Jessie

Stephen King attacks "Gerald's Game" from two distinct angles: the angle of the story and the angle of the message. As a narrator, King initially seems once again at the peak of his writing.

We start in the middle of the action: in a remote cabin near a lake, Jessie Burlingame has decided to enjoy her husband Gerald's bondage games for the last time. After he has secured her to the bedposts with two sets of police handcuffs, Jessie begins to get impatient and then scared. Asking Gerald to let her go has no effect, and when she threatens him with divorce, Gerald only gets more excited, convinced that Jessie is simply playing his game. Taking revenge in the only possible way, Jessie kicks him, hitting his stomach and, more importantly for the novel, his genitals. Gerald falls off the bed and suffers a fatal heart attack, leaving Jessie stranded, chained, and alone.

This initial sequence works mainly because King effortlessly establishes a desolate scene and in broad strokes gives us an idea of the Burlingames as a couple. Bondage, which is a sexual practice that involves tying or chaining a person to immobilize them totally or partially, requires certain levels of trust and communication that they two are currently incapable of. To make matters worse, we have Jessie's pliable self-interest: she has continued with Gerald's perverted games simply to please him. And he also presents us with her "voices": aspects of her personality to which Jessie assigns names and with whom she interacts, which eventually become a kind of Greek chorus in her mind during her captivity, commenting on her situation and the events and decisions that led her there. All of this happens effortlessly; the situation, the mood, the character, and the narrative impulse instantly attract us to this unconventional story, and we begin to have an impression of Jessie Burlingame as a person.

Unfortunately, these impressions are all we get. Jessie's internal voices are interesting and the interaction between them is fascinating. King also handles this writing device with surprising technical skill; the voices could have become confusing and difficult to follow, but King never allows this to happen. However, the voices also provide a barrier between the reader and Jessie's "true" voice. Instead of allowing us to deepen her character, the voices serve to divide her into composite parts. Unlike the clear division of Odetta, Detta, and Susannah in the "Dark Tower" novels, none of Jessie's voices are fully formed parts of her, and they never really fuse to become a single personality.

However, they do allow Jessie to reach what is probably the core of her problems. Her time tied to the bed forces her to unearth a series of repressed memories, most of them around the day of the total solar eclipse in 1963. During the eclipse, Jessie has a terrible experience in her then-short life. The eclipse thus becomes a powerful metaphor for the abrupt changes in Jessie's young life. Just as the light of day changes to darkness, so faith changes to distrust, love to fear, security to danger. King handles this sequence with the greatest tact possible. While it is necessary for him to be explicit so that we can capture the depth and intensity of Jessie's reactions, King never crosses the line into the spooky.

That this incident in Jessie's life is related to her current situation also makes sense in the context of "Gerald's Game". Since the character of Jessie is sketched out in a rather broad way, it makes sense that this moment in her past defines her entire personality. Here the metaphor of the eclipse extends with that moment in her past casting a shadow over her entire present. In addition, the handcuffs also serve as metaphors; Jessie is as chained to her past as she is to the bed. While these metaphors may seem obvious, they are never clumsy. After a life of subjugation by men, Jessie realizes that the freedom from her myriad shackles depends on her.

It is at this point that the story and the message of "Gerald's Game" become almost separate entities. Jessie's situation is rife with the dangers and horrors of real life. Gerald's corpse on the floor next to the bed. The simple act of reaching for a glass of water and a method to drink from it becomes an unlikely source of tension and emotion; Jessie's ingenuity and tenacity are exciting to witness. At one point, the realities of crucifixion become painfully evident when the cramps and muscle spasms begin to wrack her. And there is the matter of a figure at the door that may or may not be real, and whose sequences are among the most terrifying that Stephen King has ever written.

Despite how satisfying these elements are, "Gerald's Game" is ultimately consumed by its agenda. At one point, Jessie concludes that all men are bad. Instead of learning from her current situation with the handcuffs or her success in confronting her buried memories, Jessie adopts an aggressively limiting stance that shows that she has not grown much as a person. By turning her internalized self-hatred outward, she still allows herself to be defined by the things that happened to her, rather than by the ways in which she has shaped herself.

As a test for his next two novels of "female consciousness", "Dolores Claiborne" and "Rose Madder", "Gerald's Game" has a defined purpose, introducing concepts and situations that King had never before addressed with such depth. In these later books, King would refine and work to perfect these ideas, combining story, character, and social commentary in a much more natural way.

Full review without spoilers on my YouTube channel ➡ Maponto Lee

The original article is not provided, so I can't rewrite and expand it specifically. However, I can give you a general example of how to expand an article.

Let's assume the original article is: "The dog is running in the park."

Expanded version:

The cute little dog is happily running in the big and beautiful park. The sun is shining brightly, and the flowers are blooming beautifully. The dog's fur is fluttering in the wind as it chases after a butterfly. It seems to be enjoying the freedom and the fresh air of the park.

This is just a simple example, and you can adjust and expand it according to the specific content of your original article. If you provide the original article, I will be able to give you a more accurate and detailed rewrite and expansion.

7 hours have passed, and I'm still feeling bored. The character work is indeed good, just as it always has been. However, I think it's overwritten. It seems that there is an excess of details and descriptions that might be overwhelming or not really adding much value. On the other hand, I think the film is just as good. It manages to convey the essence of the story and the characters in a more concise and engaging way. Maybe the written version could benefit from a bit of trimming and streamlining to make it more accessible and enjoyable for the reader.

First and foremost, if you find yourself in a situation where you are uncomfortable with being handcuffed to the bed during sex and your partner blatantly ignores your discomfort, it is crucial to take immediate action and run far away without ever looking back. This is a matter of your own well-being and safety.

Jessie Burlingame and her husband Gerald have gone up to a remote cabin for a weekend of supposed fun. Gerald has a particular kink that involves the use of handcuffs. Although Jessie is not a fan of this, she decides to go along with it and allows Gerald to handcuff her to the bed. However, in the midst of sex, Jessie has had enough of the game and wants to be released from the cuffs. Sadly, Gerald misinterprets her no as a yes and completely ignores her request.

Now, without giving away too much, Gerald unfortunately has a heart attack. This leaves Jessie in a perilous situation, handcuffed to a rather crappy bed frame and potentially facing a life-threatening situation. There is indeed a great deal to analyze and understand in this book. Gerald truly deserved everything that came his way, and perhaps even more. And then King throws a hungry wolf/dog into the mix, which really ramps up the tension. My adrenaline was pumping hard throughout most of this book as I kept thinking that Jessie should have divorced Gerald ages ago. But alas, she didn't, and here we are.

Gerald's Game marks a significant turning point in Stephen King's career. His career has been filled with numerous forward steps, as seen with the publication of works like The Shining, It, and Pet Sematary. Gerald's Game is the first in a somewhat connected series of books where all the main protagonists are women dealing with different forms of trauma.

Previously, King had written many women characters with varying levels of success. However, with Gerald's Game, he delves deep into the mind of Jessie, the novel's main protagonist, and achieves new heights as an author. Jessie is his most in-depth and complex female character at the time of the book's publication. The novel revolves around her being trapped by handcuffs to a bed in her holiday home.

In his attempt to reach new heights with this book, King sometimes goes too far, and the novel feels overly long at times. This is the only criticism I have of it. Overall, Gerald's Game showcases King's growth as a writer and his ability to explore the female psyche in a profound and engaging way.

I've re-read Gerald's Game several times since its 1992 publication, and have just finished listening to it as an audiobook. Here's what I know for sure:

1) This story has lost none of its power over me, despite the fact I know everything that's going to happen. It's quite an impressive feat for a largely plot-driven suspense piece.

2) It is without question one of King's most underrated and overlooked novels. As of this writing, its Goodreads rating is 3.26. It's in the company of the much maligned Tommyknockers and From a Buick 8, both also with a 3.26 rating.

3) Finally, if you aren't already a raving fan of this book, I'm not going to change your mind. That's fair. We can't all love the same thing, especially when it comes to books. But I hope I can capture just a smidge of the reasons why you must give this book a chance.

For many Constant Readers, Gerald's Game is linked to its sister novel Dolores Claiborne, as they were released the same year and King intended them to be companion novels. Their narratives are cleverly linked by a solar eclipse. However, for me, it's not this connection that makes these novels special. What makes them memorable is the writing, the characterization, and King's commitment to the delivery of the story and its outcome.

