1922 (novella)
Encyclopedia
1922 is a novella by Stephen King
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
(2010).
by Wilfred James, the story's unreliable narrator
. He writes a lengthy confession for the murder of his wife, Arlette, in Hemingford Home, Nebraska
, in 1922.
Wilfred owns eighty acres of farmland that have been in his family for generations. His wife owns an adjoining one-hundred acres willed to her by her father. Wilfred scorns the thought of living in a city, but Arlette is discontented with farm life and wants to move to Omaha
. She seeks to sell her land to a livestock company for use as a pig farm and slaughterhouse
. Wilfred, who strongly opposes Arlette's plans, resorts to manipulating his teenaged son, Henry, into helping him murder his own mother.
As part of their plot, Wilfred and Henry get Arlette drunk. Arlette proceeds to make crude remarks about Henry's girlfriend, Shannon Cotterie, which angers the boy enough to commit to Wilfred's plot. After taking Arlette to bed, Wilfred brutally slashes her throat with a butcher knife
. The two then dump the body in a well
behind the barn. Later, as Wilfred dumps his blood-soaked mattress
into the well with Arlette, he notices that her body has become infested with rats.
Wilfred decides to fill in the well to hide the body, but knows that doing so will arouse suspicion. He purposefully has one of his aged cows fall in the well to provide a cover story
for filling it in. Right afterwards, the local sheriff
—acting on behalf of the livestock company—searches the farmhouse to look for Arlette, finding nothing. Wilfred and Henry fill the well, but a rat crawls out of the soil. Henry kills it, believing that Arlette is now haunting them. Wilfred later encounters a rat when it attacks one of his other cows, severing one of her teats.
A few months later, Henry—whose has become emotionally troubled since the murder—impregnates Shannon. The pregnancy sours the friendship between Wilfred and Shannon's father, Harlan, a neighboring farmer. Shannon is sent to a Catholic school for pregnant girls in Omaha, but Henry helps her escape. They begin a highly-publicized career as a pair of Bonnie and Clyde
-style bank robbers, becoming wanted in several states.
Wilfred becomes emotionally destitute in Henry's absence. He again encounters an enormous rat, the one from the barn, he is sure. It seems impossible, though, because he blocked the pipe leading from the well to the barn, where he thought the rats that had been feeding on Arlette's corpse had come from. The rat bites Wilfred's hand and causes it to become severely infected, necessitating its amputation
. Soon after, Wilfred claims that Arlette's living corpse—accompanied by a large group of rats—leaves the confines of the well and enters the farmhouse, confronting him. Arlette gives him a detailed premonition of the violent demise of Henry and the pregnant Shannon, in Nevada
. The roof of his house caves in, too.
When Arlette's prophecy comes true, Wilfred tries to sell the land parcel he killed her for. However, Harlan and the townspeople, all disgusted with Wilfred, refuse to help him. He is forced to leave Hemingford Home as a pariah, after selling the land to the livestock company for a pittance. He moves to Omaha and spends the first two years visiting the scenes of Henry's crimes and drinking away the money he received from selling the land. He finds two jobs—as a garment factory worker and a librarian. He quits both, he claims, when the rats begin to stalk him again.
At the conclusion, Wilfred sits in a hotel room in Omaha, writing down his story and telling the reader that Arlette's rats are there and eagerly waiting for him to finish, so that they can devour him. He also claims to hear the spectral footsteps of Arlette, Henry, and Shannon in the hallway. Wilfred writes that he plans to shoot himself before the rats consume him, signifying a final victory against Arlette. However, his writing indicates that the gun is somehow misplaced and he is eaten alive by the rats before he can find it. The story ends with a newspaper clipping about Wilfred's death. The article states that Wilfred was found with bite marks — which the hotel's Chief of Security assumes are self-inflicted — all over his body, including his wrists. He is also surrounded by papers, illegible because they have been chewed to pieces. This leaves the reader to speculate about whether Wilfred's account was true or the delusions of a half-mad psychotic.
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
, published in his collection Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars
Full Dark, No Stars, published in November 2010, is a collection of four novellas by the author Stephen King, all dealing with the theme of retribution...
(2010).
Synopsis
1922 is a first-person accountFirst-person narrative
First-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
by Wilfred James, the story's unreliable narrator
Unreliable narrator
An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...
. He writes a lengthy confession for the murder of his wife, Arlette, in Hemingford Home, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, in 1922.
