Rose Madder- by Stephen King- evaluation
Plot
Rosie lived with her husband Norman for fourteen painful and tormenting years, until she made the decision of her life, and therefor totally changed her life for all future times.
Day after day Norman punched and beat his wife, who never could stand a chance. One damp morning in April she decided to hit the road in purpose to get rid of his evil fists. Totally unprepared for what the future might bring Rosie left their house with nothing but her purse, Norman’s creditcard and the clothes which she for the time being was wearing. She had nothing to loose. Her situation could hardly become worse; she was already in the kingdom of hell itself. Rosie brought out a few hundred dollars with Norman’s creditcard, before she took first best flight to the other side of the country.
As she started experiencing her new hometown, eight hundred miles away from her husband, she met both kind and less kind people. Everywhere Rosie went she gazed over her shoulder in fear of spotting Norman. This Norman wasn’t a normal wife-torturing tormentor. He also was a cop who knows how to track people, after all that was his professional.
If you read this book, which I suggest you do, you will see how things work out for Rosie. You will be able to follow Rosie’s new life as she makes new friends and how she equips her new apartment. One day she finds a very beautiful painting, but this very painting isn’t any kind of painting. It actually has magical powers….
I can’t unveil any more of the plot without destroying the readingpleasure, but there is one thing you should carry back in your mind as you read the book; the painting is the main element which most of the story circles round.
Style and technique etc (dot four)
“There is something inhuman about the way he looks as he comes toward her with his head lowered and his hands hanging at his sides and the long muscles in his thighs flexing“. As an affectionate King-fan I can assure you this is a typical Stephen King- line. After all he is the master of horror. Most recently I finished reading the King- novel “The eyes of the dragon“, which I have chosen to refer to in this case. “Flagg“ is the inhuman wizard who everyone is afraid of and not dares to face. He, the evil and mysterious magician who has been the king’s advisor in many ancient kingdoms in many different eras, poisoned King Roland to get the possibility to rule the fatherland himself. Flagg is the unnatural correspondence, which I refer to Norman’s wickedness.
Stephen King really succeeds as he tries to catch the reader’s mind. But that’s nothing which is worth wondering about. All things considered, he is the best selling horrorwriter in modern time.
“She sensed a dozing savagery in this place, as if there might be animals with big teeth loose in the perfumed under growth“. Even if this book isn’t a real horror-book, King can’t help he must add a few extra horror lines to appease his hunger for supernatural fillings, otherwise he wouldn’t be satisfied with his production. There is no hesitating about that this man is crazy about fear and dismay.
As I mentioned earlier “Rose Madder“ isn’t a horror-book as much as other books King has written. Anyhow his lines makes my stomach tingle of both excitement and suffering sympathy as he describes how badly Norman tortures poor Rosie.
Theme (dot two)
I think it’s a bit difficult to say what theme it is King is trying to bring out. The fact that even a such oppressed woman as Rosie actually have the courage to break free from a such superior person as Norman, no matter how evil he is and how trapped she feels, is pretty amazing and impressive. This might be some kind of implicit meaning, which is supposed to remind people of woman’s unsuspected powers. All great personalities on earth through the history aren’t at a closer look men. Don’t forget Mother Theresa, Jeanne D’ Arc and last but definitely not least…well that’s up to you and your values.
In a book there surely can be many values and theories about what the correct theme would be, but you should know this that one person can understand and interpret a book differently from another person. The theory about the theme which I have presented is my personal one.
(3 512 tecken utan blannksteg, teckensnitt 10)

This book report was made by Fredrik Sorensson, Sweden
fraxax@hotmail.com