King’s Psychological Gothicism
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towards John Kintner, which in his current state of mind takes the personified
form of a man nobody eise can actually see: John Shooter, a writer accusing
Mort of plagiarism.
In Order to escape this psychological threat, Mort seeks consolation in
the land of dreams, where his divorce is not yet finalized, where he can pretend
“that the last six months had never happened,” and where he seems to be as a
prolific writer. Ironically, Mort’s escape into the dream world is not what Karen
Homey calls a “way out of the dilemma” (128) but is rather a factor which
increases his already existing restlessness, anxiety disorder, and emotional
distress. In this “half-awaking, half-sleeping zombie state” (King, Window 257)
Mort experiences his most intense night terrors and anxiety attacks because it is
then that he feels most “divided in his own house” (Homey 100) and mind. He
finds himself enclosed in unfamiliar classrooms, loses his way in vast comfields,
is chased by Amy and the (un)familiar John Shooter, both holding knifes in their
hands, and is exposed to many “different