Kristen Barenthaler

She walks through the dimly lit theater

Stephen King was a name that used to strike fear into the hearts of many, especially with his first novel Carrie in 1974. The storyline was unlike anything written before, and within two short years, the movie version of Carrie was released. Since then, there has been a sequel, a TV movie, two musicals, and an upcoming remake movie, but none have ever compared to the original movie. The remake is said to stay closer to King’s original writings, but does that really matter to people in a movie theater or do they just want to see the blood and guts horror? Each time Carrie was remade, there were always murders of people for bullying a young girl, who was a little different. The original Carrie, Carrie 2: The Rage, and the 2013 remake, Carrie, all tell a similar story, which leaves people asking if there is a need to be remaking the movie.

The Northern Ireland Conflicts took place between 1969 and 1994, but their effects are still felt today for many of the people in Northern Ireland. The armed conflicts started over whether Northern Ireland was constitutionally part of the United Kingdom or should be part of the Republic of Ireland with the southern half. Members of the majority Protestant community favored being a part of Britain, while minority Catholics wanted to become one Ireland with the south. The Civil Rights movement tried to end the discrimination against the minority Catholics, but ultimately failed, leading to the armed conflicts, which left 3,500 people dead, an estimated 50,000 injured, and thousands of people imprisoned. The conflict was supposed to end when a ceasefire was declared in 1994, but this did not actually do anything to resolve the issues that had started the violence. Even though Northern Ireland was now supposedly at peace, the people had spent so much time using violence to get their way, that the use of force was still locally used to solve problems. (Jarman 2011) These ideas of violence and conflict are what change the childhoods of children in Northern Ireland. In the 1980s, people, including children, had to undergo body checks when entering large stores in order to prevent bombs from being smuggled in. Also, to prevent car bombings, city centers were often closed off to traffic or else cars could be parked but never left unattended. Thus, children were left in the cars while parents shopped as, “a living symbol that their car at least does not contain a bomb.” (Cairns 1987) Growing up in a world where you are used as a pawn to show there isn’t a bomb in your car or being searched when all you needed was some new clothes, would be enough to change anyone’s views of childhood.

He grew up big, tall, and strong

In this article, I will argue that director Stanley Kubrick added nihilistic tendencies to many of his movies, whether purposefully or not. Nihilism is a vast subject, but the main premise is having “life without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value; total rejection of established laws and institutions.” This is seen in A Clockwork Orange, Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, and The Shining, along with some other movies. I will begin by explaining how A Clockwork Orange contains nihilistic ideas. Then, how Dr. Strangelove shows worldwide nihilism. Next, The Shining’s family and self-nihilistic destruction patterns. Finally, I will include a small paragraph on some of Kubrick’s other films containing nihilistic ideas. This article will show that many of Kubrick’s movies contain nihilism in its different forms.

As Americans, we seem obsessed with discovering the next Great American Novel, which is simply a fancy way of asking for “any novel that is regarded as having successfully represented an important time in US history or one that tells a story that is typical of America.” (The Great American Novel) Eva Hoffman did not set out to write the Great American anything when she started her memoir Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language. She is Polish Jewish, originally immigrated from Canada, and only spent her life in America during and after college. However, looking at the definitions of what constitutes a “Great American Novel,” Hoffman’s story parallels with every part. Technically, she wrote a memoir, which is not a novel, but her story is still “a story that is typical of America,” (The Great American Novel) which should give it standing room as a member of the literary canon of Great American works.