Eclipsing the Patriarchy: The Power of Intergenerational Female Connection in Stephen King’s It, Carrie, Gerald’s Game, and Dolores Claiborne
Date
2023-09-13
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
Using feminist and reader response theories to examine the ways in which American horror writer Stephen King creates strong female characters who break free from abusive patriarchal systems, this Thesis responds to critics of Stephen King’s portrayals of women and to research by Amy Canfield, Erika Dymond, Maysaa Husam Jaber, and Erin Mercer. While recent scholarship has focused on King’s female characters individually or on the pairing of a select few, this Thesis uses close reading and literary analysis to argue that King creates a network of strong intergenerational women who break free from patriarchal systems in his novels It, Carrie, Gerald’s Game, and Dolores Claiborne. Applying feminist theory to King’s characters Beverly Marsh, Carrie White, Jessie Burlingame, and Dolores Claiborne demonstrates how King uses intergenerational female connection to create powerful women characters who break free from patriarchal oppression.
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