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Stephen King: Why makes his works so famous?

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Stephen King: Why makes his works so famous?

Content


1. Stephen King

1.1. Life

1.2. His way to writing
1.2.1. Influence by his mother

1.2.2. Influence by other authors

1.3. Works

1.4 Awards

2. His books, related to his own life

3. The Shining

3.1 Characters

3.2. Plot

3.3. Differences between book and movie

4. Own opinion / What makes Stephen King so popular?

5. Sources


1.Stephen King

Stephen King is an American author, who writes horror books. He sold more than 400 Million books, translated into forty different languages. His books make him the most read author in his time.


1.1. Life

Stephen Edwin King was born on the 21st of September 1947 in Portland, Maine. When Stephen King was two years old, his father got missing without any trace. King was raised by his mother, Nellie Ruth, along with his older brother David. He lived in Connecticut and Indiana during his childhood. When he was eleven years old they moved back to Durham in Maine, where he attended the Grammar School.

After that he went to the Lisbon High School, where he graduated in 1966.
He officially started writing in 10th grade. He wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper „The main campus “. He was politically engaged in student politics, serving as a member of the student state.
He graduated at the university in 1970 with a B.A. in English and then was allowed to teach English at high school level.
In 1969 he met Tabitha Jane Spruce in the library of the university of Maine.

Two years later they married. Their life was not easy at first, because Stephen King couldn’t find a job as a teacher immediately. Trying to survive and paying off the student loan, he worked at an industrial laundry. Apart from that he occasionally wrote short stories for men magazines. 1


1.2 His way to writing
1.2.1 Influence by his mother

King got introduced to books by his mother. She used to read a lot to their children, when they were small. Even both children were very young, she used to read magazines of “Classic Illustraded” to them. However, even at a young age Stephen King enjoyed reading horror literature like “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide” by Robert Louis Stevensons.2

1.2.2. Influence by other authors

Even though a lot of his stories got influenced of his own life, partly he also got inspired by other authors and their works.
In “The dark towers” the number one villain, the crimson king, was influenced by Sauron from “The Lord of the Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkiens.
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In addition, he got influenced by the famous American author Edgar Allan Poe. Poe is famous for his poems and short stories. For example, King quoted in his work “The Shining” out of Poes story “The Masque of the Red Death”. Kings book “Duma Key” is about a man, making holidays in a house at the beach in Florida. When the main character sees the house, he has to think of the house in Edgar Allan Poes “The Fall of the House of Usher”.4

Stephen King was influenced by other authors like Ray Bradbury, Thomas Stearns Eliot, Lewis Carrol who he dedicated one of his latest novels “Revival”.5


1.3. Works

Stephen King published almost 70 books, including collection of short stories. All the collection of short stories includes over 150 short stories he published. He also wrote 14 stories, he never published because of different reasons.6
A few of his most popular works are:
Carrie, The Stand, Cujo, The Green Mile, Duma Key, The Shining, Pet Sematary, It, Under the dome, 11/22/6 and Doctor Sleep.
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There are a lot of film versions of his books too.

More than fifty books and short stories were made into a movie. The most popular movies based on Kings books are Carrie, The Shining, Stand by me, Pet Sematary, The Stand, Green Mile, Room 1408, Under the dome and Misery.8

1.4. Awards

Due to Kings popularity, he received over 50 awards for his books. Among others he won the Alex Award, Balrog Award, Black Quill Award, several British Fantasy Society Awards, Canadian Booksellers Association Award, several German Fantasy Awards, all Horror Guilds he was nominated to, several Horror Writer Association Award, Hugo Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Award.
Kathy Bates, the main actress from “Misery” won 1991 the Oscar and Golden Globe for her acting role.
Bill Corse and Thomas de Gorter won 1997 the Emmy, for best make up and sounds.
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2. His books related to his own life

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The thing which makes Kings books so popular, are not only the good stories, but the way how he describes the characters, the surroundings and the events.
Kings life wasn’t easy before he started becoming popular and it didn’t turn out much better after he became famous. For him, his books are kind of a therapy, where he tries to deal and digest the bad things happened in his life.

When he was four one of his friend got run over by a train in front of his eyes. Even he doesn’t remember this incident well, he turned that prolapse into a book. Kings novel “The body” is about a group of young children, who hear a rumor, which says that a boy got hit by a train and now lays next to the tracks. Led by only this rumor the four boys try to find the dead body.

It is not far-fetched to assume that the dead boy in “The body” is his late childhood friend. 10

At the age of fourteen Stephen found his grandmother dead in her bed. It was a very shocking experience. Thirty years later he published a book called “Gramma”. The books main character is a boy, George, at the age of eleven. He lives together with his mother and his grandmother. One day, the boy was alone at home with his grandmother, who he didn’t like at all. George was scared of his grandmother because she seemed crazy and dangerous.

