Edgar Allen Poe once said, "Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality" (BrainyQuote.com). This applies to all genres of books but especially one in particular, the horror genre. To get the full horrifying experience when reading, one must understand the message behind it. The novel Cujo by Stephen King, is an excellent example of the horror genre because it contains disturbing scenes, has a threatening atmosphere, and the main characters are terrorized by demons, which are essential characteristics to any horror genre.
First, Cujo is an example of the horror genre because it contains very gory and disturbing violence throughout the novel. Joyce Saricks states that for a novel to be classified in the horror genre, it must have aspects such as "graphic violence and strong language, used to enhance the effect of the supernatural and the impact of the story" (Saricks 107). Disturbing violence is present when innocent characters are faced with deadly situations. For example, a policeman is sent to Joe Camber's place to look for Donna and Tad Trenton who have been missing for a few days. The police officer finds both of them trapped in her Pinto. He soon realizes why when he encounters the monster, "Cujo had hold of the man's arm and was shaking it the way a puppy will shake a rag toy. It pounced on the man in the blood-spattered blue shirt and the khaki pants again. The dead man's head lolled on his neck. She looked away, her empty stomach sour with hot acid. Her torn leg ached and throbbed" (King 274-275). Graphic violence is clearly shown because the reader is introduced to a helpless man who is soon ripped to pieces. King fills you with the feeling of hope that Donna and Tad may be saved, then suddenly takes it away. This feeling helps add to the effect of how dangerous the monster really is. Gory scenes can also be expected by the reader when an injured character is left alone to fight for their life.
"Cujo," by Stephen King, is a novel about a sweet innocent St. ... Bernard named Cujo. ... Cujo, chasing a rabbit into a hole, contracts rabies from a bat. ... The car breaks down there and Cujo sieges them to the car. ... Cujo also kills him. ...
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of suspense, horror, sci-fi and fantasy books. ... They planned on staying for a year and in that time he wrote another book, Cujo. ... I found Stephen King to be a very interesting author. My favorite book by Stephen King is Rose Madder. ... Hopefully, Stephen King never stops writing his horror books. ...
Indeed, when I informed people that I was writing a critical essay on Stephen King the most common response was laughter. ... For some, we have been on page one of a Stephen King book almost countless times before (the man is a prodigious author), and in a comforting way we know what to expect. ... When we open a Stephen King book, nearly all of us have some idea what to expect. ... The factor that makes Stephen King superior (at least in sales figures) to others who ape his style, headed by Dean Koontz, is that although we always know roughly what will happen in a King novel, we are never bo...
Is it possible for a person to be an accessory after the fact to a crime that was committed twenty-four years before they were born? This is one of the questions that the film "Apt Pupil" asks. But, the film does more than this. It is a thought-provoking film which demonstrates the potential for evil that exists in human beings. The story is about a teenage boy, Todd Bowmen, a straight "A" student who has lettered in sports. ...