36 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen KingChildren of the Corn
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1977A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Religious Fanaticism
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to graphic violence, death, horror themes, and religious fanaticism.
From Vicky’s childhood religious trauma to the desecrated church in Gatlin to the murderous cult of children, the theme of religious fanaticism takes center stage, driving the narrative’s unsettling atmosphere. King’s emphasis on the dangers of exposing children to religious fanaticism begins with the following observation by Vicky:
That’s what’s so monstrous about that whole trip. They like to get hold of them when their minds are still rubber. They know how to put all the emotional checks and balances in. You should have been at some of the tent meetings my mother and father dragged me to…some of the ones I was ‘saved’ at. […] There was Baby Hortense, the Singing Marvel. She was eight. She’d come on and sing ‘Leaning on the Everlasting Arms’ while her daddy passed the plate, telling everybody to ‘dig deep, now, let’s not let this little child of God down.’ Then there was Norman Staunton. He used to preach hellfire and brimstone in this Little Lord Fauntleroy suit with short pants. He was only seven (264).
Vicky’s reminiscence implies that it is impossible for any form of Christianity to be healthy or safe for children and that all children who encounter religion are ultimately pawns under coercive control. This is reiterated through the introduction of the children who worship He Who Walks Behind the Rows. Where the children in Vicky’s recollections are being exploited by their parents in the name of faith, the children of Gatlin have subverted this power dynamic by killing the adults in town and even each other.
The introduction of Isaac’s character develops this point by illustrating the destructive power that can be wielded by a nine-year-old child. Isaac’s fervent devotion to the malevolent deity He Who Walks Behind the Rows becomes a catalyst for the children’s descent into increasing violence and chaos. The narrative also reveals the power dynamics at play within the cult, showcasing how Isaac manipulates the children’s faith to assert control near the end of the story when he announces that the required age for human sacrifice has been lowered from 19 years old to 18.
King does not clarify whether this mandate came from He Who Walks Behind the Rows or from Isaac’s own initiative, but this moment explores the psychological impact of religious indoctrination and highlights the children’s detachment from reason and morality. In this respect, Isaac’s role as a self-proclaimed prophet underscores the peril of charismatic leaders exploiting religious fervor for personal gain.
Fear of the Unknown
The fear of the unknown is also a prominent theme in “Children of the Corn,” and this fear is amplified through the eerie setting of Gatlin, the mysterious entity He Who Walks Behind the Rows, and the uncertain fate of Burt and Vicky’s marriage. The isolated town, shrouded in cornfields, becomes a symbol of the unfamiliar and the unnerving, which parallels the perilous emotional landscape of Burt and Vicky’s marriage. The fear of the unknown is palpable as Burt and Vicky engage in verbal warfare with each other and grapple with the physical threats of a murderous cult of children and a malevolent force that lurks in the shadows.
King employs unsettling atmospheric descriptions to evoke a sense of dread and suspense that characterizes a pervasive fear of the unknown. The tall cornfields, concealing both the children and the supernatural entity, create an environment where the characters are constantly on edge. The fear of the unknown is heightened as the narrative gradually unravels the true nature of the cult and He Who Walks Behind the Rows.
Burt’s exploration of the abandoned chapel contributes to the story’s psychological horror as he struggles to make sense of Gatlin’s dark history. Although the book of birth and death dates offers clues about the cult’s origins and the fate of the children’s parents, Burt finds it difficult to accept what he’s reading. A world in which children can brutally murder their parents and each other in a distortion of the Christian faith is entirely unfamiliar to Burt; accepting that this could be possible requires him to radically adjust his perception of the world and move forward into a strange and frightening alternate reality.
Burt’s struggle highlights the panic of two equally horrifying choices: Accept that children can be evil, or accept that they are being controlled by an evil entity. Neither of these options are congruent with Burt’s worldview, and this illustrates the narrative’s engagement with the moral tensions that anchor human society. The story challenges the comforting social construction that something is either good or evil, that one must feel either love or hate. This is mirrored by the cultic theme in which something traditionally viewed as the epitome of good—religious faith—is twisted into intense darkness and violence. For Burt, the confusion of these tensions is an earth-shattering experience that emphasizes how the unknown can be a source of profound terror.
The Decline of the American Family
The decline of the American family is a poignant underlying theme that is integral to the central conflict of “Children of the Corn.” Although the story’s opening scenes suggest that Burt and Vicky’s disintegrating marriage represents the decay of the traditional American family, it soon becomes clear that marriage is not the only family structure that is crumbling in “Children of the Corn.”
Drawing on the intensifying 1970s concern that the free love movement would erode the institution of marriage and destabilize the nuclear family, “Children of the Corn” exaggerates these fears by presenting a portrait of a town where the traditional family structure has not disintegrated but been violently destroyed, giving way to a cult of children devoid of parental guidance. The empty streets of Gatlin, once filled with the laughter of families, now serve as a haunting backdrop to the breakdown of familial bonds.
The disappearance of adult figures and the transformation of children into instruments of violence underscore the narrative’s commentary on the fragility of family ties. The cult’s rejection of parental authority reflects a societal fear of familial breakdown, where the youth are left to navigate a world without the guidance and stability that families traditionally provide.
King utilizes the absence of parental figures as a narrative device, creating a desolate atmosphere that contributes to the story’s overall sense of horror. The once nurturing environment of Gatlin becomes a battleground for survival, emphasizing the consequences of a community without the stabilizing influence of families.
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