Misery.

(a brief analysis)

Students:

José Alfredo Mendoza

Ivanna Moreno Vásquez
Misery is an American psychological thriller and horror novel written by Stephen King
and first published on 8 June 1987. The novel is based on the relationship of its two
main characters: romance writer Paul Sheldon and his deranged self-proclaimed fan
Annie Wilkes.
When Paul is seriously injured, Anne, once a nurse, takes him home and tends to his
wounds. But sooner rather than later, Paul learns that he is now a prisoner in Anne's
house, and that he will have to comply with his guardian's every whim.
Misery addresses several themes. The first being the life of the writer. King decides to
write about Paul's obsession with writing, and his weariness with writing the same kind
of novels.
Through Paul's story, King addresses the difficulties authors go through when trying to
break away from a genre or series of books in which they have been successful.
Another theme is mental instability, depicted in Paul in moments when he floats in and
out of consciousness, but mainly directed at Annie. At times she is kind to Paul, and at
other times she attacks him violently. The most frightening point of her mental
imbalance is her unhealthy obsession with Paul's novels, and their protagonist: Misery
Chastain.
For Annie, Misery Chastain is a member of her own family, so she takes her death
(Paul's abandonment of writing such novels) personally.