Racism in SK books

[shangirl]

So I have an African- American friend who refuses to read Stephen King because he swears that he's racist. He points out that any story he has ever tried to read says the "N" word at least once. So my view is that it's not the author that's the racist it's the characters in the story. I mean really nothing says backwoods Redneck ignorance like using the "N" word. (Henry from IT for instance.) My friend swears that Mr. King could make this point without the racial slurs but I disagree, what do you all think?

[BlueCeleste]

I think artist should have artistic license over some offensive word, now most writer have to use that kind of word to demonstrate what kind of person the character is.
I remember he said somewhere in ‘On Writing’ he said it is a job of a writer to show, not just to say, now as a writer I have used the C word quite often to demonstrate misogynistic behavior; as a woman, no one is going to accuse me of being misogynist, but if it were a man who did that, then some people, might be offended.
I don’t know what you can tell your friend to make him think otherwise, if that is his belief, then too bad, he’s missing out on a lot of transformational writing. Personally I find it sad that some have cut his books off cause they think the content might be offensive, perhaps they should give it a chance and then they can see it really isn’t, it trying to show us a true world that we live in, yeah maybe there’s monster strolling about, but isn’t that the way our world works? Just the monster on earth have human faces instead of creepy ones.
Anyway I don’t use the N word because I’m not writing about racism or showing racist characters but if I were, I’d use the N word, just to show. And trust me, those words have never passed my lips, not even the C word.

[mercop14]

I don't think Kings a racist. Some of his characters may be but that doesnt mean he is. Also he often shows African Americans in a very positive light such as Mother Abagail in the Stand.

[Bryan James]

Your friend, unfortunately, has his head up his ass...and he likes it there. You can't pull it out for him. Stop trying.

There are other books than these.

BJS

[Lencho_of_the_Apes]

Some people believe that certain words have to be forbidden because they're innately toxic and there's no positive or neutral way ever to use them. Other people don't believe that.

Me, I don't. I agree with you that King's displaying the racism of his characters, not exposing racist ideas of his own, but your friend evidently doesn't want to see it that way.

If you're white, shangirl, IMO it's not up to you to try to 'correct' your friend's thinking, but some strong evidence of King's positive, progressive attitude toward race issues might be... og... the section of It where Mike Hanlon's father describes his experience int he army in the 1930's, or the book Bag Of Bones, the whole plot of which deals with an appealing, almost heroic black character and a horrifyingly ugly racist incident that ends up having supernatural overtones. Or The Green Mile, with a heroic black character at the center... or...

We all float down here.

[aullori]

by that simplistic standard I guess Twain and Steinbeck would also be racist...

It's a shame really your pal is missing out on some good work.

[the_last_gunslinger]

I think you are fair in your assessment. In real life, people say words like that, and even though I don't agree with those particular character's sentiments, I find it adds realism to the stories. No one wants to read a book where every character is a model citizen who is whole-heartedly loved by all. Racism exists, and often times it is quite prevalent. King is often able to capture such people in his stories. Some may look at it as unnecessary or racist, but I see it as a good author painting an accurate portrait of the diverse thoughts and philosophies that exist in the world today.

[cfin5256]

IMHO, while I respect your friends opinion, I feel he's somewhat off-base. The N word in SK's works has nothing to do with the author, but everything to do with the character. One of the most successful aspect's of SK's writing is his ability to make his character's real and believable; almost like you can close your eyes and watch em walk and talk. Many of his books have been set in times or locations that, right or wrong, had the N word as a normal part of the vernacular. Sure, you can dance around the word if you like, but to me it would lessen the brilliant characterizations SK uses. To be blunt, if the word is truly offensive to your friend, SK is probably not the author for him anyway.

[wally wonder]

i think the artist left the arms off the statue for a reason. naw, wasn't a lack of marble. the artist was reflecting life. we are all waiting for the statue to be given back her arms.
that, along with the long wait for the american boy to take off beauty's clothing and get on top of her. buy your friend a shark puppy cd and tell him to chill, don't be so serious, kick his shoes off and wiggle his toes from time to time.

[Sweet One]

I think it is in the context of which the word is used. It is most often used to show raicsm in an ugly light. But even if SK could make his point without using it, it hardly makes him a racist. Detta Walker says things like "White honky muhfuh." Does that make SK anti-white? King often challenges racism in his work. Take the Green Mile for instance.

It is true that some of SK's African American characters resemble the American stereoetype of the "magical Negro", whether King consciously did this or not. Dick Halloran and Speedy Parker come to mind. Some call this stereotype "racist", as it is mainly form a white perspecitve, but I disagree as this stereotype is generally a positive one. It does tend to view the Black man is "other", and yet at the same time quentisenntially American. John Coffey may qualify as representative of this stereotype, but if so, it's obvious King is using this to challenge racism, as Coffey is easily the most symnpathetic character in the novel. It is obvious that there is social comentary here of the tendency for the Black male to be wrongly blamed for crimes.

There is the troubling instance of the "black man" in Carrie who may represent the devil. This was not intended as a racial slur, as King is not talking about race. But at the same time, there are other examples of the devil in the form of a "black man" One such case is in Nathantial Hawthorne's "The Devil and Tom Walker." Again this is not racially Black, but there may be a darker version to the "magical "negro" stereotype that is at work here, and the authors may be expressing this unknowingly.

It's almost amusing how some authors ar attacked for alleged racism in their works are not racist, but others who truely are racist are seldom criticized. An example of this is Robert E. Howard of Conan fame. He was a product of his time, but he also had some personal beleifs of his own that were very racist. MarK Twain is often criticized for the "racism" in Huck Finn, even thouhg he was challeenging slavery, not for his intentional, deliberate, slams against Native American Indians in Tom Sawyer, which were intened to counter James Fenmore Cooper's idealization of American Natives.