Topic > Analysis of Gerald's Game by Stephen King: an excellent example of the psychological horror genre

IndexPlotGenre: psychological horror/horror fictionStylistic aspectsImagesConclusionStephen King wrote one of his most successful novels, Gerald's Game in 1992. The novel, just like many of his others, it quickly became a #1 best seller. 1 of the New York Times. 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 Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay PlotGerald's Game revolves around a woman named Jessie Burlingame. Jessie and her husband Gerald go on a romantic weekend trip to try to revive what we soon discover is a dying marriage (no pun intended). Gerald is a wealthy lawyer with a clandestine thirst for power and domination. Jessie is a gentle, dutiful wife with a few secrets of her own, willing to do almost anything to spice up her marriage, until Gerald takes things a little too far. In a last-ditch attempt to rekindle their passion, Gerald handcuffs both Jessie's wrists to the bedposts and asks her to play the part of a rape victim, screaming for help. Jessie plays along half-heartedly, but quickly becomes uncomfortable, and when Gerald doesn't listen to her sincere pleas to stop, she kicks him and a heated argument ensues. In the middle of the discussion Gerald dies of a heart attack and falls to the ground. the floor at the foot of the bed. Jessie is left in handcuffs, alone, except for a stray dog ​​that comes in to feed on Gerald's body, in a house located in the middle of nowhere. When Jessie realizes there is little hope of her surviving, her mind begins to reel. When Jessie becomes dehydrated, hungry and scared, she loses her grip on reality. She is haunted by Gerald, a version of herself, her traumatic past, and a tall, deformed figure she believes is Death waiting to get her. Gerald's Game plays on the fragile state of someone's mind at a time with so little hope or will to survive, and on a journey to rediscovery and acceptance. Genre: Psychological Horror/Horror Fiction Psychological horror is a subgenre that relies on cognitive, emotional, and subconscious aspects to unnerve or scare the reader. In this genre, writers typically create characters with unstable or fragile psychological states. A writer like Stephen King writes a psychological horror novel with the goal of creating fear by exposing common psychological and emotional vulnerabilities and bringing to light the darkest 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 who is trapped on a bed in the same room the whole time and you think, how can they move forward? Stephen King has never been one to treat any subject lightly, he is in no way a subtle writer. If there's a message King is trying to convey, you'll see it by the end of the book, maybe after a little trauma. But he means well. Gerald's Game is a story about sexual violence, the story of a woman trapped in a cycle of victimization since she was just a child. Images In Gerald's Game there is no typical monster with sharp fangs, glowing eyes or large hairy claws. But much more palpable villains; the mangy, wild dog, the stalking serial killer, all mirror the impalpable demons in his mind. The gruesome aspect of watching the dog come in and out of the room, rattle Gerald's blood-covered nails on the hardwood floor, tear off chunks of flesh, and sit on the.