Furthermore, she was overweight, blind and had very bad seizures sometimes.
Exactly at that day, on which George is alone with his grandmother, she dies. Somehow it is a relief for him but also a shock. However, the real shock only begins when his grandmother turns alive again and tries to kill George.
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Stephen King was, for his age, plump and tall. Furthermore, he didn’t have many friends. He was a misfit. Same like the main character in his works “Carrie”, “Christine” and “It”. 12

After his mother dies because of cancer, King wrote the short-story “The woman in the room”. The story is about a man named John, whose mother suffers from cancer. John already experienced the painful death of his grandmother and is very scared of the ordeal of his mother.13

After several moving to other houses, King moved, together with his wife and three children, to a house in Bangor, Main. This house was next to a much plied street. Living in this house, King used to worry about his three children, because he wondered how he would feel if one of his children would get hit by a truck. When his daughters cat got killed by a truck, he had the idea of writing “Pet Sematary”. 14

In the year 1999 Stephen King got hit by a minibus. Likewise, with the other incidents, he tried to get over the incident by writing about it. In “The dark tower” he wrote his own death notice. 15


3. The Shining

3.1. Characters (based on the novel)

The Overlook Hotel

The Overlook is a hotel located in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. According to Richard Hallorann the Overlook ‘shines’ and has bad spirit. The hotel is built on an Indian burial ground. During the winter the hotel is surrounded by so much snow, so it has to be closed. In winter it can only be reached and left with a snowmobile.16

Jack Torrance

Jack Torrance once earned his money with teaching before he devoted himself to being a writer. He was successful with his writing, being a father and husband. After he starts drinking and becomes an alcoholic, Jack loses his job as a teacher and his life with his family becomes more and more complicated. After Jack breaks accidently his sons arm, while being drunk he quits drinking and tries to improve his life standard again.


Winifred “Wendy” Torrance

Wendy Torrance is the wife of Jack Torrance. She is described as a pretty woman, who is very desirable around men. At the age of 10 she lost her little sister, later her parents got divorced and Winifred got kicked out of her mother’s house. From the beginning of her husband’s drinking problem, she thinks of divorce. Though Jack and their son Danny are her only family, she doesn’t want to get separated, even when Jack breaks Danny arm.

From the beginning, staying at the Overlook causes fear in Wendy. She is afraid of being isolated for such a long time and even thinks of the “Donner-Party” (A group of pioneers, led by George Donner, who had to survive over a winter in Sierra Nevada. In order to survive some pioneers began cannibalism).
After some time staying at the overlook, she had a great time there, till Wendy notices Jacks indications of wanting to drink alcohol.
When Jack starts trying to kill his family, Wendy tries everything to protect her son’s life and her own.

She even tries to kill Jack.18

Daniel Anthony “Danny” “Doc” Torrance

Danny Torrance is the five-year-old son of Wendy and Jack Torrance. Danny is a very intelligent and loving child, who has a strong bound to his father. Danny has an imaginary friend named Tony, who helps him using his spiritual gift. In the hotel he learns about his gift by Dick Hallorann, who has the same ability.19


Tony

Tony is Danny’s imaginary friend who helps him using his “Shining”. At first, he is not more than a playmate for Danny. After a while Danny starts being afraid of Tony but in the end Danny finds strength through him. It is later revealed that Tony is nothing more than a 10-year-older version of Daniel himself. 20

Richard “Dick” Hallorann

Dick Hallorann is a chef at the Overlook Hotel. He plays a significant role for Danny, because he has the same ability like him and tells him about it. In addition, he warns Danny of the demons at the Overlook Hotel and especially of the room 217. He later risks his own life in order to save the Torrance family out of the Overlook. 21

Lloyd

Lloyd is a ghost working as a bartender at the Overlook Hotel. Jack starts talking to him, first in indirect speech, to signalize that he is not real and has not great power. However, later in the story he turns into a ‘real’ person, supplies Jack with alcohol and tells him to kill his family. 22

Stuart Ullman

Stuart Ullman is the manager of the Overlook Hotel. During the interview with Jack Torrance he tells him that a caretaker, who worked at the hotel before, killed his own family and committed suicide. 23



Former caretaker of the Overlook Hotel. He suffered from cabin fever, got drunk, killed his wife, two daughters and himself in the Overlook. Later in the story, he helps Jack when he is locked inside a pantry. He also tells Jack to kill his family.

