Pet Sematary Quote

[OzTheGweat]

I actually have this quote MEMORIZED:

Part II - The Micmac Indian Burial Ground: "It's probably wrong to believe there can be any limit to the horror which the human mind can experience. On the contrary, it seems that some exponential effect begins to obtain as deeper and deeper darkness falls - as little as one may like to admit it, human experience tends, in a good many ways, to support the idea that when the nightmare grows black enough, horror spawns horror; one coincidental evil begets other, often more deliberate evils, until finally blackness seems to cover everything. And the most terrifying question of all may be just how much horror he human mind can stand and still maintain a wakeful, staring, unrelenting sanity. That such events have their own Rube Goldberg absurdity goes almost without saying. At some point, it all starts to become rather funny. That may be the point at which sanity begins either to save itself or to buckle and break down; that point at which one's sense of humor begins to reassert itself." (King)

What are your opinions about this quote? What does it mean to you? I truly found this quote to be so terrifying, yet I really can't justify why. It truly does foreshadow Gage's death in a way, though his death is mentioned previously in the book (PS, does anyone else get creeped out when King warns the reader of the time left in someone's life?). It just so happens that this quote is used in WikiQuotes for the Stephen King page. Is this ironic, or is there really some strong meaning to this??

[cwalrus]

I think this was SK preparing the reader for all the tragedy that was coming with Louis and his family. I think at this point we already know that Gage is dead or will die. We actually only view Gage's death in flashbacks and not in real time. It's mainly through Louis' memory that we see how Gage died. Instead of telling us in real time, I think SK wrote the passage above to really try to get us to really grasp what the Creed family is going through.

[zazibar]

My opinion and it's really all it can be because only S.K. knows what is going on in that mind of his is this: I think the quote is nothing but a taste of realism. A part in a fiction writers story where he steps outside of his fictional tale and really lets loose a tidbit of real life. Ok, The Creed family could be as real as any American family, but I think when he was writing this he came across an inspiring thought. This quote could be placed in any non-fiction story that deals with tragedy. A cat named Church that comes back to life to haunt you? Far fetched, but the idea that such a thing could happen because of all the darkness we have in the world? Seems real enough to work. Plus, like the above person said, it was a great foreshadow of Gage's death, it scares you because it's true.

[Midten]

I kind of take it like each tragic event can cause another tragic event
The cat dies- cat becomes buried in the cemetery - Gage dies - Gage is buried - Gage kills Jude and Louis's wife - Louis's wife is buried in the cemetery.

[zazibar]

That makes sense. I also see Pet Sematary as proof of Albert Einstein's definiton of insanity. "Insanity is the act of doing something over and over again while expecting to see different results." In any case, excellent book, it's what got me on this Stephen King trip to begin with.

[hossenpepper]

If you read "On Writing" Steve goes to great lengths at the beginning to describe the landscape on which his pen was developed. IN many interviews I have heard SK comment that, especially in his earlier works, he was writing about dark feelings he had inside himself towards his own family, children and responsibilities. I think this is true of Pet Semetary as well. Specifically, the fear of losing a child and the thought of "well, what if they could come back?".

Zazibar- in that sense your thoughts are 100% spot on, IMO. It is a moment where he steps away and makes commentary. In this case, the irony is that he is telling you why his writing is so terrorizing-- because it strikes at primal fears in the heart. It presents the possibiilties of "what if this was me?". In almost all cases, SK writes about ordinary folks thrown into extraordinary circumstances. This quotes sheds light on how the mind has to find ways to deal with fear and tragedy. My guess is it is a little autobiographical.

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I think Sai King sometimes takes 'classic' horror stories and gives us his own take (viz Dracula/'Salem's Lot, Dr Faustus/Needful Things) and I think Pet Semetary owes a lot to W.W. Jacobs' 'The Monkey's Paw', which he talks about in some length in Danse Macabre.

The Monkey's Paw

W. W. Jacobs

Long days and pleasant nights

[randallFlaggfan1]

Hi,

I think Sai King sometimes takes 'classic' horror stories and gives us his own take (viz Dracula/'Salem's Lot, Dr Faustus/Needful Things) and I think Pet Semetary owes a lot to W.W. Jacobs' 'The Monkey's Paw', which he talks about in some length in Danse Macabre.

The Monkey's Paw

W. W. Jacobs

Long days and pleasant nights

I'd have to agree with you, John. The Monkey's Paw had to have been tremendously influencial to Sai King. Pet Sematary is quite similar to The Monkey's Paw, IMO.

[hossenpepper]

Yeah, I agree that it was , JohnD and RF_Fan, but this thread was more specific to the symbolism of this particular quote. It seems to be more of a sidebar commentary that SK put in because it both related to the story and theme and also was a personal reflection based on underlying feeling that most likely had at least an influence in the inspiration for the novel.

Again the Monkey's Paw point is a very good one in general regarding to Pet Semetary and the theme of "sometimes you get what you ask for, but it may not be what you want."

[wally wonder]

a balloon expanding....or a head expanding....or a boiler getting ready to blow...reminds me of other sk stuff....what's the temperature in the shed?....gotta keep a weather eye on it i guess...

[Manxkitti]

I think that sometimes bad things or bad luck or whatever you want to call it can be interconnected. I think the bottom line with the bad things stared on that first trip to the Pet Semetary. I think the Micmac burial ground was "calling" to the family. I know, this is stretching, but I think it started before Church died.