Literature Analysis

General
1. The first story, "1922" in the book Full Dark, No Stars by Stephan King is about a man named Wilfred James, his wife Arlette, and his son Hank. Arlette wants to sell the 100 acres of land that they live on and move to Omaha, but Wilf (as he was known as) and Hank want to keep the land. They come up with a plan to kill Arlette so they can stay on the land. Wilf gets Arlette drunk, slices her throat, and throws her down a well on their farm. After the deed had been done, Wilf and Hank have a guilty conscience. Throughout the story they feel like their lives are being haunted. Hank ends up getting Shannon Cotterie, the love of his life, pregnant and running away with her. The couple became fugitives because they needed a source of transportation and income. Living their lives like that did not last long. Shannon was shot in the stomach while they were robbing a bank and to make it worse while they were driving away she went into labor. They stopped at an abandoned building where Shannon begged to be shot to escape the pain. Hank shot her and then killed himself. Wilf was devastated when he heard the news. He had to sell his land and move to the city because of money issues. He became a librarian. One night in a hotel he practically went insane, maybe because of Arlette, and felt like he was being bitten by rats all over his body so he committed suicide. His body was found with his own bite marks all over  it.

2. The theme of the story is if you make a bad decision in life it can lead to a guilty conscience and a life of despair.

3. To me the tone of the story was suspenseful and nervous. I was always wondering what was going to happen next and I was nervous about what would happen. Wilf and Hank also felt suspense and were nervous throughout the story. They were always afraid they were going to get caught and got nervous every time someone came to their farm.

4.

• Conflict- Wilf and Hank killed Arlette and they had to keep that secret to themselves. Also Hank and Shannon had to avoid being caught when they became fugitives.
• Protagonist- Wilf was considered to be the main protagonist in the story.
• Antagonist- The antagonist was Arlette as well as Wilf's own mind because although Arlette caused the conflict, Wilf's mind played tricks on him because of his guilty conscience.
• Dialogue- The story was a combination of narration by Wilf and dialogue between the characters.
• Didactic- There were multiple references to God in the story. Wilf and Hank wondered if Arlette went to heaven with God and they also wondered if they would.
• Flashback- The whole story was Wilf flashing back on his life.
• Foreshadowing- Arlette's ghost, or Wilf's mind, said that Hank and Shannon would kill themselves and then later on hit ended up happening.
• Narrative- The story was a collection of events in Wilf's life that made up a story.
• Setting- The main setting of the story took place on the farm in Hemingford Home, Nebraska. This was where Arlette, Wilf and Hank lived.
• Character- The main characters were Wilf, Arlette, and Hank. There were also many other sub characters who also contributed to the story.

Characterization

1. Direct- "My son, Henry Freeman James, aided me in this crime, although at 14 he was not responsible;"

                "Arlette was a warm-natured woman."

    Indirect- I couldn't find any indirect characterization.

2. Stephan King did change his syntax and diction when he would focus on different characters. For example, he would have the characters speak different to portray their different personalities.

3. The protagonist (Wilf) is definitely dynamic. His appearance, thoughts, and actions changed throughout the story. He was forced to do some stuff that he never thought he would do. 

4. After I finished reading the story I felt like I knew Wilf. It kind of felt like someone I knew had been lost when he committed suicide at the end.