# Stephen King Endings (Spoilers!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456 "2004-08-05T14:58:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/81 "2004-08-11T11:55:26Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > I just finished the book tonight (I hadn’t read it for a few years), and the entire book is fucked-up. None of the kids are scared of Charlie! They think it’s some game that Charlie killed their teacher! But hey, it gets them out of school and assignments. He’s suddnely the popular one after being ignored and teased his entire life. It’s not inexplicable. It’s made fairly clear that the class all disliked Mrs Underwood - remember the exam that nobody passed except Ted and Charlie? - and hated Mr Grace and Mr Denver for the phoneys they were, if I may sneak in a Caulfieldism (and under the circumstances I think I can). Then also, when Charlie kills the teachers they are stunned and as such are easily led. By the time it occurs to them to get unstunned, Charlie has put himself in charge, told them he’s not going to shoot any of them and ripped chunks out of Mr Denver … and they start to empathise with him because rebelling against the authority figures who demand respect they don’t command is something they’ve all secretly wanted to do. As for Ted, I don’t think he went catatonic because of what his classmates did to him, but rather because they all sided with Charlie. We know Ted hates craziness and mental instability; he hates his drunken mother, and he gets angry and worried that the others may be going crazy along with Charlie. Ted Jones is very much in favour of the concept of the Outsider, the one who doesn’t fit in, but his assumption that the Outsider has to be the weakest is flawed; really he’s the one who doesn’t fit in, because he’s cast himself as being _better_ than everyone else. All the others have a point of connection with Charlie; they are able to admit that they are imperfect in some way or another. Ted is the only one who cannot. What I think breaks him is the knowledge that _he_, the guy that every guy wants to be and every girl wants to date, is the real Outsider. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/82 "2004-08-11T13:34:56Z")
When I first read “Rage”, I didn’t think it was all that weird. But I guess my views are different in light of such events as Columbine. Charlie isn’t as crazy as Dylan or Eric, but he still isn’t all there. Isn’t “Rage” practically the only book King has written that he regrets and wished he had never published? ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/83 "2004-08-11T14:37:57Z")
**Dogzilla** > [@](#): > > Sorry for the hijack, but it’s been my understanding that, while boys can have erections even in the womb and as tiny babies, that it is physically impossible to ejaculate until puberty has kicked in and there’s sufficient testosterone levels in the system to enable semen production. From what I’m seeing online, that seems to be around age 13. While it’s probable possible that some of those boys were able to do the deed, that all of them could, I find it difficult to suspend disbelief. Ejaculation isn’t necessary for orgasm and certainly not for arousal, erection, and/or intercourse, you know. [TMI] I’d been having orgasms for over a decade when I first started having ejaculate and I thought something was wrong when it made its debut[/TMI] ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/84 "2004-08-11T15:37:45Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > [TMI] I’d been having orgasms for over a decade when I first started having ejaculate and I thought something was wrong when it made its debut[/TMI] I’m just glad the babysitter was at hand to tell you everything was all right. bDOOM _kssh_ ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/85 "2004-08-11T16:54:52Z")
> [@Rabid Child](#): > > Isn’t “Rage” practically the only book King has written that he regrets and wished he had never published? No. Pet Sematary spent several years in the trunk because King thought it was too nasty to publish. I believe it only saw the light of day because King wanted out of his NEL contract and needed one more book to do it. ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/86 "2004-08-11T19:04:57Z")
> [@Idle Thoughts](#): > > Okay > > I think at the end…Garraty was so tired and didn’t care anymore, and what with after that whole thing and watching everyone die and “buy a ticket” that when he just didn’t care anymore about life. > > So thus, when he sees the figure behind the building or whatever it was, he knows instantly who it is, remembering what Pete told him earlier. And so, he starts running toward the figure…actually wanting it by that time…a blessed release and escape. Good lord! That’s the best explaination I’ve heard for it yet. It… Makes an eerie ammount of sense! Unfortunately, as King has never gone on record about it (as far as I know), I’ll just hum loudly to myself and -pretend- that he recently gave a news confrence saying exactly what you said. It’ll make me feel better. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/87 "2004-08-11T20:26:58Z")
