Stephen King: Two Books, One Story
In 1974, the world was first introduced to Stephen King through the publication of Carrie. Since then, King has released over fifty-four novels, short stories and essays (King, Written Works). His themes are vast and touch such subjects as aliens, telekinesis, life in prison, trucks coming to life, and the end of the world. In 1999, a car accident almost ended Stephen King’s life. After his recovery, he published five novels that were received with poor sales and unkind reviews. When Under the Dome was released in 2009, it showed that Stephen King was returning to a formula that worked so well for him in a previous book called The Stand.
To understand these two books, one must first understand their author. Stephen King was born September 21, 1947. His father abandoned his mother, older brother, and himself when he was two (King, Writing 3). His mother, Ruth took a succession of poorly paid menial jobs, leaving her sons in the care of various relatives. Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and then Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. He attended college at the University of Maine, and that is where he met his wife Tabitha, who was also a student. In 1970, he graduated from the University of Maine at Orono with a B.A. in English, and his first child was born. Stephen worked as a high school English teacher for a few years in Maine while he started writing his first novel Carrie. Carrie was an instant hit and an overnight success. The roylaties from the book were enough that King could quit his teaching job and focus on writing full time. Soon after Carrie's release in 1974, King's mother died of uterine cancer. King has written of his severe drinking problem at this time, stating that he was drunk delivering the eulogy at his mother's funeral (King, Writing 358). After his mother's death, King and his family moved to Boulder, Colorado, where King wrote The Shining. The family returned to western Maine in 1975, where King completed his fourth novel, The Stand.
Many of Stephen King’s ideas for his books come from his childhood and teenage years. One of his first jobs involved working in a textile factory and he was always afraid that his arm would get caught in the machine and ripped off, thus the storyline for The Mangler. The idea for Graveyard Shift came to him while he was working at the same plant and they asked for volunteers to help clean the basement. While King himself didn’t volunteer, one of his close friends did and told Stephen later that “the rats down in that basement were as big as cats. Some of them, goddamn if they weren’t as big as dogs” (King, Writing 59-60).
Not only does Stephen King like to tap into his real life events, he also likes to interlace his books with real trademarks of his beloved Maine. An example of this is seen with the Paul Bunyan statue that plagues the children of It (Powers, 4). In reality, the statue can be found by the Civic Center in Bangor, Maine. The route that terrorized the Creed family in Pet Sematary by killing first their cat Church, then their son Gage, is known to the locals as Route 15 (King, Sematary). Route 15 begins in the town of Stonington, at the intersection of Main Street, School Street, and West Main Street, it then proceeds north out of Stonington and through Deer Isle en route to the mainland of Maine.
Stephen King, like many authors, is a product of his time. The Stand takes place during the late 1970’s and was written during a period of uncertainty in Stephen King’s life. His mother had just died, he was moving his new family across the country, and he was a raging alcoholic. Stephen’s personal life wasn’t the only thing contributing to his insecurity. The Cold War had taught the world about biological weapons and chemical warfare. The inspiration for The Stand came from King’s desire to write a novel that could compete with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He wanted his saga to be set in America and the idea for the “super flu” came from watching a special on chemical-biological warfare. Stephen King states that he “never forgot the gruesome footage of the test mice shuddering, convulsing, and dying, all in twenty seconds or less” (King, Inspiration Stand). The Stand is a 1,153 page epic that was written about a rapidly mutating flu that wipes out most of the world’s population. The survivors that are left must choose what they stand for: good or evil (King, Stand). Robert Kieley, a professor of English at Harvard University says that “this is the book that has everything - adventure, romance, prophecy, allegory, satire, fantasy, realism, apocalypse, etc”. King was living in Colorado when he first starting writing the novel and Boulder Colorado plays a significant role in the book. On June 19th, 1999, Stephen King was taking a walk along the side of the road when a minivan driver became distracted and swerved, accidently hitting King. (CNN) Once King arrived at the hospital, he was diagnosed with a collapsed right lung, multiple fractures of his right leg, scalp laceration and a broken hip. These injuries kept him in the hospital for five weeks. This car accident changed the way Stephen King wrote for the first few years. He produced a few books that were not well received by the literary community, and many of his fans had given up on him: until Under the Dome. In Under the Dome, King goes back to his roots as an author and sticks with a formula he knows works. Thirty-one years, and fifty novels, after The Stand was published, Stephen King released Under the Dome. Under the Dome derives its inspiration from the genesis in an unpublished novel titled The Cannibals, which was about apartment dwellers who find themselves trapped in their apartment building (King, Inspiration Dome). Stephen King later changed it to a small town named Chester’s Mill, in Maine. He was living in Maine when he wrote the book so there are a lot of mentions of it. Many modern day references are seen in the book as well. A car driving down the road has an Obama bumper sticker on the back, for example. The novel came out nine years after King was hit by a car.
