Themes

Rumour and paranoia

One important theme of the short story “Strawberry Spring” by Stephen King is paranoia. Due to the murders happening on campus, panic spreads among the students and authorities. The feelings of paranoia are fuelled by the rapid spread of rumours that distort the truth.

When the first murder happens, the narrator notes that “we went to classes with questions eager in our mouths - who? why? when do you think they'll get him? And always the final thrilled question: Did you know her? Did you know her?” (ll. 40-42). This behaviour anticipates the circulation of rumours that follow the incident, as the students seem to be more concerned about the sensationalist nature of the events rather than worry about the crime itself. Although the narrator states that “Gale Cerman had been the type of girl you just nodded to, thinking vaguely that you had seen her around” (ll. 116-118), after her death, everyone on campus claims to have known her. The students give widely contradicting a...

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