So **Munch** , you have a copy of Rose Madder and you can’t bring yourself to throw it away…can I have it? I actually like that book. Also, what the heck book was The Long Walk in? I know it was a collection of short stories but I can’t remember which one. I need to read It again. I don’t remember a gangbang. I also don’t remember the spider being preggers. Apparently, I don’t absorb much. Maybe that’s why I like Rose Madder. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/88 "2004-08-11T20:38:16Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I need to read It again. I don’t remember a gangbang. I also don’t remember the spider being preggers. Apparently, I don’t absorb much. Maybe that’s why I like Rose Madder. What book were you reading? You don’t remember “…it could sense one of them, walking steadily up the trail of its birth, almost insane with revulsion…” I know that’s not the exact quote but can you tell it stuck in my mind? It had LOTS of eggses. As for the gangbang…well I guess technically it was a loving mating ritual, designed to bring them all together. It was not unwilling or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/89 "2004-08-11T21:13:28Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Also, what the heck book was The Long Walk in? I know it was a collection of short stories but I can’t remember which one. The Long Walk was in a book called “The Long Walk”, on account of it being a book. You’re unlikely to find it outside The Bachman Books, though - but if you do, buy it because there aren’t many of them around. I have a Bachman edition Running Man, and my local library moved a hardback Bachman Thinner out of circulation when I told them how much it was worth. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/90 "2004-08-11T21:14:37Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > Also, what the heck book was The Long Walk in? I know it was a collection of short stories but I can’t remember which one. [The Bachman Books](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0451191935/qid=1092258771/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-5059098-7726433?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/91 "2004-08-11T21:42:44Z")
Thanks guys. I got confused. I haven’t read The long Walk in so long that I forgot it wasn’t in a short story book. That might explain why I haven’t been able to find it in my house. I gave my copy of The Bachman Books to a friend. **Elenia28** , It’s been a VERY long time since I read It. Considering I was only about 13 when the movie came out and I read the book before that, I’m not surprised I don’t remember those parts. At that age, I probably didn’t even understand the sex part for what it was. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/92 "2004-08-11T22:55:06Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > I need to read It again. I don’t remember a gangbang. I also don’t remember the spider being preggers. Apparently, I don’t absorb much. Maybe that’s why I like Rose Madder. Dear God, **congo** , there’s a whole scene where Ben is lighting matches, and using the light to smash the eggs. Sometimes he has to chase the little Itlet as it scurries away. The sheer horror of that always shivers me out. I’ve only been able to read [i[Cujo\* once, because of the ending. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/93 "2004-08-12T00:14:17Z")
> [@Elenia28](#): > > As for the gangbang…well I guess technically it was a loving mating ritual, designed to bring them all together. It was not unwilling or anything like that. And when it was over, they were considerably less “childlike”, and therefore of little interest to It. I have to admit, though, it was a bit skeevy, if only because earlier that day, Bev’s father had been accusing her of being a “slutchild”…and look what she ends up doing. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/94 "2004-08-12T12:15:12Z")
The Bachman Books is still not hard to find in the used bookstores. I have several copies because I pick it up whenever I find it. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/95 "2004-08-12T13:23:47Z")
> [@Evil Death](#): > > my local library moved a hardback Bachman Thinner out of circulation when I told them how much it was worth. How much is this worth? I got one with a dust cover at the local thrift store for $1, and they threw in two ice cube trays for free! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/96 "2004-08-12T14:00:26Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > How much is this worth? I got one with a dust cover at the local thrift store for $1, and they threw in two ice cube trays for free! Judging from eBay, a First Edition Thinner is upwards of $50. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/97 "2004-08-12T14:53:50Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > Judging from eBay, a First Edition Thinner is upwards of $50. That’s the US edition. A _UK_ first edition hardback is worth $85 and upwards. I was very tempted to withdraw it, claim it had been irreparably damaged and give them a brand new replacement paperback, but my better nature prevailed. ---
**Author:** ![howkflakegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@howkflakegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howkflakegirl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/98 "2016-04-30T00:29:58Z")
Couple of things I think I should point out here: In IT it was really a spider at the end, but IT’s real image was so horrendous that they couldn’t see it, so it took the shape of something terrifying to many people, like a spider. I actually found that interesting. Also in Tom Gordon, the implication is it’s not really a bear but a wendigo, but it kinda keeps you guessing so you’re not entirely sure. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/99 "2016-04-30T05:29:20Z")
_giggle_ I went to the search engine to find [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=5139669&postcount=39) to link to it after reading the OP. Turns out “this post” is in this thread. Freaking zombie threads. OTOH, where better for zombie threads to turn up than where Stephen King is the subject thereof? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456/100 "2016-04-30T18:44:03Z")
A Stephen King zombie thread. 'Nuff said. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stephen-king-endings-spoilers/258456.md?page=4)