Under the Dome was released in 2009 and tells the tale of a small, ordinary town whose residents are trapped by an invisible dome. The townspeople quickly find themselves at odds with Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing, even murder, to hold onto the reins of power (King, Dome). James Parker from the New York Times Book Review says that the novel has “writing that flat-out keeps him (Stephen King) close to his story, close to his source. It seems to magnetize his imagination: by the final third of this novel King is effortlessly drawing in T. S. Eliot and the Book of Revelation, the patient etherized upon a table and the Star Wormwood”
These two books, The Stand and Under the Dome, were published 31 years apart from each other, but have many resemblances. The first of these is that both were made into a TV mini-series. The Stand mini-series debuted in 1994 and ran for six, one hour long, episodes (The Stand). It featured many well-known actors of the time: Gary Sinise, Molly Ringwald, and Rob Lowe, just to name a few. It aired on ABC and was later released on VHS and DVD. I feel that the mini-series did the book some justice and was overall pleased with the transfer of mediums. There were a few characters that were omitted but generally the writers and producers did a fine job. Under the Dome was originally supposed to be a mini-series, but it was so popular that CBS decided to extend it into a reoccurring TV program. It first aired on June 24, 2013 and consisted of thirteen, one hour long, episodes (Under the Dome). The show featured a few well recognized actors such as Rachelle Lefevre and Dean Norris and also helped to introduce some new names, such as Britt Robertson and Colin Ford. The differences in the book versus the show are substantial. Characters that died in the first few pages are still alive at the end of the first season and many back stories are completely different. I feel that the show is entertaining to watch and honestly don’t mind most of the differences. Stephen King, himself, said of the TV show “if you look closely, you’ll see that most of my characters are still there, although some have been combined and others have changed jobs” (King, Letter)
A strong female lead character is rare in most novels, but both The Stand and Under the Dome feature one. In The Stand, Mother Abigail is the person with whom God communicates through. She is a 109 year old African American woman who lives on a farm in Nebraska. She speaks to the “good” characters in their dreams and tells them to come meet her in Nebraska. Once they meet her there, she leads them to Boulder, Colorado, where they will take their stand against evil. Julia Shumway is one of the lead characters in Under the Dome. She is a skeptical woman who owns and edits The Democrat, the town's local newspaper. Julia often feels the need to prove a point and expose those she sees around her. Despite this, she is the conduit between the military outside of the dome and Dale Barbara, the only person inside of the dome that can bring it down. She voices her opinions openly and is brave enough to do whatever it takes to survive. She is one of the twenty-six survivors of the dome.
A good book features an “everyday” man that readers can identify with. Stuart Redman, in The Stand, is King’s example of how an ordinary man can make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Stu is common, and yet even he can alter the course of the future by standing up when the need arises (Paquette, 72) He remembers hunting trips and poker games, doesn’t speak much, but in the end, helps to put an end to evil. Under the Dome’s Dale “Barbie” Barbara is a former Army captain who was involved in the Iraq war and working as a short order cook in Chester’s Mill when the dome landed. Most of the town’s citizens thought him to be a quiet, honest man but he quickly uses his military expertise to try to remove the dome and stand up to Big Jim Rennie. He helps Julia Shumway form a resistance against Big Jim, and in the end he is one of the twenty-six survivors of the dome.
The end of the world has been seen in many novels, through many forms of destruction. The Stand and Under the Dome both feature it in a long, sweeping novel that pits good against evil. In The Stand it’s literally the end of the world as we know it and society is divided into two categories: God’s soldiers and Satan’s minions. They battle for what is left of the United States and good ends up winning. Under the Dome consists of the end of the world, according to the residents of Chester’s Mill. The rest of the world keeps on turning, but for those stuck inside of the dome, the world as they know it, has ended. The town’s people are then split into two groups: those that follow Big Jim Rennie and his quest for power, and those that follow Julia and “Barbie” and their desire to see justice restored to their town. It’s not the townspeople’s fault that the dome happened, and one can wonder if that was Stephen King trying to deal with his own inner turmoil of the car accident that almost ended his life.
