The King of Horror: Stephen King

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Stephen King is one of the greatest American authors who was greatly influenced by history and it is clearly shown in his work. Throughout the 20th century there have been many world events that have influenced American culture today; many of these controversies in which America has been involved include: Russia’s Red Scare, The Cold War, and the Vietnam War. Historical Background Russia’s Red Scare was a period in history where every American was afraid of communist Russia. After World War II the U.S. had developed weapons the world had never seen before, nuclear weapons. During the Red Scare, Russia surprised the world when they set off their first nuclear weapon; this sent a ripple of fear throughout the U.S. because now their enemy had they technology to wipe out the American population. This led to a series of conflicts between the U.S. and Russia in the years to come. The Cold War lasted from 1947-1991. During this period, the U.S. and Russia were competing with each other to see who had superior military, weapons, and technology. While they never fought directly they would aid third-world countries such as North Korea and South Korea in The Korean War. Historians call it The Cold War because even though shots were never fired between the U.S. and Russia, they were fighting each other indirectly. Although The Korean War ended in 1953, the U.S. and Russia would still have many conflicts for the next few decades. The Vietnam War also involved America as they were fighting to protect democracy from other communist countries such as China. America was scared that if Vietnam was to become communist, the neighboring countries around it would also be... ... middle of paper ... ...lawed him” (King 294). This shows how the lion shaped hedge tried to bite Danny, but when his parents showed up they saw the actual damage to his leg. Works Cited Beahm, George. Stephen King from a to Z. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998. Bloom, Harold. Stephen King. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2002. Whitelaw, Nancy. Dark Dreams the Story of Stephen King. Greensboro, North Carolina: Morgan Reynolds Publishing, 2006. Print. Reino, Joseph. Stephen King the First Decade Carrie to Pet Sematary. Boston Massachusetts: Twayne Publishers, 1988. Print. Rosenburg, Jennifer. "History Timeline of the 20th Century a Decade-by-Decade Timeline." About.com. About.com 20th Century History, n.d. Web. 6 Jan. 2014. . King, Stephen. The Shining. New York, New York: DoubleDay, 1977. Print.

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