Christopher Cartwright

English 122
Ms. Gordon
February 8th, 2017
The Man in the Black Suit

The short story the man in the black suit, written by Stephen king is truly

remarkable. It demonstrates great horror and exceptional detail for the reader to

grasp. The sole purpose for writing this story is to make the reader's heart race and

blood curl. As it is known, Stephen King does this perfectly with every word he

writes. In this tragic short story, King uses an eerie setting that adds to the

atmosphere, precise characterization, hints of foreshadowing along with repetition

of ideas. All the factors make a vast difference in the story's true terror. However, it

must be noted that the symbolism in this story is nothing short of genius.

The most important part of King's short story is the symbolism and hidden

messages of the story. The woods, creel, fish, all have huge importance. First of all,

at the time of the story, it was believed that the devil walked the forest as if it was

his home. This is because in the forest there is no civilization or control, meaning

the environment is chaos because of the lack of structure. Since it was

misunderstood and not controlled, they considered the forest an evil place which is

why it was it was said the devil lurked among nature. When Gary caught the fish

when the devil was present, it is a clear symbol of Jesus and the protection of god.

This can be proved when Gary uses the fish to feed the man in the black suit which

allows him to run away. The creel represents Gary's faith in god based on his change

of heart and lack of fish. Before the devil arrived it had fish in it that symbolized

Jesus and protection, but once Gary returns with his father, the creel was empty. It
can be said that he lost faith in god, when the older Gary quotes "I feel more and

more strongly that escaping him was my luck-just luck, and not the intercession of

the God I have worshipped and sung hymns to all my life" Since that day, Gary no

longer has the faith in god since the devil ate it.

What ties the story's content so well is the tiny details set in the setting along

with the incredibly eerie atmosphere. The setting really puts the mind of the reader

into the eyes of Gary and explaining it in the most cruel way. King states "I entered

the woods, where double shadow fell over the road and it was cool and fir-smelling

and you could hear the wind hissing through the deep needed groves." This gives a

chilling vibe to the environment making it very obvious that Gary is alone.

To give the reader chills, King uses foreshadowing; for example when Gary

speaks of Candy Bill: "He stopped and only stood in the dust by an old roll of

snowfence, watching. I called him but he wouldnt come. He yapped a time or two,

as if telling me to come back, but that was all." This implies that the dog senses of

danger or something bad is going to happen. Stephen King also uses repetition by

reminding the reader of this when he states "I saw a unicorn, then a rooster, then a

dog that looked a little like Candy Bill." Mentioning Candy Bill allows the reader to

think back of the little hint Candy Bill may have been trying to give Gary.

Stephen King adds that last little details of character to make his story that

much more terrifying, as if nothing could be done to save Gary. He states all the

horrific features of the devil: "His face was very long and pale. His black hair was

combed tight against his skull and parted with rigorous care on the left side of his

narrow head. He was very tall. He was wearing a black three-piece suit, and I knew

right away that he was not a human being, because his eyes were the orangey-red
of flames in a woodstove." Not only is this terrifying but when Mr. King puts the

perspective of the victim in the eyes of a 9 year old boy, it makes it much easier for

the reader to understand the fear Gary would have been feeling. It makes it much

more evident of his fear when Gary spills his "lemonade".

Stephen King will always be known as one of the best because of the use of

writing devices and his skill to place them in his writings with such accuracy. Not

only does he tell a good story but, also has great examples of symbolism that make

his writing that much more captivating for the reader to wrap their imagination

around. "The Man in the Black Suit" exemplifies all these qualities exceptionally by

striking pure horror into the reader.