"Apt Pupil"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the novella "Apt Pupil" by Stephen King, noting how the author explores different aspects of unnatural desire and relates these to themes of corruption and parasitic behavior. It explains that the young man, Todd, is drawn to his neighbor, the old man Dussander, and for the boy there is a mixture of desire and curiosity in this attraction. The paper contends that the boy wants to know more about the old man's past, and their relationship becomes one of mutual parasitism only possible because of the underlying desire that motivates both.

From the Paper:

"In the novella "Apt Pupil," Stephen King explores different aspects of unnatural desire and relates these to themes of corruption and parasitic behavior. The young man Todd is drawn to his neighbor, the old man Dussander, and for the boy there is a mixture of desire and curiosity in this attraction. The boy wants to know more about the old man's past, and their relationship becomes one of mutual parasitism only possible because of the underlying desire that motivates both. The boy himself is presented first as the all-American boy peddling his bicycle down the street of an average American town, and this normality contrasts with the events to follow and with the odd attraction Denker (a name used by Dussander) has for him. The man the ..."

More papers on "Apt Pupil":

• Term Paper # 100594 : "Stephen King's Novels "Apt Pupil" and "The Body"
• Analytical Essay # 130793 : "Innocence and Experience"
• Persuasive Essay # 103393 : "The Contribution Assessment Makes to Pupil's Learning"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: