StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Children of the Corn - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The essay "Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Children of the Corn" focuses on the critical analysis of the relationship between the occult and madness in Children of the Corn by Stephen King. It expresses horror and demonic characteristics through the symbol of innocence and holiness…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.8% of users find it useful
Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Children of the Corn
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Children of the Corn"

15 April The Relationship between Occult and Madness in Stephen King’s “Children of the Corn” Children of the Corn, a short story written by Stephen King, expresses horror and demonic characteristics through the most significant symbol of innocence and holiness, ‘children.’ The story contains themes of occult, madness and vision that are illustrated through the plot of the story as well as the characters brought to life in it. The paper at hand aims to analyze the story and understand the relationship between the occult and madness portrayed in the story. It further focuses on ascertaining the difference between madness and vision. Moreover, the research paper is a means to find out if and how psychology explains the occult phenomenon in the story. Occult refers to possessing knowledge about some hidden element, not known to commoners. In the story, occult is seen to be the knowledge that the children have regarding the history of the town of Gatlin as well as the mysterious corn fields. Occult also relates to pagan rituals of sacrifices, and in the story it is portrayed through the sacrifice of those who reach the age of nineteen to satisfy “He Who Walks behind the Rows” (King 11). The occult is emphasized through the portrait Christ who is depicted as “pagan Christ that might slaughter his sheep for sacrifice,” rather than leading them in the Lord’s path (King 12). Madness is characteristically attributed to Vicky, the wife of the protagonist Burt, in Children of the Corn. The madness that Vicky goes through is emphasized through different phases in the story, when King says “Vicky was having hysterics,” “Another burst of hysterical laughter escaped her,” “her semi-hysterical giggles,” “she cried hysterically” “Vicky was going nuts” etc. The two main elements occult and madness have been explained and exemplified, thus, now the relationship between the two can be analyzed. On closer inspection, it stems that Vicky generally gets into hysterical fits and emotions resulting from hysterics only when she thinks she knows that something is wrong. Although she does not know completely what the problem is, or what the occult is, she is well aware of the fact that there is an occult in the first place. Her hysterics seem to surface when she gets hints of something hiding behind the subtlety of the town. Thus, it can be seen that there is a direct relationship between occult and madness as the latter occurs as a result of the former, or emerges due to some hints of the former. For instance, she keeps telling Burt that something about the town is not right as there are no people other than them and it is practically empty throughout. Burt does not heed to her and despite her having told him many times that “something's wrong here,” their argument knows no bounds and seems to take toll for the worst (King 10). Madness is seen in Vicky basically, whereas vision is attributed to Burt. Vicky does not seem to notice the significance or relation of the sermon on the radio to what just happened on their journey when Burt ran over a boy. However, Burt immediately recognizes a relation there, especially with the mention of corn, and he asks her “What did he (the person reciting the sermon) say about corn” (King 5). Vision also refers to connecting different situations and seeing beyond the subtlety of elements. Although Burt does not immediately realize what is going on, he connects the dots and ultimately reveals the haunting past of the town, that the children “killed of their parents” as “there was too much sinning” and “not enough sacrifice” (King 14). He also does not take the word of his wife until he sees for himself and then later on laments that “if he had only listened,” they would not be victims to such a situation in the first place (King 16). Therefore, madness and vision vary and differ to a large extent and both are represented through characters that are in stark contrast with each other. Madness is an impulse, it is not controlled, just as Vicky is uncontrollable, whereas vision comes through careful analysis and understanding, which represents Burt as he only takes decisions or passes judgment after gathering evidence on the particular situation. However, it can also be said that vision also comes with madness, as the former can come as a result of the latter. It can be seen in case of Vicky, when she cries “Don’t leave me out here alone” to Burt, she senses that there lies some danger in her being alone, and that something bad would happen if Burt goes inside the church (King 12). In this case, vision can be seen as a prediction of the future, of what may happen if certain conditions in the present are subject to some change. On a deeper analysis of Children of the Corn, it transpires that psychology does explain the occult phenomenon presented in the story. Firstly, it is a fact that “many occultists stress the psychological importance of the occult” and besides they also “interpret occult phenomena along psychological lines” (Ankerberg & Weldon 2011). In the same manner, King uses occult phenomena as a “means to self-insight and power” for the characters in the story (Ankerberg & Weldon 2011). In case of Burt, it is seen when he comes across the truth behind the reasons as to why there are no people in the town. It is through this new gained insight that he is able to fight the children and escape from them. Had he not realized the truth behind them, he would have thought them to be poor innocent children and tried to reason out with them. However, he knows that the children killed their own parents, thus he does not hesitate when he yells “Vicky, get the shotgun” (King 15). The paper at hand analyzes the story ‘Children of the Corn’ by Stephen King and arrives at the conclusion that the relationship between occult and madness is a direct one as is seen through the character of Vicky. The difference between vision and madness have been ascertained and brought to light by studying both Burt and Vicky in respective situations. Lastly, the paper also proves that psychological aspects have been used in the story to explain the occult phenomenon. Reference List Ankerberg, John & Weldon, John. The Facts on False Teaching in the Church. ATRI Publishing. 1998. Web. 19 Apr 2013. King, Stephen. Children of the Corn. 1977. Web. 16 April 2013. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Describe the relationship between the occult and madness in Stephen Essay - 1”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1473936-describe-the-relationship-between-the-occult-and
(Describe the Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Stephen Essay - 1)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1473936-describe-the-relationship-between-the-occult-and.
“Describe the Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Stephen Essay - 1”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1473936-describe-the-relationship-between-the-occult-and.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Relationship Between the Occult and Madness in Children of the Corn