As companion novels, there are some notable similarities, such as the exploration of female abuse at the hands of male aggressors. There are painful descriptions of domestic battery and sexual molestation. King bravely enters the terrain of victim humiliation, degradation, and the lingering psychological effects. In many ways, these are King's most feminist novels.

Yet for me, Gerald's Game has more in common with Misery, The Long Walk, and his short story \"Survivor Type\". In all of these, King looks at the human body under brutalizing physical duress, at the body in extremis and what humans are genetically hardwired to do to survive.

Jessie Burlingame, our "damsel" in distress, is facing certain death. She is trapped, chained in handcuffs to the bed she shares with her husband Gerald in their summer house on the lake. But it's not summer. It's fall, and the lake is empty. Everyone has gone home. There is no one to hear her scream or beg for release.

One of the reasons I love Gerald's Game so much is the "solve the puzzle" locked room mystery of it. It's like a brain teaser. How do you get Jessie out of the handcuffs? How will she suffer? What demands will be placed on her body and mind? This is where King shines.

In telling Jessie's story, King uncovers all the nitty-gritty details of human physical suffering and the desperation of one woman's attempt to end it. He also knows that the human body has an amazing capacity for trauma. It can withstand a lot, so much so that the mind often breaks first.

King being King, he introduces several other elements to the story to amp up the suspense and terror. Some may argue the story didn't need these elements, but I say Bravo!

On the Stephen King Fans discussion forum here on Goodreads, a wonderful comment was made that sums up the intensity of this novel for me:

[Gerald's Game] goes straight to the oldest, reptilian part of the human brain: fight or flight -- but here, flight's out of the question. This is true horror -- helplessness.

This novel is burned into my brain as if I've lived it. That's unforgettable storytelling and something you don't want to miss. Trust me. You do trust me, don't you?

Es oscuro, explícito y muy turbio en su trasfondo. Sin embargo, es pesado con tanto relleno que le quita ritmo a la lectura.

The story is dark, explicit, and very murky in its background. However, it is heavy with so much filler that it takes away the rhythm of the reading.

Por cosas del destino o un "accidente" no planeado, Jessie termina esposada a una cama en medio de la nada, donde cumpliría una de las fantasías de su marido; Gerald, quien muy por el contrario termina en el suelo muerto. En todo caso, esta es la historia de supervivencia de una mujer que hará lo que esté en sus manos para salir bien librada de ese embrollo (si es que puede), mientras situaciones surrealistas y recuerdos oscuros y turbulentos le van machacando la mente, a medida que la fatiga y la sed le hace mella en el cuerpo.

Due to the vagaries of fate or an unplanned "accident", Jessie ends up handcuffed to a bed in the middle of nowhere, where she would fulfill one of her husband's fantasies; Gerald, on the contrary, ends up dead on the floor. In any case, this is the survival story of a woman who will do whatever is in her power to get out of that mess unscathed (if she can), while surreal situations and dark and turbulent memories are pounding her mind, as fatigue and thirst take their toll on her body.

Si hablamos de premisa, esta es de esas que te llama la atención al instante. La incógnita está, precisamente en su desenlace; en si esta logrará o no soltarse de las esposas y salir viva por lo menos. Pero... sí, voy a ir de una a lo que no me ha gustado nada nadita y ha sido las sopotocientas páginas que me he tragado de puro relleno. Y es que aquí cala perfecto la frase "menos es más" y efectivamente la historia se me hizo una bola de nieve pequeña que va creciendo y creciendo sin una traba que le ponga un alto. No es buena señal que me la pasara contando cuánto me faltaba para llegar al final y que lo deseara con fuerzas pero así no funciona la cosa. Se me hacía interminable.

If we talk about the premise, this is one of those that catches your attention instantly. The unknown lies precisely in its ending; whether she will manage or not to free herself from the handcuffs and get out alive at least. But... yes, I'm going to go on to what I didn't like at all and it has been the soporific pages that I've endured just because of the filler. And here the phrase "less is more" fits perfectly and indeed the story became a small snowball for me that keeps growing and growing without any obstacle to stop it. It's not a good sign that I spent the time counting how much was left for me to reach the end and that I desired it strongly but that's not how it works. It seemed endless to me.

¡A partir de aquí podrían haber posibles spoilers!

