Opinions on Rage

[cwalrus]

Having finished reading Rage, I would say that this is the first SK book that I didn't care for completely even though I found it entertaining and I found Charlie Decker to be a fascinating character. The main reason why I'm not crazy about this book is because of the almost immediate blind sympathy that Charlie Decker gets from the students he's holding hostage and the fact that they partake in some of the violence. Although I can't be sure, I think this was SK trying to combine the Patty Hearst story with Lord of the Flies, yet it never really made much sense why the 20 some odd students in the classroom would all be on Charlie's side. I can understand a few of them falling prey to Charlie's point of view, but everyone except Ted Jones pretty much grew to sympathize with a kid who killed two teachers in cold blood and who is basically using everyone to fulfill some sort of twisted fantasy. I think SK might have let this one out of print because even he must see that this story is flawed.

I don't have much of a problem with Charlie as a character or with SK using this character to tell the tale of a conflicted youth using the killings and hostage taking as a plot device to do that. Sadly, Charlie's story isn't all that unique. There are plenty of misfit youths who are tormented both by there parents and by other kids. I feel Carrie actually dealt with some of these issues in a much better way. Take the shower scene in Carrie, for instance. The mob mentality that sometimes plays itself out in schools is evident there, but there was also a sense of remorse afterward from a more evolved character like Sue Snell who knew that it was wrong and wanted to atone. I suppose Rage is more cynical in that there are no "evolved" charcters who know that what Charlie is doing is wrong. They are unfazed by having a teacher dead in the classroom as Charlie treats the hostage taking like a therapy session and ultimately manipulates them into an act of mob violence against Ted Jones (who as we learn is no saint either).

I wonder also if this story was influenced by the popularity of punk in the mid to late 70's. At 29, alas, I am too young to remember it, but if I put this story into the context of when it's taking place it makes a little more sense to me how SK could have been influenced by the nihilistic sentiment of the punk rock culture (although no specific mention of punk is made in the story - characters talked about the Rollingstones when even i suppose the Rollingstones were probably not at the height of their influence with High School students as punk or stadium rock, but I digress).

There are things that I liked about Rage(such as Charlie's portrayal of his father. Here I found the writing to be very poignant and revealing), but as I was reading it, I just felt that it was really the first instance in SK's writing where the situation and the characters seemed a bit contrived and two dimensional. Carrie dealt more competently with many of the same themes of misfit youths, schoolyard bullies, aggression, and comformity.

I think I'm going to move on to The Long Walk now. Hopefully, I'll enjoy that one a lot more.

[Moderator]

Stephen wrote the first draft of this when he was still in high school in the '60s, so the punk movement and the Patti Hearst kidnapping were not an influence.

[jackson992]

Interesting reading your opinion. I actually sympathized with Charlie killing the teachers. I was disappointed that he did not kill Ted

[Sterling]

I wish I could get my hands on this book!

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Personally, I thought it was an excellent story, bearing in mind that Sai King was, what, about eighteen when he wrote it.

I read it recently back-to-back with Carrie and that was interesting.

Search second-hand bookshops and thrift shops for a copy of the Bachman books containing it, Sterling.

Long days and pleasant nights

[GetRichie99]

Charlie is one of my favorite SK characters....he's such an everyday kind of guy...which makes the plot line all the more horrifying and sincere.

[Gris]

I wish I could get my hands on this book!

Sterling, this is included in the Bachman Books, which you can find on eBay for relatively cheap at any given time. Grab a copy!

[Sterling]

sterling, this is included in the bachman books, which you can find on ebay for relatively cheap at any given time. Grab a copy!
thanks a lot!!!

[Cognac]

i can see what you mean, but i think you're thinking too much lol. first of all, (this is already stated) the punk scene had nothing to do with anything. second, of course charlie and his story are quite similar to other children. thats most likely why the subject matter was used, and is easy for every reader to relate to. sai king generally writes what he knows, and everyone knows about being an out of place child. thirdly, mr. king didnt shelve the book because he didnt think it was good or relevant, it was shelved because out of place adolescents started to act it out. although i really enjoyed this book, i think you will definetly enjoy the long walk better. i have no real basis for this, except that i did, lol. thanks for posting, keep it up!

[Greg]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. However I wish there was more violence. I don't think they should have banned this book after the Columbine shootings. It wasn't THAT bad of a book dealing with violence. I also wish they had a better ending to it.

