I enjoyed the first part of King's memoir because he was so open and honest with his audience. King immediately invites the reader into his life by sharing personal memories and events that have happened throughout his life, creating a desire to know everything he has to share. The book captivated my interest from the very beginning - I've always been a fan of King's diction and description choices, and his comparison of his childhood to that of Mary Karr's being a "fogged out landscapre from which occasional memories appear like isolated trees...." was the ticket he needed to win my attention.
Part of what made me so interested in his stories was his blunt honesty and sometimes profane opinion on the events that he had experienced as a child. I never had a consistent babysitter when I was growing up, and although I know not all babysitters are quite as unappealing as King's apparently was, I could completely sympathize with his unfortunate experiences with his babysitter. I particularly enjoyed reading about his first 'paid job' as a writer. It was emotionally touching to me, the story of his fascination with his comic stories and his attempt to recreate them, and his mother's generous payment of one quarter per story, and how after four stories it was the first buck he'd made in the business.
King is obviously close with his family. He and his brother shared many interesting childish experiences together to show that. The boys must have had immense respect and affection for their mother, because one, she's their mother, and two, she was a single mother raising two children on a pitiful wage. It would be expected that they would feel the way King implies.
I've never been much of a television fan myself, so when King acclaimed part of his success as a writer to not having been subjected to "video bullshit" at a young age I could definitely appreciate that. I also personally feel that t.v. has a tendency to detract from the possibilities of the human brain, as being exposed to it at such a young age can have a depressing effect on the way a person's mind works and thinks. I do believe as well as King that the more unexposed the mind to the media world, the more potential one has to think outside the box which is a skill required to become a successful, interesting writer.
When King discussed his beliefs on God, I could completely relate. I, too, believe in God, but I also have an extraoridnary distaste for organized religion. I believe that different churches interpret the Bible the way they WANT to interpret the Bible, and the only true way to gain the truth in it is by interpreting it for yourself. I do not enjoy attending church, although I don't mind the people that attend it. I just find my opinions on certain matters and how they correlate with God's plan are unaccepted and often clash in a place of organized worship. When reading this book, I can't help but feel King and I would see eye to eye on this issue.
The majority of part one after page 50 focused primarily on King's blossoming family, his wife whom he was completely in love with, his sweet, trouble-making children, and the stories of their poverty in his struggle to succeed. There were many times when King would tell of emotional instances in which he felt he was doing his family an injustice by being unable to adequately provide an ideal living circumstance for them, but his discouragement never prevented him from prevailing. I admire King and his work, and I have gained a much deeper respect for the writer as a common person and not just as the successful writer he is. Some stories I could relate to, others I could only interpret the text and cry tears of joy and sorrow along with him. I feel King is a fascinating man with incredible insight, veiled advice, and stories on what led him to success.
No comments:
Post a Comment