King's early novels stage the recurring theme of sacrificial children; that is, children whose lives or innocence are sacrificed to the evil ends and pathological needs of adults. Wrenching and premature rites of passage, precipitated by a life-threatening relationship between parents and children, occur frequently. In Jessie's case, her innocence and faith are violated by her beloved father's sexual abuse of her. Like King's other sacrificial children, Jessie has not escaped the consequences of this violation; she has only repressed the memory. Hence, her development as a woman is radically altered as the romantic musical refrain "Tammy's in love" shifts to the incipient sexual violence of "a woman likes it that way." She is emotionally traumatized as evidenced in her lack of desire for career, children or any other intimate, ongoing relationship.
Drawing from contemporary.....
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