[Undead Constant Reader]

I too felt that Rage was not as good as Stephen Kings other books. However, I still liked the book and thought it brought about several good points, I just felt it was lacking a bit over all. I recommend reading it, just don't expect it to be as good as King's other early works.

[JRLauer]

Its been awhile since I read this story, but I didn't care for it at all. Out of all the Sai King books I've read, Rage is my least favorite.

[rjt65]

IMO one of the best short stories. A shame due to the past 15 years of lunatics that SK had to take this out of new printings.

Lucky we can still buy used older editions...

[kingricefan]

Well, for a book that was written when the author was only 17 or 18, it is pretty darn good. Yes, it has its flaws (being abit preachy about the disillusionment of youth might be one of them) but I think it's still a good book. Someone mentioned their disbelief of 99% of the class coming over to Charlie's side of things, but that's how youth is: get two or three of the school's student 'leaders' to voice their opinion (those who have the most influence over others on things such as fashion, who's cool and who isn't, what teacher is the coolest, etc.) and the rest of the students will eventually follow because they don't want to seem like an outsider or oddball, thereby possibly making themselves an object of scorn or ridicule. It's been years since I went to high school, but that's how I remember things as being. Everyone wanted to conform. Everyone wanted to be part of the 'in' crowd. No one wanted to stand out from the pack. I think King captured this quite effectively with this book.

[cwalrus]

it's been interesting reading everyone's opinions on Rage. I've been away from the board for a while so I just thought I'd chime in. I certainly get what everyone is saying, and when put into perspective, Rage is not a bad book for a 17-8 year old Stephen King. I guess because it was published later, I assumed it was written after Carrie. For that time, it certainly addressed issues that not many author writers could have forseen years later. I guess it' a matter of opinion. I just couldn't relate to how the students being held hostage could come to sympathize with Charlie. The parts of the book that I enjoyed the most was when Charlie told us about his father. Those stories seemed very authentic. When it got back to the class room, things sort of felt forced and contrived. I think I enjoyed the flashback portions of the story more than the actual story.

I am enjoying The Long Walk a lot more though. I'm still in the early part of it though since I haven't had that much time.

[NiceGuyCody]

With all due respect to Stephen King (and keeping in mind when it was written), I think this is the bar-none worst thing he's ever written. It feels like the type of thing an angst-ridden freshman would write/read as a vicarious fantasy before climbing the student union building with a thrity-aught and going on a self-righteous killing spree.

[Nagooya]

I just finished reading it for the first time last week. And, I am 17 years old, so the impact is pretty significant. The characters in the classroom are so realistic, and the "getting it on" theme was something that really just amazed me. I'm near speechless. Though, I think it is very horrific what Charlie's background with his father is, I think that he still is insane for what he did. I found my self feeling sorry for his situation, too. Also, a part that gave me chills was when he described bringing the wrench to school in his back pocket, then he brought the gun. That gave me CHILLS! Great short story!

[IfSoGirl]

actually in a hostage situation it is not uncommon at all for the victims to start sympathizing w/ their captors. that wasnt hard for me to grasp at all. and i think they started to see themselves in charlie, that any of them were just as capaeable of feeling as he did and doing what he did if pushed the right way. they all started to see that none of them were what everyone else thought they were, they all had a lot more in common than they ever could have imagined. and in highschool we generally don't realize that until after its over.

[crimnpsych]

I've read this book more times than I can remember. I actually read a full two pages during my senior seminar presentation on school violence during my senior year of high school. I think what this book does beautifully is to describe what it's like being in high school. Yes, you're always trying to fit in. Yes, you don't want to be the oddball. But what King shows is that each and every student feels that they are on the outside looking in. Each and every student is lost, and confused, and immoral. No matter how beautiful, no matter how popular, you still feel like everyone is in on the same loop and you are not. That is why they understand and sympathize with Charlie. Because in exposing their dirty little secrets, for the first time, they are truly close and are truly one. All of the walls are down, all of the cliques broken. It's just each individual choosing to stand together rather than standing in what groups society (teachers, parents, coaches) has told them they should be in. At least thats what it said to me. I'm sure, as with most books, it says something different to everyone.