Es una estructura pesada y cansina, que se podría perdonar si tuviera menos páginas porque la verdad es que es bastante intimista y necesitaba esa profundización; también era necesario un filtro y no pararse en detalles insignificantes que no nutrían en nada. Es un retrato introspectivo sobre recuerdos nada agradables de cuando Jessie era niña y lo que pasó cuando quiso ver un eclipse en compañía de alguien. No diré más porque sería spoiler pero a mí esa parte tampoco me ha gustado, y no por lo escabroso y turbio que puede resultar mostrar una escena (y repetirla hasta el cansancio a lo largo del libro, que bueno, es comprensible por el daño que representa) de abuso sexual y psicológico a una menor, sino las palabras tan bruscas y shockeantes que se utilizan para narrar el acto. Señor, es que me repugnó demasiado, pero lo voy a dejar como un problema mío. Así como también me fastidió que las voces que atormentaban a la pobre Jessie mientras estaba esposada fueran solo de mujeres y que esta misma protagonista centrara su odio en ellas y no en los hombres que también le habían hecho daño y dejado huellas indelebles. Al contrario, ella siempre remarca que fue un accidente que intentaran abusar de ella, que podría haber sido mucho peor, minimizando un problema bastante grave; hasta siente lástima por ellos, llegando a mostrar un poco de empatía que la verdad me daba asco. Me molestaba. A mí me sigue pareciendo más razonable que vertiera un poco de su odio sobre ellos, pero no, a la verosimilitud la tiramos por un caño. Y aunque al final hay un intento de reivindicación con ese tema la verdad es que me da igual porque me parece gratuito y facilón ese tratamiento que se le ha dado.

It is a heavy and tiresome structure, which could be forgiven if it had fewer pages because the truth is that it is quite intimate and needed that depth; also a filter was necessary and not to stop at insignificant details that didn't nourish at all. It is an introspective portrait of not so pleasant memories from when Jessie was a child and what happened when she wanted to see an eclipse in the company of someone. I won't say more because it would be a spoiler but that part didn't like me either, and not because of how rough and murky it can be to show a scene (and repeat it until exhaustion throughout the book, which is understandable because of the damage it represents) of sexual and psychological abuse of a minor, but the so abrupt and shocking words that are used to narrate the act. Lord, it disgusted me too much, but I'm going to leave it as my problem. Just as it also bothered me that the voices that tormented the poor Jessie while she was handcuffed were only of women and that this same protagonist focused her hatred on them and not on the men who also had hurt her and left indelible marks. On the contrary, she always remarks that it was an accident that they tried to abuse her, that it could have been much worse, minimizing a quite serious problem; she even feels sorry for them, showing a bit of empathy that really disgusted me. It bothered me. It still seems more reasonable to me that she would pour a bit of her hatred on them, but no, we throw plausibility out the window. And although at the end there is an attempt at vindication with that theme the truth is that I don't care because I think that treatment is gratuitous and easy.

I have frequently heard this book being described as 'disturbing', and now that I have perused it, I wholeheartedly concur.

It is indeed disturbing. However, considering that nearly the entire plot of the story centers around one person in a single room, Gerald's Game has numerous layers. Our protagonist, Jessie, endures a physical nightmare that is exacerbated by psychological nightmares originating from repressed memories of past abuse. It is already bad enough that she has to挣脱 her restraints, both those around her wrists and those around her mind. But in the midst of it all, she discovers that the shadows in the far recess of the room have come to life, smiling at her. She doesn't know if it is her imagination or if it is Death incarnate showing her that, despite how close she thinks she is to escape, she is doomed.

But this shadow is carrying a bag of bones. So perhaps he isn't 'Death' after all. And if not, does that imply that even if she manages to escape, she will always be haunted by the specter in the shadows?

There is an eclipse that Jessie remembers and is frequently mentioned throughout the tale. As Stephen King is inclined to do (and in my opinion, he is very ingenious at it), he inserts a crossover to another story. The eclipse mentioned is the same one that passes over Doloras Clairborne, and the two sense each other's presence during times of trauma.

I haven't conducted research to find any connections, but it didn't escape my notice when the figure in the shadows opened his bag of bones that Mr. King has written another novel titled Bag of Bones. Hmm. I'll get to that one later. And until I uncover whether there is a connection or not, I will continue reading, occasionally glancing at the shadows that crawl across the recess of my own room and my own mind.