54 pages • 1 hour read
Stephen KingThe Running Man
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1982A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Essay Topics
When the novel begins, Sheila is alarmed that Ben is watching the Free-Vee. Why does he begin studying the programs, and why does he finally enter the Games? How is he portrayed as different from other would-be contestants?
How is Ben a throwback or a relic of a former time? For example, why does Ben’s dossier refer to his marriage as an “[o]ld-style lifetime contract” (64)? Why would this sort of marriage fall out of favor in the novel’s dystopian society?
What is the significance of the name Co-Op City? How does King use the name to convey a sense of grim irony that underlies the reality of the lower class?
Throughout the novel, various people help Ben. Compare the types of help he receives from—as well as the motivations of—Molie, Bradley, Amelia, and Elton.
Why does Ben choose to crash the plane into the Games Building, rather than accept a role in the Network’s organization? How might his decision affect the audience who watches the show?
Why does Bradley surreptitiously use a library card? What are his motivations? Why are literacy and access to information threats to the Network?
Discuss the role that media manipulation plays in the novel. How does Ben turn it to his advantage?
What is the nature of the conspiracy about pollution? How is it linked to Free-Vee?
Ben tells the doctor during the qualifying exams that he wants to work out of a sense of pride. Then he asks the doctor if he has pride. Why does Ben ask him this, particularly since he knows the doctor is simply doing his job?
Why does Amelia feel like a murderer? Why does she suddenly feel the need to help Ben?
Related Titles
By Stephen King
