Evil Objects

The archetypal evil object, as in "The Monkey", is a prevalent theme in Stephen King's works. In these stories, the "innocent" or the "disbeliever" is usually the target of the negativity of the object. As Hal tells his son, Petey, in "The Monkey", "Some bad things don't know that they are bad." These stories also tend to have a plotline that contains historical tales of the same object in a prior place and time, showing a repeating pattern. This is done to show an indestructible quality to the evil or the object that contains the evil within. This history to the item also is used in a way to bring an enduring sense of fear to the current presence of the item. Although the object is the same, the persons affected may also be the same as in "The Monkey", where the prior dread of the main...