Stephen King's novels have often been dismissed as mere works of fantasy.

Only his Bachman novels have been perceived as socially relevant because they do not rely on monsters or the supernatural for their depictions of evil. However, contemporary commentators assert that King has always been a storyteller who reveals contemporary social issues through a variety of genres. In Gerald's Game, King deliberately subordinates the story to a political/social agenda, and is even ostensibly didactic. But by his own admission, feminist social issues and strong women characters sometimes elude him.

In an interview with Eric Norden (Playboy 1983), King acknowledged that, in addition to his difficulty with describing sex scenes in his novels, he also has a problem with women. His women often are not carefully-crafted, multi-dimensional characters, but stereotypes who merely function as foils or accessories to his male protagonists. In contrast, Gerald's Game is...