Accepting Loss In Pet Sematary By Stephen King

Rachel Creed, age eight, watches her sister claw at her throat, suffocating. All she can think to do is run. Who could blame her? Such a young age, a young mind, unknowing of how her actions could alter her future, unknowing of loss; nonetheless, she blamed herself. This is one of the losses that Rachel experienced in the novel Pet Sematary by Stephen King. Through characterization and tone, King shows throughout the book that it is necessary to accept loss that happened in the past using healthy communication to move on to the future for the sake of forgiveness and relationships. In the beginning of the novel, Rachel, now a woman in her 30’s, detests the mention of death; King shows this using tone. When Rachel’s husband, Louis Creed, mentions

Before Rachel communicated with Louis about her sister’s death and the impact it had on her, King tells us “For a moment Louis has the crazy impression that he was still talking to Ellie” (King 41). This is another quote that appears in the fight Louis had with Rachel about introducing the idea of death to their daughter. Building the reader's view of Rachel's character, King uses characterization in this line to add to Rachel’s trauma and the extreme reaction she has to sensitive topics such as death. It bothers her to such a degree, that her behavior reflected her five-year-old daughter. It also enhances Rachel’s personal growth, intensifying the extent to which Rachel was suffering and making her courage to communicate with Louis and progress towards healing even more major. When Rachel does start the process of healing, starting with talking to Louis about her past, she remarks “‘I can’t… seem to help it. In my mind I know you’re right, that death is perfectly natural—good, even—but what my mind know and what happens…inside me…’” (King 196). King displays Rachel’s character growth and uses characterization to construct Rachel’s character further. Since the book mainly follows Louis’ journey, the reader does not often see into the thoughts of Rachel. King reveals that Rachel recognizes that death is natural, and shows her advancement from being emotionally blinded by any comment on loss, to being able to relay her feelings in a healthy manner. Her capability to carry out these things heals and aids her relationship with Louis and the other people in her life, and allows Rachel to forgive herself, knowing that she was not completely at fault for her sister’s