Comparison of Major relationship

The author compares relationship in two stories bringing out the significant ways in which communities and families shape children identity.... Women do not only show the manner in which children are shaped but also the manner in which a community receives a person who defies the very environment that molds them.... In the paper “Comparison of Major relationship” the author analyzes relationship in ‘Sula' and ‘Oral History'....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Relationship between life experiences and mind development

relationship between life experiences and mind development Tabula rasa is a metaphor developed by philosopher John Locke refers to the state of mind being developed and altered by experiences.... In time, children get older and engage in the system of education.... children normally face diverse challenges in school thus determining their character.... This is because the minds of any two children are always different and cannot be obsolete....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Divorce's Impact on Preschool, School-age, and Adolescent Children

Focus questionsDoes divorce have effects on children of different age groupsWhat does literature say about itIf these are negative how they can be avoidedIf these are positive, how can they be utilised in clinical practice4.... There have been substantial changes over time in scientific and public perspectives regarding children's adjustment to divorce in the US.... Decades of divorce research have created a more complex and nuanced understanding of how divorce impacts children and adolescents....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Role of Nurses in Child Care

Some of the mental disorders commonly seen in children are depression, ADHD, and conduct disorder.... Since children may not be able to express or understand many of the core symptoms that would indicate depression in adults, parents should be aware of some key behaviors-in addition to changes in eating or sleeping patterns-that may signal depression in children: ... children's Nursing refers to nurturing children from the stage of infancy, till the stage of adolescence....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Adjustment to the Death of a Loved One: An Early Assessment Approach

The phenomenology of grief among children and adolescents is studied in the recent years under the observation for coping mechanism and process.... Hence the study aims to observe the intersection of unresolved loss and sustaining a connection to the deceased, specifically examining the nature of the continuing bond with the deceased over time....
44 Pages (11000 words) Dissertation

Gender Dualism: Gender and Play in Early Years

Observing in a school playground from the smoothed spots where children play hopscotch and jump rope to the green playground and games of baseball and squash, one shifts from girls' groups to boys' groups.... This paper focuses upon the various features and characteristics of gender and play in early years....
33 Pages (8250 words) Essay

Homosexuality Is Good for an Individual and Society

In broader terms, homosexuality entails the sexual attraction, behavior or even romantic attraction between individuals of the same gender or sex (Connors 23).... According to them, this form of relationship does not come by choice thus nobody has control over it....
9 Pages (2250 words) Term Paper

Effects Of Divorce On Children

children of divorced parents are found to be psychologically affected by their parents' divorce that they tend to lack the emotional ability to sustain long-term relationships particularly in building trust and deep relationships with their partners.... esearch shows that children of divorced parents are not prepared for their family structure since parents usually do not discuss with them about the imminent break up of their family (Stewart, A & Brentano, C, 2006:132)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us