Survivor Type

Stephen King was born on September 21, 1947, and was raised with his brother by their mother in Indiana, Connecticut, and Maine. His family struggled to make ends meet, and King often escaped his childhood reality by reading voraciously. King attended the University of Maine, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. While a student, he was active in student politics and wrote some of his early stories, some of which were published in magazines. King continued to write and publish short pieces while pursuing a teaching career. When he secured a permanent position at Hampden Academy in 1971, King wrote in his spare time, gaining fame and recognition for his first novel, Carrie, in 1974. The financial hardship of King’s early life has been credited for his love of literature, his interest in the darker side of life experience, and his productivity as an author. In “Survival Type,” King explores the life choices of a character who seeks success after a modest upbringing, and the negative ways in which this character frames that upbringing.

Stephen King is often referred to as “The King of Horror.” He is an exceptionally prolific author in this genre, having over 200 short stories and 65 novels and novellas to his name (including seven works under the pseudonym Richard Bachman). Within horror literature, King has written works in the contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction, and fantasy sub-genres. Many of his works have been adapted into films, such as The Shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick, and Thinner, directed by Tom Holland.

Many of Stephen King’s works explore the topics of isolation, survival, and substance misuse. His novel The Shining depicts a writer in extreme isolation from society who reverts to excessive consumption of alcohol, leading to severe psychological decline. In Cujo, King addresses ideas of isolation and survival, when two people are attacked by a dog and trapped in their car. In the novel Gerald’s Game, the protagonist is handcuffed to a bed with the chance of rescue growing slim, as her husband lies dead on the floor of the bedroom.

In his notes to his story collection Skeleton Crew, King explains that he was interested in the idea of cannibalism when he conceived the plot for “Survivor Type.” He was unsure about the story’s credibility until he spoke with a retired doctor who confirmed that a human could indeed subsist on consuming the energy stored within the body. When King asked if a person in this situation would be overwhelmed by shock trauma, the doctor offered a response that became “with very few changes, the first paragraph of the story” (562).