In a village of sinister children, ruled by a young but extraordinarily evil preacher named Isaac, who guides his followers into worshiping a powerful demonic entity, the implications of various symbols and images advance and develop the story of Children of the Corn. As Isaac leads his group of children, teenagers and young adults, the symbols used in order to depict his majesty and overall cruelty depict a very evil sense of imagery within the novel. By understanding the roles of Isaac and his followers within the story, and the settings of the novel, also including the interactions between characters, one can better understand the diverse symbolistic nature of the novel and review its imagery. Stephen King’s Children of The Corn is primarily
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By using twisted Christian symbolism, Stephen King was able to capture the essence of the occult nature practiced by the children, and heavily professed by their leader Isaac. As children from infant to almost adult make up the majority of the story's character base, the symbolism of childlike innocence is provoked and disturbingly twisted within Children of the Corn. Evil is woven throughout the story, as Isaac and his followers perform demonic rituals and murder mass amounts of people, including their parents and all the adults of the town they reside in.
Children of the Corn is heavily intertwined with religious symbolism, including that of praising a demon-god known as “He Who Walks Behind the Rows”, which portrays the children using traditional Christian symbolism in twisted forms such as burning crosses, and demon-god praising rituals such as murdering for his pleasure. Christian symbolism is used by Isaac as he preaches the ‘good’ word about his lord, which in Christianity would be God or Jesus, but to him and his followers, it is He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a demon-god who forces the children to kill their parents and sacrifice themselves when they get old enough, in order to maintain the …show more content…
The root of the problem, stems from an obviously evil demon, named He Who Walks Behind The Rows, who controls and manipulates the children into performing whatever he desires. The symbolism of evil is found in almost every scenario of the novel, whether it be bloodshed, murder, sacrifice, and the general destruction of anything that doesn’t comply with the guidelines of the children's vicious ruler. In Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism by Heidi Strengell, King states that “evil exists” (King, 2006) and that it “is a threat” (King, 2006). He portrays this statement throughout the Children of The Corn, as he also states that evil is “conscious knowledge” (King, 2006), which in relation to Children of The Corn, the children were consciously acting upon their evil desires to please their master. Burt and Vicky, being visitors in the murderous town, see the evil in the behaviours of the children and realize why it is wrong, yet the children believe the complete opposite: that they are actually doing good, and will be saved, by their demon-god. The violence of evil is depicted in the gore filled imagery within the novel, that includes graphic scenery such as parents being murdered by their own children, and the crucifixion and treacherous death of Vicki and Burt near the end of the story. The Children of The Corn
By using twisted Christian symbolism, Stephen King was able to capture the essence of the occult nature practiced by the children, and heavily professed by their leader Isaac. As children from infant to almost adult make up the majority of the story's character base, the symbolism of childlike innocence is provoked and disturbingly twisted within Children of the Corn. Evil is woven throughout the story, as Isaac and his followers perform demonic rituals and murder mass amounts of people, including their parents and all the adults of the town they reside in.
Children of the Corn is heavily intertwined with religious symbolism, including that of praising a demon-god known as “He Who Walks Behind the Rows”, which portrays the children using traditional Christian symbolism in twisted forms such as burning crosses, and demon-god praising rituals such as murdering for his pleasure. Christian symbolism is used by Isaac as he preaches the ‘good’ word about his lord, which in Christianity would be God or Jesus, but to him and his followers, it is He Who Walks Behind the Rows, a demon-god who forces the children to kill their parents and sacrifice themselves when they get old enough, in order to maintain the …show more content…
The root of the problem, stems from an obviously evil demon, named He Who Walks Behind The Rows, who controls and manipulates the children into performing whatever he desires. The symbolism of evil is found in almost every scenario of the novel, whether it be bloodshed, murder, sacrifice, and the general destruction of anything that doesn’t comply with the guidelines of the children's vicious ruler. In Dissecting Stephen King: From the Gothic to Literary Naturalism by Heidi Strengell, King states that “evil exists” (King, 2006) and that it “is a threat” (King, 2006). He portrays this statement throughout the Children of The Corn, as he also states that evil is “conscious knowledge” (King, 2006), which in relation to Children of The Corn, the children were consciously acting upon their evil desires to please their master. Burt and Vicky, being visitors in the murderous town, see the evil in the behaviours of the children and realize why it is wrong, yet the children believe the complete opposite: that they are actually doing good, and will be saved, by their demon-god. The violence of evil is depicted in the gore filled imagery within the novel, that includes graphic scenery such as parents being murdered by their own children, and the crucifixion and treacherous death of Vicki and Burt near the end of the story. The Children of The Corn