul, which he now felt stir in a vague sense of ecstasy which he had never known before.

He imagined Gilead, shining in its beauty. He imagined his father, Steven, proudly surveying all that he commanded. He imagined Cort, and he imagined Cort blessing him for his conquest; but that was not the true conquest, nay, the true conquest lay here, in the amazing sight which spread before his astonished, gleeful bombardier's eyes.

All-World was reviving.

The Beams were renewed, the Baronies restored, the lushness of all that had ever been in his time, intact. The Crimson King, who thrived solely on the insanity that is loss, simply was no more.

Reveling in his newfound glory, Roland Deschain clutched the Horn to his breast and cried.