[adrianmarley]

I read it many years ago (in my late teens) and remember liking it at the time. I have not read it since, so I don't know how well it holds up. I'm sure that it is flawed, as other members have pointed out. Indeed, it may well be the "worst thing he's ever written" as NiceGuyCody says, but it's surely an interesting part of King's development as a writer. I have a problem with the fact that King himself will not allow the book to be published anymore and, while I understand his reasons, I don't agree with them.

[Sheila Carlyle]

With all due respect to Stephen King (and keeping in mind when it was written), I think this is the bar-none worst thing he's ever written. It feels like the type of thing an angst-ridden freshman would write/read as a vicarious fantasy before climbing the student union building with a thrity-aught and going on a self-righteous killing spree.

As an angst ridden freshman, I read way more subversive stuff than this, and never once thought of going on a killing spree - self-rightious or otherwise.

I liked rage, though it did make me nervous. To me, that's a good thing.

Nice meetin' you, NiceGuyCody - I hope to see more of you around the MB!

S.

[Vegetable in Glasses]

The other characters identifying with Charlie is very common in hostage situations. It is called Stockholm Syndrome. Wiki has a pretty good article on it.
The impressive thing about that intuition by Mr. King was that the syndrome wasn't identified by anyone in the psychology fields until 1973, and as Ms. Mod points out, the story was written in the '60's.
This is one of my favorite stories, despite its sad legacy.

[NiceGuyCody]

As an angst ridden freshman, I read way more subversive stuff than this, and never once thought of going on a killing spree - self-rightious or otherwise.


Well . . . naturally I didn't mean you sane folk. ;)


I liked rage, though it did make me nervous. To me, that's a good thing.

I can absolutely comprehend that. Generally, any work that elicits a strong emotional response from me is OK in my book.
Just so long as that strong emotional response isn't annoyance.



Nice meetin' you, NiceGuyCody - I hope to see more of you around the MB!


:cool2:

[Miss Barbie]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.

[NiceGuyCody]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.




You're probably not going to find any single first editions any time soon (unless you wanna spend a few hundred bucks), but have you tried looking for any of the several "Bachman Books" compendiums that are out there?


I remember when I was trying to hunt it down to read myself I managed to find a hardcover copy at the local library. A couple of years after that I was in one of my town's used book stores, and I managed to find quite a few copies of a paperback edition (it had a red cover with skulls planted in a line in the earth) and bought one for myself real cheap.
A couple of years after that I was in a used book store in another town and managed to find another paperback of a completely different edition, so I picked that one up for good measure as well.


So check those used book stores!

[JohnDalglish]

I want that story so much... But I'm afraid that pigs will fly before I get a copy of that. It's almost impossible.

Hi,

You'll find secondhand copies of the Bachman Books fairly cheaply (check that it's the older one with Rage in it) from Amazon or E-bay, amongst others.

Long days and pleasant nights

[DumaKey1212]

I'd love to read Rage but can't find it anywhere!

[Deavlynn]

I wonder if the age of the reader has an impact on their opinion of this book. When I first read Rage I was only a year or two out of high school and I thought it was incredibly believable. Most high schoolers are like blind sheep. When you add a little fear into the mix they revert to the level of animals. No one in a setting like that wants to stand out or be different. I couldn't think of one person in my school that I thought would have stood up to another student with a gun.

However, now that I'm a little older, I am also finding it less believable. Maybe age is making me more optimistic. I'd like to think that maybe someone would have dared to disagree. It's hard to remember how tough high school really was, but I do remember that those were the worst years of my life. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

Enjoy The Long Walk. It's one of my favorites!

[cwalrus]

I obtained the story by finding a used copy of the Bachman Books compendium on amazon (consisting of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, and The Running Man). It was really cheap actually. It was only $5 with shipping it came out to I think $7. It the same one that Niceguycody seems to be describing withe skulls on the cover although the online cover looked different. So, it was a great deal all around because I got Rage plus the three other stories in it that I wanted to read anyway. If you don't have an issue with buying a used copy, I'm sure you can find one easily, Miss Barbie.

I actually don't think Rage is all that subversive, but I can understand why many people would find it to be especially at the time it was written. I am aware of Stockholm Syndrome, and even before reading the book I anticipated that some hostages would come to sympathize with Charlie. I just didn't think it plausible that out of 20 some odd students that all but one would be on Charlie's side and even willingly participate or encourage the violence. Certainly, there is much to be said of the mob mentality and the urge to conform especially in High School kids, but I just found that part of the story a bit contrived. Just my opinion though. I know many people here like the story very much, and there are things that I liked about it too, but it's just my least favorite read so far.

