I denne study guide kan du få hjælp til at analysere novellen “The Boogeyman” (1973) af Stephen King. Udover analysehjælpen kan du finde et summary af teksten samt idéer til fortolkning og perspektivering.
Stephen King (f. 1947) er en amerikansk forfatter, som især er kendt for sine værker i horrorgenren. King er kendt for sin store produktivitet og har udgivet over 60 romaner og ca. 200 noveller. Han har modtaget adskillige priser for sit arbejde og mange af hans værker har dannet udgangspunkt for film eller tv-serier.
Novellen “The Boogeyman” blev første gang udgivet i 1973 i tidsskriftet Cavalier og kom senere med i Kings novellesamling Night Shift (1978).
Nedenfor kan du læse et kort uddrag fra vores study guide:
Family issues and misogyny
The concept of family is partly explored through Lester's childhood perspective. We learn a few things about Lester as a child: he had an overprotective mother, who screamed at him not to do various things she perceived as dangerous, a behavior which made Lester fearful of almost everything.
We also learn that Lester’s mother “wouldn’t have anything to do” with her son and his wife because Rita gave birth to Denny too soon after they were married, and she even refused to attend the wedding. (p. 7, 1-2). This suggests she is conservative and intolerant. In fact, a lot of Lester’s own conservative and intolerant beliefs may have been inherited from his mother, suggesting that prejudice can be passed down from parents to children.
As a father, Lester claims he is firmly against spoiling his children. However, his unwillingness to “overprotect” his children borders on neglect and even abuse. He refuses to let Denny have his bottle to bed, simply because he believes he must be firm. He also refuses to have a nightlight put in Denny's room when his wife suggests it, because “if a kid doesn’t get over being afraid of the dark when he’s little, he never gets over it” (p. 3, ll. 9-10). He also hits Denny if he cries when he is put to bed: “if he didn’t stop crying I’d give him a whack” (p. 3, ll. 4-5). It is also hinted that Lester might be physically abusive towards his wife.
