George Stark

[LieselAnn]

Do you think King intended for the reader to have a level of sympathy for Stark? If so, in what ways did you view him in that sympathetic light? Specifically, I thought Chapter 21: Stark Takes Charge was a change-up in the way King wrote him. It deepens the character, and makes us aware that rather than "Alexis Machine" being the sole personality, Stark possesses deeper emotions: jealousy, envy, and maybe (just maybe) a real and sincere desire to be real.

So, what do you think? Do you pity him at all? Feel real sympathy? Do you think Stark would still be evil if he had been the twin to survive?

[GNTLGNT]

Stark would have still been a "bad'un" regardless-to be truly evil-you have to have some of the softer qualities, to know how to pervert them to your own ends...

[SKEMERGrrl]

I don't think it's like the show Dexter where you actually root for the serial killer. I don't remember ever feeling bad for Stark. I mean, imagine if he had been born as Thad's real twin. He would have probably been really, really evil. The body count would have been much worse. He might have even killed Thad as a child.

[ChickenStu]

Not really. He was an evil git. I was glad when he died.

[lovely1]

He was evil. That's why he was never born in the real sense of the word.

[Seb Shaw]

I would say he was' bad to the bone' but he technically didn't have bones in our sense of the word anyway.
But I too was glad that he 'bit the dust'

[tempest]

We all have a 'dark half' even if we are unaware

[smiera]

We all have a 'dark half' even if we are unaware

yes,i agree with you.

[Tsubaki]

"Do you think Stark would still be evil if he had been the twin to survive?" Is a rather silly question, seeing as the title says "The Dark Half", doesn't it? Which implies that it is Thad's dark half. Twins, born inevitably as polar opposites. That's my take on it, anyhow. I had mild sympathy for George, and was absolutely heartbroken when he died. But then again, I've always found characters like him extremely appealing.

[J.T. Adams]

Yes, since I remember feeling I was reading a story about Richard Bachman at the time.

This was long ago, not sure if I feel this way now. Time for a re-read.