[brandt813]

While Sai King has stated he was glad this one is now out of print, I would love to know all y'all's thoughts on "Rage".

I understand the reasoning behind it's out-of-print status, however I also think it's a shame. I, for one, absolutely love this book! It is truly one of my favorites!!! I think it's unbelievably well written, well developed, and remarkably disturbing and suspenseful.

While there is no way to condone actions like those taken in the story, it really gives a great insight into a point of view not often taken, one from the offender. Why he does what he does--what drives him to it, what was that final straw.

An amazing piece of work in my humble opinion!!!!

Thoughts? :eyebrow::biggrin2:


Your post was moved into this existing thread rather than starting a new one.

[tillyn]

Stephen wrote the first draft of this when he was still in high school in the '60s, so the punk movement and the Patti Hearst kidnapping were not an influence.

Far out, I wouldn't have guessed someone could write a story like that or even think of that stuff back then. Gun violence in school didn't happen back then did it? Bullies , well there timeless.

[psj77]

I've never done the things Charlie did, but I know how he feels. I think this is more or less what a lot of people who go through those things think about doing and how they see it playing out in there mind, but luckily most people know it would never work out this way in real life.

[karend3]

They pulled the book because they thought it might have been an influence on the Columbine tragedy.

[Miss Barbie]

A friend of my father's lent it to me last week and I finished it on Friday.
One of the best books ever!
I can't believe how lucky I was to get a copy...

[blunthead]

I wish I could get my hands on this book!Keep searching. I think I've seen it available at Half.com, where I got my copy, and at eBay.

[constantreader85]

it's so long since i read it at least 10 years so i cant remeber think i will be paying amazon.co.uk a visit:biggrin2:

[faithraine96]

I enjoyed Rage. I'm reading my 6th SK book now, and Rage was not my FAVORITE, but not my least. Charlie was a great character, and it was strange how you felt sympathy from him. I knew before I read the book that he would take his class hostage and shoot his teacher, but when I read it it kind of caught me off guard. I liked how SK told of the events leading up to Charlie's demise, and loved how the class, except Ted of course, played along. Great book, probably my 3rd favorite of the 5 I've read. Would definatly reccomend for a quick read (160 pages).

[Girl87]

Rage was really good. I start to think about Finnish school shooting when I had read it.

[ChaseTx]

.... I liked how SK told of the events leading up to Charlie's demise....

He didn't die.

The ending kind of confused me, in that I didn't see what everyone decided was wrong with Ted (unless it's just that he didnt come forward and open up like everyone else) or how they would all simultaneously begin to attack him... it seemed like a dream sequence or something

[Renzo]

He didn't die.

The ending kind of confused me, in that I didn't see what everyone decided was wrong with Ted (unless it's just that he didnt come forward and open up like everyone else) or how they would all simultaneously begin to attack him... it seemed like a dream sequence or something

I just finished Rage last week for the first time. It was decent, certainly not my favorite but considering how young SK was when he wrote this, it was pretty good.

In the end, it seems to me to be a book about coming clean and 'fessing up. Everyone in the class seemed to follow Charlie's lead, except Ted. And the class slowly picked up on this and attacked him in the end. Haven't you ever met those people who think they are incapable of making a mistake? Picture Ted. :glare:

[crimnpsych]

They pulled the book because they thought it might have been an influence on the Columbine tragedy.

Actually, I believe that Columbine had very little if any effect on Stephen King's decision to stop publishing of Rage. Obviously I'm not in his head and I don't want to seem like I'm making vast assumptions, but I think it had more to do with a previous school shooting in Washington state in which the kid's lawyer tried to use the "Too Much Violence In the Media" defense. Part of that defense included, but was not limited to, his collection of Stephen King books which included Rage. If I remember correctly, the lawyer stated Rage was an influential factor. Also, it was reported that the shooter quoted the book during the shooting incident.

