The Theme of Apt Pupil:

[Dances_in_Underwear]

What do you think is the over all theme of Apt Pupil? I think it's the idea that evil manifests itself. That it doesn't really die, that it will be born again and again.

I think that if Todd had not met Mr. Denker (of whatever his real name was, I can't remember it), he would not have ended up the way he did. Although that's not to say that it was totally Mr. Denker's fault that Todd turned into a sociopath. I think that Todd already had those seeds in him to turn out that way, but that it was nurtured by the old man's stories. In order to create a monster like that, you need both nature and nurture. A lot of stars need to align for that to happen.

But maybe I'm way off base here. What do you guys think was the moral of the story here?

By the way, Apt Pupil is one of the most chilling stories by Stephen King I have ever read.

[GNTLGNT]

Hate and evil never die...they may slink away temporarily, but they always crawl back...

[A Guest from Roanoke]

I think that the moral of the story was there are sometimes dire consequences to even the most simplest of choices, I mean had Todd blown the whistle on Denker he probably wouldn't have ended up like he did, I have no doubt that Denker was a major factor in his/their downward spiral and even when he had several more chances to give up Denker he refused as he felt he was in too deep and Denker then had the power to hurt Todd ... A really good story I felt .. still gives me the creeps

[king family fan]

Evil,hiding and returning. I believ evil lies within alot of kings works. I need to read Apt Pupil as it has been awhile for me. Like the challange to go back and re-read.

[Pucker]

When I read Apt Pupil (a personal favorite) I am always reminded of that old saw about being careful what you wish for. I'm not convinced that either Todd or Dussander are inherently evil to any alarming degree (that is to say, no more than the rest of us. Evil is always looking for new and interesting -- and unsuspecting -- vehicles). Todd's just a kid, and he couldn't have been expected, at 13, to see the eventual consequences of his actions. Dussander, for his part, was merely going along to get along. If Dussander doesn't follow directives, he disappears and someone pops up who will. That Todd is ultimately hoist upon his own petard, and that both of them descend into what looks an awful lot like a "comfortable" madness is merely a reminder of where the best-laid plans oft go.

If there's a moral here, I would imagine it revolves around the concept of obssession. Todd let a healthy (if a bit morbid) curiosity envelop him and learned the hard way what happens when you try to swim with sharks before you're ready.

[Infilled]

Up to Apt Pupil, which I didn't read until the mid 90's, Thinner was my favorite King novel, although I didn't know it was King. Apt Pupil spooked me as much as anything I'd ever read before.

[Seb Shaw]

I would agree that it is about hate and obsession.Tow evils right there, a very dangerous combination to have