Structure
...
Beginning
The short story "The Boogeyman" by Stephen King opens with an exposition, as the main character Lester Billings shares his reason for coming to see a psychiatrist (Dr Harper). This marks an early tension point, as Lester confesses that all of his three children were murdered, and that he is responsible. Lester then becomes unsettled by the presence …
...
Middle
Lester begins to tell his story in an extended flashback, occasionally interrupted by questions and remarks from Dr Harper. The tension rises as Lester tells Dr Harper the story of how the boogeyman came out of the closet and killed his children.
In the rising action, Lester recounts that Denny, the first child, started crying when Lester put him to bed, pointing at the closet and saying “Boogeyman (…) Boogeyman, Daddy” (p. 3, ll. 13-14). The tension continues to rise as Lester notes that Denny was discovered dead in his be…
...
Ending
The tension appears to fall as Lester finishes his account, and Dr Harper reassures him that they will work together to remove some of the guilt he has been carrying.
In the falling action, Lester returns to the doctor’s office to tell him the nurse is not at her desk. He sees “the closet door was open. Just a crack” (p. 10, l. 20), and hears a voice speaking from the closet as “through a mouth…