I always felt bad that Stephen King felt in some way responsible for the lives lost due to the fact that some of the shooters read this book and identified with it. I don't think this book caused anyone to go out and cause death and mayham, but I can certanily see how someone in a particular state of mind could read this book and identify with Charlie. Still, I wonder how many kids read this book and didn't do anything horrible because they found a connection to Charlie that they found no where else. And that just having that connection was enough to turn them from a bad path.

[The Outsider]

I have to say, all the people who basically tarnished Rage's rep by using it as a scapegoat of sorts for their own school shootings and such, it really makes me mad. This book is definitely not about that; its about looking into yourself, and finding out who you really are. And its about being true to yourself, too. And its about a lot of things. But its not about school shootings or anything about that. And those who didnt understand that and decided to re-enact the unimportant parts of this novella should be ashamed. I'm ashamed. It takes something out of a really meaningful, heartfelt novel.

[newyearsevil01]

Rage is pretty good considering Stephen's age when writing it. Still remains one of my favorites to this day.

I hate when school shootings are blamed on books, music, & movies. What ever happened to people just being psychotic? IMO the school shooters did what they did because they were crazy. They were gonna hurt people no matter what was in the books or in the music.

[AdamS]

Love this book. Very well-written; probably my favorite of the Bachman books, although The Running Man is very close.

Looking back, I suppose this helped me get through high school. They say that sometimes teens watch violent movies or play violent video games as a way to deal with their thoughts and problems in a fictional world and therefore, not bringing real violence into the real world. After reading this book, I never got into a single fight or any kind of trouble at school. I'm not saying it's because of reading this, but who knows?

King is normally thought of as a horror writer. What can possibly be scarier than this?

As far as it goes, though, maybe parents should monitor whether or not they allow their children to read this and they should certainly discuss the book's content with their child.

[Breger3]

I've now read Rage twice (would love to get my hands on a copy of just Rage, but I'm happy with my Bachman Books) I must admit, the first time around (a couple years ago) I felt sympathy for Charlie, this time, I was like, really??? You think you have it THAT bad?? I think it just depends on my frame of mind when reading it.

I also HATE when people blame violence on things like Music, or Books, or Movies. Some people are just bad, plain and simple, I think, and it wouldn't matter if they read Rage or Little Women.

Anyway, that's my opinions, I'm enjoying reading others.

[JimmyTheGent]

actually in a hostage situation it is not uncommon at all for the victims to start sympathizing w/ their captors. that wasnt hard for me to grasp at all. and i think they started to see themselves in charlie, that any of them were just as capaeable of feeling as he did and doing what he did if pushed the right way. they all started to see that none of them were what everyone else thought they were, they all had a lot more in common than they ever could have imagined. and in highschool we generally don't realize that until after its over.

My thoughts exactly. I just finished this book and I feel what youre saying. Everyone saying "Kids want to be part of the 'in' crowd" needs to remember that Charlie wasnt part of the in crowd at all, soooo that theory doesnt really work. Everyone has a dark side and Charlie was appealing to all of theirs, no matter how small it might have been. Charlies had obviously taken him over, and I think it wasnt hard for most of them to imagine it happening to them, under certain circumstances, so it was easy for them to sympathize. As for Ted Jones, well, they all seemed to have had a hidden frustration and bitterness towards his "Big Man on Campus, My perfect life" image before that day anyways, and what made them angrier was the fact that he couldnt let the walls around his ego fall and participate with the rest of the class. Therefore, the idea that he truly felt superior to the rest of them and their hatred had been justified the entire time. Thats MHO anyways.

[Snaggletooth]

Some of y'all may be aware of this, but King himself pulled the book from future publication after the Columbine massacre. Whether this was a legal or moral decision is anybody's guess. Some of your posts regarding Rage do concern me somewhat; I'm 50-something and when I was in High School, I never had thoughts about killing any teachers. Some of the class bullies, yes, but these were strictly fantasy thoughts. Why anybody would want to identify with Evil is beyond my comprehension; and that's what the 2 Columbine perpertrators were: evil, destructive little psychopaths. If you want to read a truly scary real-life tale, pick up Columbine by Dave Cullen. It's the 1st book (to my knowledge) that examines the minds and motivations of the killers, up-close & personal. It also details their "Plan A", which failed and would have resulted in massive casualties in the school cafeteria. This makes Rage look like an Aesop's Fable, and yes, I have read all of the Bachman Books. That having been said, I can see why King published it under a pseudonym.