Stephen King's novel "Thinner" was published by New American
Library in1985 under the pen-
name Richard Bachman. According to his biography Stephen King was born on September 21,
1997 and is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy.
King has published 50 novels, including seven under the pen-name Richard Bachman, and five
non-fiction books. The novel "Thinner" is the story of overweight middle-age family man and
lawyer William Halleck. Halleck 'having killed an old Gypsy woman with his car and let go un-
punished' was then cursed by an old Gypsy man with a rotten nose by caressing his face with
name Richard Bachman. According to his biography Stephen King was born on September 21,
1997 and is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy.
King has published 50 novels, including seven under the pen-name Richard Bachman, and five
non-fiction books. The novel "Thinner" is the story of overweight middle-age family man and
lawyer William Halleck. Halleck 'having killed an old Gypsy woman with his car and let go un-
punished' was then cursed by an old Gypsy man with a rotten nose by caressing his face with
a finger and whispering
the word "thinner" right after the trial. As the story progresses Halleck
begins to notice the rapid weight loss and leaves his comfortable upper-class suburban little
town of Fairview Connecticut to search for the traveling Gypsies in order
to make him remove
the curse. Thus,enrolling in a most unparalleled quest filled with vengeance and repercussion.
 |
| 'Justice hath no fury as a Gypsy scorned' |
"Thinner" is most definitely a page
turner with exiting plots and unraveling self-discovery. The
old adage, "an
eye for an eye makes the world go blind" takes a more macabre tone in a
series
of events which makes the main character re-evaluate the gain from vengeance
and who real-
ly are the ones affected by it. Amongst one of my favorite quotes is "Sure,
we need Gypsies.
We always have. Because if you don't have someone to run out
of town once in a while, how
are you going to know you yourself belong
there?" (284). Another one is "Some guys -a lot of
guys- don't believe what
they are seeing, especially if it gets in the way of what they eat or
drink or
think or believe. Me, I don't believe in God. But if I saw him, I would. I
wouldn't go a-
round saying 'Jesus, that was a great special effect. The
definition of an asshole is a guy who
doesn't believe what he's seeing. And you
can quote me" (220). I've review the summary of
the movie from the same book and from what I gather the movie had to incorporate an extra
plot in order
to give meaning to the end. However, I feel that the book has a very cohesive
main plot and a deeper message at the end, just the way it is. Personally I
believe "Thinner"
embodies the darker side of the human psyche
and masterfully depicts the deeper meaning
of revenge versus accountability.
Wow I really like your final sentence here. I agree with that! This book was interesting since King wrote under a pseudonym. I like that point you made re. the book vs movie. I'm with you ==Hollywood thinks they have to change things up for the audience but somehow they alter it too much (my opinion!)
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed this quote you picked out: "Sure, we need Gypsies.
We always have. Because if you don't have someone to run out of town once in a while, how
are you going to know you yourself belong there?"
Wow-that could be the start of a very intriguing essay in any English class! Alright I might need to re-read this book over the summer!