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Essay / Analysis of Gerald's Game by Stephen King – a great example of the psychological horror genre
Table of ContentsPlot Genre: Psychological Horror/Horror FictionStylistic AspectsImageryConclusionStephen King wrote one of his most successful Gerald's Game in 1992. The novel, like many of his others, quickly became a #1 New York Times bestseller. The book was recently adapted into a very popular Netflix original film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The Plot Gerald's Game revolves around a woman named Jessie Burlingame. Jessie and her husband Gerald go on a romantic weekend to try to revive what we soon discover is a dying marriage (no pun intended). Gerald is a wealthy lawyer with a clandestine lust for power and domination. Jessie is a sweet and devoted wife, with secrets of her own, willing to do almost anything to rekindle her marriage, until Gerald goes a little too far. In a last, desperate attempt to rekindle their passion, Gerald handcuffs both of Jessie's wrists to the bedposts and asks her to play the role of a rape victim, screaming for help. Jessie plays along half-heartedly but quickly becomes uncomfortable and when Gerald does not listen to her genuine pleas to stop, she chases him away from her, which ensues in a heated argument. In the middle of the argument, Gerald dies of a heart attack and falls to the floor at the foot of the bed. Jessie is left handcuffed, alone, except for a stray dog who comes to feed on Gerald's body, in a house conveniently located in the middle of nowhere. As Jessie realizes there is little hope of her surviving, her mind begins to slip. As Jessie becomes dehydrated, hungry and scared, she loses control of reality. She is haunted by Gerald, a version of herself, her traumatic past, and a large, distorted figure she believes to be Death waiting to take her. Gerald's Game plays on the fragile state of someone's mind in a time where there is so little hope or will to survive, and a journey towards rediscovery and acceptance. Genre: Psychological Horror/Horror Fiction Psychological horror is a subgenre that relies on cognitive, emotional, and subconscious aspects to disconcert or frighten the reader. In this genre, writers generally create characters with unstable or fragile psychological states. A writer like Stephen King writes a psychological horror novel aimed at creating fear by exposing common psychological and emotional vulnerabilities and shining a light on the darker parts of the human psyche that most people choose to repress or deny . Stylistic Aspects When you think of a book/movie it's about a woman stuck on a bed in the same room all the time, you think, how can they keep it up like that? Stephen King has never been one to approach a subject lightly, he is by no means a subtle writer. If there is a message that King is trying to convey, you will see it at the end of the book, perhaps after a little trauma. But he has good intentions. Gerald's Game is a story of sexual assault, the story of a woman trapped in a cycle of victimization since she was a child. Imagery In Gerald's Game, there is no typical monster with sharp fangs, eyes shiny or large hairy claws. But much more palpable villains; the wild mangy dog, the stalking serial killer, all reflect the impalpable demons in his mind. The outward horror of seeing the dog run in and out of the room, slamming its nails covered in Gerald's blood on the floor, tearing off chunks of flesh and..