3.2. Plot
Stuart Ullman is interviewing Jack Torrance for the position of caretaker of the overlook hotel during the winter season, where the hotel will be closed. Ullman tells Jack Torrance that his job description is basically to control the pressure of the boiler. If the pressure is not regulated, then the boiler can explode. As Ullman releases the tale of the previous caretaker to Jack, he remembers the incident that happened not long ago.

Jack was working on a play. To provoke Jack Danny began to pour beer over the pages Jack was working on. Jack was enraged and in addition was drunk. Enraged Jack angrily pulled Danny’s arm, causing it to accidently break.

Danny has a vision where he can read his father thoughts. Danny can see Tony, in his vision. However, Tony is far away and has to call out in order for Danny to understand him. In another vision Danny stands in front of their house, together with Tony who is still standing far away from Danny. When Danny turn to the house he can see snow, which covers the whole roof and garden.

In front of the building he can see a big skull and crossbones in front of green flickering light. Suddenly he finds himself in a dark room. The whole atmosphere was creepy and scary. In a mirror he can see the word “Redrum” written in green fire. The room changes again. He doesn’t know the room yet but will get to know it. The room is demolished and he hears a scary voice that screams, that he should take his medicine.

Everywhere he looks, the word “Redrum” appears. From a bathtub, which is in the room a hand appears on the edge of the bathtub. In the next moment he finds himself standing in a hallway, a woman walking towards him with a hammer swinging through the air.

However, nowhere a child is present and Al and Jack can’t figure out if they hurt a child or did not.
Jack, Wendy and Danny are on their way to the Overlook. Shortly before they reach the Overlook Hotel, they can see the building from the car. Danny almost faints because he realizes that he had seen the place before. Danny can remember that the Overlook is the place, which Tony warned him of.
Richard Hallorann is introduced to the Torrance family.

Hallorann is the chef at the Overlook, so he shows Wendy the kitchen and all the stock of food. Richard talks to Danny and calls him Doc. Jack wonders from where he knows Danny’s nickname, because neither Jack nor Wendy did it since arriving to the Overlook.
Danny gets to spend a bit time with Hallorann alone, where Hallorann tells Danny that he has the strongest power he has ever seen.

Danny, who has no idea what Hallorann is talking about, wonders what this means. Hallorann reveals that Danny has the “shining”. He tells him that there are many people who have the ability, him included. Danny tells Halloran about Tony and the warnings about the Overlook. They both exchange their experience of their ability. Hallorann is worried about Danny and warns him about room 217, and forbids him to go there.

Wendy and Jack are worried about Danny because he doesn’t talk much about the Overlook and how he likes it there.
Shortly before bedtime Danny goes to the bathroom. After a few minutes Wendy gets worried because she can only hear the water running and the door is locked. When Danny doesn’t answer to her calling, she calls Jack who breaks the door. They find Danny sitting on the ground looking sick.

Danny doesn’t wake up and Jack is about to lose his temper which scares Wendy. Danny finally wakes up and later asks his father if he would ever hurt him or his mother, which Jack denies.
Wendy and Jack are very worried about Danny’s health and call the doctor before the Overlook will be cut off. Danny tells the doctor about Tony and how scared he is of him. Through the appointment with the doctor, it is revealed that Tony was, till the moving to another city, a good playmate for Danny.

After moving, Tony turned to a scary friend of his. However, the doctor is convinced that Tony is nothing more than imagination and tells Danny’s parents that Danny is only the way he is, because he is so intelligent.

Jack decides to write a book about it, because he thinks that it would make a great story. He tells his friend Al about it, but Al begs him not to write about it.
After a few days it finally starts snowing and the Torrance family prepares of getting cut off from the outside world. After a week and a half later, now there are 60 centimeters snow.

Even after all warnings, Danny steals the main key from his father and goes back to room 217. When Danny enters the room, nothing seems to be odd or abnormal. However, when he looks into the mirror he sees himself, but the Danny’s reflection in the mirror is not himself. Automatically he goes into the bathroom, to the bathtub. Inside the bathtub, lies a dead woman, staring at him.

Danny runs and tries to flee but the dead woman catches him at the door, packs his throat and tries to strangle him.
While Danny gets away from the woman, Wendy takes care of Jack, who had a terrible nightmare and as it turns out, was sleepwalking during his dream. Danny reaches his parents who are shocked about the bruises on his neck. Wendy immediately things that Jack did this to their son, gets Danny and runs away from Jack and hides in their apartment.

Jack and Wendy go to Danny to take care of him. Jack asks Danny to tell him what happened. Their son recounts all he knows about the shining, what Tony had shown him and about room 217.
To know what’s up with room 217, Jack goes there. When he enters he immediately feels that something is not right there. In the bathroom, where first nothing happens. As soon as he wants to leave, the shower curtain, which Jack moved earlier, moves back to the original position.