Stephen King is known for his use of religious themes in his work. Children of the Corn and The Man in the Black Suit are prime examples of how he uses God and the devil to scare us. In The Man in the Black Suit, God is mentioned numerous times and even the “devil” in the story is working for God (Hansen). God is present in The Stand through Mother Abigail and while God was not the one to end the world, many characters in the book questioned him and how he could let it happen. When the dome first appears in Chester’s Mill, many people who are trapped inside think that it is a wrath of God, and that they are being punished. While they find out later that it was a group of adolescent aliens that lowered the dome, Julia still says “They’re the God I stopped believing in three years ago. God turned out to be a bunch of bad little kids playing interstellar Xbox. Isn't that funny?” (King, Dome 1033).
God isn’t the only one who makes an appearance in both novels. The devil has many names and in The Stand he has 19 different names such as the Walkin' Dude and the Dark Man, but his most prominent name is Randall Flagg. The Stand was Flagg’s first appearance but he goes on to be featured in some of Stephen King’s other works, such as The Eye of the Dragon and The Dark Tower series where he still moves forward with the hope that he will eventually succeed with his scheme(McAleer). The devil isn’t as obvious in Under the Dome, but when one looks a little closer they see him in the face of Big Jim Rennie. He takes what he wants, when he wants it, makes drugs in exchange for money and power, and kills anyone who stands in his way. The good people of Chester’s Mill didn’t even know Big Jim was capable of such heinous acts until the dome came down and Big Jim revealed who he really was.
The devil needs an advocate and in The Stand it’s Lloyd Henreid. A misguided, mistreated soul his whole life, Lloyd Henreid's cold-blooded armed robber front is the product of years of failing to learn from his own mistakes. When Lloyd is taken down for an armed robbery that results in the death of the store owners and his partner in crime, he is left in prison to rot when the flu kills everybody, even the prison guards. Randall Flagg comes, and offers him an important and well-paying job that he literally and mortally cannot refuse. He is in charge of the society that Flagg has rebuilt in Las Vegas, and uses grisly methods of torture and execution to maintain control. Under the Dome has Big Jim’s son Junior. He is in the process of killing a girl when the dome arrives. Our first glimpse of him is during a violent act and it only goes downhill from there. He joins his father’s side and aids him in controlling the people of Chester’s Mill. During Big Jim’s reign, Junior kills another girl and returns to have sex with the body, calling it his “girlfriend. We learn later that he has a brain tumor and that is what is affecting his mental state.
When it’s a story of good versus evil, one hopes that good triumphs and that evil will undo itself. The Stand had a way of coming full circle with the help of Trashcan Man. Trashcan is a pyromaniac who has been bullied, beaten and ridiculed his entire life. When Randall Flagg finds him and assigns him a position in his new army, Trashcan Man latches onto to him. Flagg is the first person to promise him friendship. Trash serves as King’s commentary on the nature of evil. The man is mentally unstable, and Flagg’s choice to make him one of his special followers with free reign of the military base turns out to be the Dark Man’s undoing. Flagg forgot the most important part of having a pyromaniac as a servant: their need to blow up something, anything. Trashcan Man is the one who brings the nuclear weapon to Las Vegas and who puts an end to Flagg’s short time in power. Under the Dome’s Big Jim sends a detachment of his followers to take back the former meth lab and those at the lab defend themselves with assault rifles. A meth cooker, in a state of paranoia, detonates a plastic explosive that engulfs the meth lab and unleashes a toxic firestorm great enough to incinerate most of the town and its people. The meth lab explosion is what kills everyone in the town, except the twenty-six survivors.
Any end of the world novel is going to have the government interceding, one can’t expect the government to just sit back and watch it happen. The Stand features the United States government trying to contain the super flu by going down to Arnett, Texas, and forcing Stu Redman and his fellow coworkers to go to Vermont to the Center for Disease Control. Once they are there, the government runs multiple tests on the residents and discovers that Stu is the only one immune to the disease. They also initiate martial law as a way to control society. In Under the Dome, the government takes a different path. They reinstate Dale “Barbie” Barbara and brevet him to the rank of Colonel. Barbie is also presented with a decree granting him authority over the township. However, small town politics being what they are, this action is not well received by Big Jim and his misguided band of renegade police officers. The government also launches a missile at the dome in an attempt to bring it down. However, the dome withstands the missile and everything outside of the dome is devastated.