Wilfred owns eighty acres of farmland that have been in his family for generations. His wife owns an adjoining one-hundred acres willed to her by her father. Wilfred scorns the thought of living in a city, but Arlette is discontented with farm life and wants to move to Omaha
Omaha
Omaha may refer to:*Omaha , a Native American tribe that currently resides in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Nebraska-Places:United States* Omaha, Nebraska* Omaha, Arkansas* Omaha, Georgia* Omaha, Illinois* Omaha, Texas...
. She seeks to sell her land to a livestock company for use as a pig farm and slaughterhouse
Slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse or abattoir is a facility where animals are killed for consumption as food products.Approximately 45-50% of the animal can be turned into edible products...
. Wilfred, who strongly opposes Arlette's plans, resorts to manipulating his teenaged son, Henry, into helping him murder his own mother.
As part of their plot, Wilfred and Henry get Arlette drunk. Arlette proceeds to make crude remarks about Henry's girlfriend, Shannon Cotterie, which angers the boy enough to commit to Wilfred's plot. After taking Arlette to bed, Wilfred brutally slashes her throat with a butcher knife
Butcher knife
A butcher knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.During the late 18th century to mid 1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food,...
. The two then dump the body in a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
behind the barn. Later, as Wilfred dumps his blood-soaked mattress
Mattress
A mattress is a manufactured product to sleep or lie on, consisting of resilient materials and covered with an outer fabric or ticking. In the developed world it is typically part of a bed set and is placed upon a foundation....
into the well with Arlette, he notices that her body has become infested with rats.
Wilfred decides to fill in the well to hide the body, but knows that doing so will arouse suspicion. He purposefully has one of his aged cows fall in the well to provide a cover story
Cover story
Cover story may refer to:* a story in a magazine whose subject matter appears on its front cover* a fictitious account that is intended to hide one's real motive, e.g. when a terrorist pretends to be farmer to buy fertilizer or to provide an explanation in case it is found; the story in the case of...
for filling it in. Right afterwards, the local sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
—acting on behalf of the livestock company—searches the farmhouse to look for Arlette, finding nothing. Wilfred and Henry fill the well, but a rat crawls out of the soil. Henry kills it, believing that Arlette is now haunting them. Wilfred later encounters a rat when it attacks one of his other cows, severing one of her teats.
A few months later, Henry—whose has become emotionally troubled since the murder—impregnates Shannon. The pregnancy sours the friendship between Wilfred and Shannon's father, Harlan, a neighboring farmer. Shannon is sent to a Catholic school for pregnant girls in Omaha, but Henry helps her escape. They begin a highly-publicized career as a pair of Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Chestnut Barrow were well-known outlaws, robbers, and criminals who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their exploits captured the attention of the American public during the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934...
-style bank robbers, becoming wanted in several states.
Wilfred becomes emotionally destitute in Henry's absence. He again encounters an enormous rat, the one from the barn, he is sure. It seems impossible, though, because he blocked the pipe leading from the well to the barn, where he thought the rats that had been feeding on Arlette's corpse had come from. The rat bites Wilfred's hand and causes it to become severely infected, necessitating its amputation
Amputation
Amputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
. Soon after, Wilfred claims that Arlette's living corpse—accompanied by a large group of rats—leaves the confines of the well and enters the farmhouse, confronting him. Arlette gives him a detailed premonition of the violent demise of Henry and the pregnant Shannon, in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The roof of his house caves in, too.
When Arlette's prophecy comes true, Wilfred tries to sell the land parcel he killed her for. However, Harlan and the townspeople, all disgusted with Wilfred, refuse to help him. He is forced to leave Hemingford Home as a pariah, after selling the land to the livestock company for a pittance. He moves to Omaha and spends the first two years visiting the scenes of Henry's crimes and drinking away the money he received from selling the land. He finds two jobs—as a garment factory worker and a librarian. He quits both, he claims, when the rats begin to stalk him again.
At the conclusion, Wilfred sits in a hotel room in Omaha, writing down his story and telling the reader that Arlette's rats are there and eagerly waiting for him to finish, so that they can devour him. He also claims to hear the spectral footsteps of Arlette, Henry, and Shannon in the hallway. Wilfred writes that he plans to shoot himself before the rats consume him, signifying a final victory against Arlette. However, his writing indicates that the gun is somehow misplaced and he is eaten alive by the rats before he can find it. The story ends with a newspaper clipping about Wilfred's death. The article states that Wilfred was found with bite marks — which the hotel's Chief of Security assumes are self-inflicted — all over his body, including his wrists. He is also surrounded by papers, illegible because they have been chewed to pieces. This leaves the reader to speculate about whether Wilfred's account was true or the delusions of a half-mad psychotic.