The Reward

What reward is Paul given after the Ordeal, and will Paul be satisfied with it in the future?

The novel this blog post about is Misery, by Stephen King. A quick overview about what just happened is that the main character, Paul, got in a serious car accident. Paul is a bestselling author and a crazed fan saved him but held him hostage to nurse him back to health. She said the only way Paul could leave is if he wrote another book just for her. Later, Annie decided that after the book was finished she is going to kill Paul then herself. Paul planned his escape.

The reward the Paul is given after his murder of Annie is his life. He came close to dying in his attempt and will have to live with his actions for the rest of his life. I believe that Paul will not be satisfied with his reward because he will be living his life always looking over his shoulder to see if his abductor is stalking him. Annie was of course dead, but Paul still believed that she was alive and still out to get him. This could create problems in his life because he could never be normal. He wouldn't be able to have strong relationships with him family and friends because his life took a great turn for the worst. So, even though he made it out alive, a part of him died while he was in that house, and he would never get that back.

Ordeal

How does Paul handle the ordeal mentally, and how would his experience affect him in later life?

Near the end of my novel, Misery, the main character Paul comes across his window of opportunity -after weeks of planning- to escape the clutches of his crazed fan, Annie Wilkes. He successfully kills Annie, but when the police arrive they find the window open and Annie not there. This affects Paul mentally because he believes that Annie is not really dead, even though the police find her body. He eventually goes crazy with hallucinations that Annie is trying to kill him. He will have to always live through life thinking that Annie is still out to get him and he will never live his life the same again.

Approach to the Inmost Cave

Why does Paul have to make his plans for escape so carefully, and how could this help him in the end?

In my novel, Misery, the main character Paul Sheldon is rescued from a car wreck by a crazed fan, Annie Wilkes, and over the span of a few weeks, Annie showed her true colours. Annie Wilkes has been getting away with murders for years, Paul realizes that escape is essential. While making his preparations Paul had to play his cards very carefully. His abductor, Annie, could easily be made angry. Paul had to act with caution around her, he would act as though he cared about her. But while she was out he would gather objects that would be of use of him in his plan. Paul is very vulnerable and would not have the strength to fight Annie off is she attacked him. He had to do gather objects very carefully because if he angered Annie she could have easily killed him on the spot. This could help him in the end because he would be able to get out of Annie's house alive, and go back to his Ordinary World.

Tests, Enemies, and Allies

How does the main character, Paul, handle his first test, and what does he learn from it?

In my novel Misery Paul Sheldon is kidnapped by a crazed fan, Annie, after a car crash that leaves Paul severely injured. As the storyline grows Annie becomes Paul's enemy. Paul is now in a new special world that he needs to learn the rules of. His first test comes around when Annie leaves the house, and Paul takes advantage of her absence to explore his new surroundings. He carefully gets into his wheelchair and picks the lock of his bedroom. He is frightened the whole time, and was tried to be as careful as possible. Paul finds a scrapbook of all the people Annie has murdered, making him rethink the seriousness of the trouble he was in. He returned to his room within seconds of Annie's return. Paul thought he did a good job of covering up his tracks but Annie knew right away that he'd been out. Paul learned from his adventure that escape was necessary, and that his life depended on it.

Refusal of the Call

"I was close enough to smell the wild odor on his coat and feel the warmth of his breath. Then I did what I had always wanted to- I put a hand on his dense ruff, and when he didnt flinch I buried both my hands in his fur." (Shiver, Maggie Stiefvater, pg. 20)


In my novel Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater the main character, Grace, did not hesitate or refuse the call out of her Ordinary World. As a child she grew up knowing that their were wolves living in the woods behind her house, and she also knew that these wolves were different. There was one special wolf, Sam, who was always watching over her, acting as somewhat of a protector. So when she grew older and fell in love with the human part of the wolf, she never refused the call to adventure to come into a different and dangerous world of werewolves. The part of the story in which this occured was when Grace touched the wolf for the very first time. This was significant because this was the first time they had had any connection, even after years of watching eachother. This was the first step in their relationship and even without this step she would never had met him in his human form and they would have never fallen in love. Even when Grace was told the dangers of Sam's world, she didnt think twice about stepping out of her safe world and into his.

Crossing the Threshold

"He stops, clears his throat, takes a breath, and continues. 'So I just wanted to tell you that I understand if you go. It's okay if you have to leave us. It's okay if you want to stop fighting.' This is the first time today that anybody has acklowledges what I lost. (Gayle Forman, If I Stay, pg.152)"



This quote that I chose is the main character, Mia's grandfather talking to Mia while she is in the hospital. This occurs after Mia crosses the threshold.

On a cold day in February Mia's family went for a drive and they spun out of control and crashed, her dad, her mom, and her little brother were all thrown for the car and instantly killed. Mia was very badly injured, but right after the crash she left her body and through the whole book she watched on in the hospital on her friends and family as they waited her to wake up fomr her coma. I believe that was the event when she crossed over into a special world. She likes it at first because she can't feel any pain and she doesnt want to wake up and go back into her ordinary world because she doesnt know how to live on without her mom, dad and brother. Eventually she realizes the grief that her family is feeling, and she wants more than anything to return back to her oridinary world.

Limiting Beliefs

The novel I am currently reading is Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. The main character, Auden is held back by many beliefs. Her mom is an english professor and is very successful but she expects Auden to care only about academics. Auden spent her life studying and trying to stand up to her mother's standardsand expectations. This held her back from having close friendships and experiencing high school. It wasnt until she spent the summer away from her mother that she realized the importance of friendships and what's like to live life stress-free.

The advice that I would give to Auden is to keep the friends she's made, and if given an oppurtunity to step outside her comfort zone, she should accept.