The continuing use of currency is also evident in both tales. We as humans feel the need to barter and trade for goods that we don’t have, but want or need. In The Stand, technological knowledge is the new currency. Gold and money won’t get the lights back on. Those with knowledge or understanding of how things work quickly lead the team of Mother Abigale’s “Free Zone”. They initiate a crew to turn the lights back on and restore some luxuries back to Boulder. Under the Dome shows people fighting, even killing for propane to use in their generators. Checks and credit cards can’t buy batteries or propane anymore. Those that have propane fear for the inevitable mob that will show up at their door step, demanding for their share of the valuable fume.
The similarities between these two books are relatively easy to see, but what about the differences? The deconstruction of society is slow in The Stand; it takes weeks for the United States to become an empty, barren wasteland. Families are gradually dying and most citizens don’t know the full magnitude of the super flu. Under the Dome features a vastly different fall of civilization. The dome comes down quickly, separating families and causing multiple injuries and deaths. Society begins to dissolve within minutes of the dome’s arrival. The town’s sheriff is killed in the first hour when his pacemaker explodes while he is investigating the dome and Big Jim quickly steps up to take his place.
The picture that is painted of the post-apocalyptic world is different in each novel. The Stand displays the United States as hauntingly quiet. There are no cars honking, people fighting, train whistles or babies screaming. The world is as it once was, silent. While the characters travel to their final destinations they encounter fellow survivors and rejoice in the company. Once they reach Colorado, members are elected to establish a democratic society called the "Free Zone." Under the Dome’s post-apocalyptic world is moderately altered. Society tries to keep its luxuries, such as the use of generators and medical supplies. The citizens are running amok and there is chaos in the streets. There is no stillness in Chester’s Mill and anarchy rules. Big Jim appoints whomever he wishes to watch over the citizens and there is no democracy, no trials, and no law.
King has an affinity to idolize innocence in his novels. The Stand is no exception, except that innocence in this saga isn’t in the form of a child, but that of a forty-something retarded man named Tom Cullen. The super flu has killed everyone in his town and he is left to take care of himself, something he’s never had to do before. Like Robert Neville in I am Legend (Matheson), Cullen uses mannequins to keep himself company. Under the Dome has no such innocence. Every man, woman, and child that is trapped is guilty of some sin. Barbie, though he is an Army veteran, has committed murder. Lester Coggins is the Reverend of Christ the Holy Redeemer Church in Chester's Mill and he assists in Big Jim Rennie's meth ring. Though later he feels remorse for his wickedness, it is too late, and the damage has been done.
Many great minds have questioned how the world will end, and Stephen King has answered with two different scenarios. It has been whispered that men will destroy the Earth. In The Stand, man-kind is its own executioner. Scientists developed the super flu and a soldier is the one that escaped and spread the virus. Aliens are the demise for the people of Chester’s Mill in Under the Dome. From a faraway galaxy, “leatherheads” decided to observe humans in their natural environment. A meth lab explosion almost kills everyone inside the dome, and many of the residents are burned alive.
Both The Stand and Under the Dome are books with such a powerful message that they were turned into a mini-series. They both are stories with a strong female lead character, and an everyday man that readers can identify with that in the end plays a major role. The Stand and Under the Dome are lengthy, all-encompassing epics of the end of the civilization as we know it, use religion and God, and feature a devil and his advocate. The idea that evil will come full circle and destroy itself from within is apparent in both stories. We witness in both novels how the government would react if such a tragedy were ever to occur and how the use of currency is still a necessity.
The deconstruction of society is slow in The Stand while it happens within hours in Under the Dome. These are not the only difference between the two tales. The Stand paints a picture of tranquility once 99.4% of the world’s population has been killed. While evil is growing in Las Vegas, the rest of the United States is silent. The town of Chester’s Mill is explosive with pandemonium. Neighbors turn on each other, friends steal from one another, and there is nowhere to escape to or hide. The Stand features one of Stephen King’s favorite subjects: innocence. Tom Cullen is a surprising choice for a protagonist and King suggest that innocence ought to be protected, no matter the shape or form it comes in. Though there are many characters introduced in Under the Dome, none have the innocence that is usually featured in a Stephen King novel. These individuals have made their decisions in life, and now they must reap the consequences. Dale “Barbie” Barbara is one of the main heroes, but he is far from innocent. Even the town’s local clergyman has his hand in the making of drugs.
The possibility of the end of the world is imminent. It could happen today, tomorrow, or 200 years from now. What Stephen King has given us are two similar, yet alternate, versions of how we as a society will crumble and prevail. King’s work remains the same after thirty-one years even though the world has changed, he has changed, and his constant reader has changed. Stephen King knows how to tell a story, and nothing, not even a life threating car accident, will change that.