Submitted by hornsounder9 t3_xtqcwn in books
When I first read The Shining and It, years ago, it was the spectacle and the story-telling of the supernatural that scared me. A shape-shifting monster that eats people? Haunted hotels? Those premises are simple enough, but King’s prose and style had me captivated on every spectacle.
Now, nearly a decade later, I revisited these novels recently. I am 2/3rds of the way through It again, and I had to stop. The scariness of these stories is no longer the spectacle and supernatural, but the humanity. I don’t know if anyone who specializes in the field would agree, but the end result is that King convinces me fully that he doesn’t just understand the evilness humans are capable of, but can actively conceive of the actions with full empathy. He describes the cruelty of Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter with no sense of detachment, no impression that “sure people like this exist, but I can’t place myself in their shoes so I’ll do my best.” I feel as if I am right there with Bowers as he kills Mike’s dog in a cruel way, the horrified and sickened observer who wishes to step in and stop the actions, but is forced to watch instead, a captive of the author. Same sense when Patrick kills the neighborhood dogs and cats.
The knowledge that people like that exist is terrifying to me. Its not just that, but the way he describes the coming of age of Bev, and the way her relationship with her dad changes. I was too young to realize when I first read this that it was a brilliant expression from the mind of a child how predators in the home struggle with their urges and evil thoughts.
Books like that, which change with age and wisdom acquired, are amazing feats. Even if they sicken me in new ways. I just needed to express these thoughts.
EDIT: I want to add something that has weighed on me since posting this. My reaction to these evil people sometimes makes me afraid of myself. The knowledge that, should these evil people suffer some sort of horrific consequences, there would be a sense of satisfaction, even immense satisfaction from me; that knowledge makes me afraid of myself. That the satisfaction would still be there if, somehow, I were the one to deal the justice out. It’s as if Derry is in all of us, and just as the townspeople reason away their historic evils and actions, and look away or lie to avoid them, I too might do the same. Just as the Sheriff claimed to be on a fishing trip when in reality, he was shooting up the gang with the rest of the town in the 1930s in Derry, we as society might do the same with other things.
Just another layer of depth to the writing. I think too, that the skill to craft scenarios where everyone, young, old, married, unmarried, etc, can find something like that in his stories, is amazing. And again, terrifying that he has that range to work with.
EDIT 2: I went to bed and woke up to amazing comments and discussions that made me think even more deeply about the books and the other King works I’ve read. You guys are awesome!! And thanks for the gold!