As he wants to leave, he hears footsteps, gets scared, runs out of the room and locks the door from outside.
When he goes back to Wendy and Danny, he tells them that he had seen nothing at all. The discussion of leaving the Overlook starts between Wendy and Jack, but it turns out that it is not possible to leave the hotel except with the snowmobile. Jack doubts that is even working at all and is worried because it is too dangerous.

Days later he goes to the snowmobile, which works, but Jack ignores the fact. He wants to stay at the Overlook. Jack notices himself that something is not right with him and that he turns against his family. He doesn’t worry much about it and breaks the motor of the snowmobile.
A few days pass and another strange thing happens, the elevator moves by itself during the night.

In the next scene, Danny finds himself in the bedroom of his parents which is in a mess. The word “Redrum” is reflected in the mirror and Danny finally sees that it actually means “Murder”. After the vision, Danny calls Hallorann for help. Hallorann receives his message and makes himself on his way. Back at the Overlook, Jack has to release pressure of the boiler. Packed with evil spirit, he thinks of letting the pressure get so high, it would explode and destroy the Overlook.

However, Jack comes to his sense and releases the pressure. Filled with anger, he is longing for a drink. Jack goes to the bar, where a party is going on. Lloyd supplies him with drinks and tells Jack that the manager has a great interest in Danny. After having a few drinks, Jack meets a waiter named Delbert Grady, who brags about killing his family and tells Jack to do the same.

In addition, he admits that the Overlook is much more interested in Danny than in Jack, which fills him with anger and worry.

Drunk, he returns to Wendy, gets mad at her and tries to strangle her. Danny tries to stop him, successfully and Wendy has enough time to make him unconscious. Together, they drag Jack into the pantry and lock the door. No long time passes and Grady helps Jack to open the door. Jack goes after Wendy and they have an argument which escalates with Wendy killing Jack. However, due to the power Jack has from the Overlook, he comes back to live and chases Wendy.

Jack tells Danny to run away and Danny finally remembers what Tony meant earlier. Danny tells his father to remove the pressure of the boiler what he didn’t do all day. Eventually Danny, Hallorann and Wendy flee. When Jack tries to remove the pressure of the boiler, the boiler explodes, kills Jack and destroys the Overlook Hotel.

Danny, Wendy and Hallorann can escape and try to continue living a normal life.24

3.3 Differences between the book and the movie

The movie “The Shining” is a film of the genres horror and drama. It is based on the book “The Shining” by Stephen King and was directed by Stanley Kubrick who also wrote the screenplay.
The main role, Jack Torrance, was played by Jack Nicholson. Shelley Duvall was casted as Jacks wife, Wendy Torrance. The five-year-old boy, Daniel Torrance, was played by Danny Lloyd.
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Even though Stephen King was supposed to write the screenplay for the movie, Stanley Kubrick didn’t even look at it and wrote his own screenplay for the film. Consequently, a lot of differences between the novel and the movie occurred, which led to different theories and stories between the movie and the book. 26

A very small difference are the dates of the opening season of the overlook hotel. In the book the season starts from the 15th of May and goes until 30th of September. In the movie the season starts on 15th of May, too. But it lasts one month longer, till the 30th of October. It is suspected that Stanley Kubrick changed the date so the first day of the off-season would fall on Halloween. This should make the whole story indirectly creepier. 27

Jack and Wendy’s son, Danny, is described in the book as a very intelligent boy for his age. He has a very high standard vocabulary. Whereas, is the movie Danny’s intelligence is not explicit mentioned and is only clearly shown in the end during his escape.27

Even before moving to the Overlook Hotel, Tony shows Danny in a vision almost all incidents which will happen during the stay at the Overlook. Tony shows him the snow, the bedroom, the bathroom and the word “Redrum”. He shows him everything except the twins. In the movie, Danny sees visions only when they are already in the hotel. Furthermore, he only sees the twins and blood floating out of the elevator.27

Richard Hallorann has, in the novel, a much bigger influence on Danny and part on the story. At their first day at the Overlook Hotel, Hallorann explains their ability to shine in detail to Danny. He also mentioned that a lot of scientists are doing research about that topic and even some places shine. In the movie Hallorann only explains the shining very briefly and doesn’t make clear that people, except for Hallorann and Danny have the ability.27

In the book Jack works at two books. The first is the play which he planned to write during his stay at the Overlook. The idea for the second work he gets when he finds recordings about different horrible incidences which happened at the Overlook. In the movie the second work isn’t even mentioned and the screenplay is mentioned but not seen. The only work which is shown in the movie is when Wendy looks at Jack typewriter and sees hundreds of pages with the sentence “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

This sentence is not mentioned in the book. 27

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