Autobiography, Doppelganger, and Alcoholism in Stephen King’s The Shining

Abstract

Stephen King is the best-known writer for popular horror novels, yet lately, literary academics have dealt more thoroughly with it. Simultaneously, most studies concentrate on horror themes and the interaction between Good and Evil. This paper discusses the Importance of character and their psyche in Stephen King's most famous novel, The Shining. As usual, the introduction provides a historical background of Stephen King as an author of popular horror fiction. The main argument addresses two topics relevant to his protagonists: doppelgänger, alcoholism. Both are incorporated with the writer's real-life experiences because like many writers out there king portraits his subconscious minds into his world of literature and which is almost unnoticed by him. Studying the author's characters and their doppelgänger exposes the unconventional approach that King holds in his mind, which shows the way to explore the author’s sub consciousness and genius, especially one of the most interesting subgenres of gothic literature; gothic duality. The rest of the research discusses the author's identity triggered by alcohol and supernatural sources. Stephen King is renowned for deliberately putting his personality and his memories into his novels.