Messages in Stephen King's: Cell

After my last newsletter emailed out, a number of readers brought up the Stephen King novel Cell. I expected this because I had vaguely made reference to it in the newsletter. And if this seems a bit cryptic, that is intentional. Those who have read the newsletter most likely now the reference. It is also thematic with this post.

So why post about a cryptic topic in a newsletter that some people have not read? Because, in Stephen King's novel Cell, cryptic messages drive the story. And it is Cell and the cryptic messages that I thought I'd discuss. So this isn't so much of a review as it is pondering the elements of the novel.

For those unfamiliar with Cell, I will say that I believe it is a very good book - many people differ about the ending. And King clearly takes, and twists the modern image of the zombie in the novel. I tend to call them "cell phone zombies." I think most of us have seen these creatures.

Perhaps the most obvious sub-textual message in the novel comes from the title: Cell. In a post 9/11 world, most everyone in the U.S. has become familiar with term as both a "phone" and a "terrorist group." And the paperback cover differs from the original hardcover release. (The image here is from the paperback). So the connection is made all the stronger through the artwork. In fact, something else missing from the hardcover artwork is the fiery city in the distance.

To avoid giving away too much, in case someone hasn't read the book, I'll skip through it. The novel opens with an event that transforms the majority U.S. citizens into something like zombies (an perhaps most of the world). Society fails, government and commerce collapses, and the characters are thrown into a post-apocalyptic setting. The main protagonist, Clayton Riddell begins his journey to locate his family. A band of survivors follow along. The trip is dangerous because the "zombies" travel during the day, and in groups (cells?). They are vicious and mindless, killing everyone they encounter.

While moving from one city to another, Clayton and his companions start finding cryptic messages leading them up the East Coast. These cryptic messages are really what I'm here to babble about. Not only are there cryptic messages within the story, but something interesting occurs in the book's physical layout. There are certain words that are in large, bold print, and different fonts that stand out. The first two pages have SMALL TREASURES scattered about the text. So if one were to open the book, these words would attract the eye. Others include Panasonic, Swedish Steel, Atlantic Avenue Inn, Boston's Finest Address, Clump, American Defender. The list goes on, and is lengthy, and clearly intentional. However, I've no idea what is intended by this. Of course, in a novel where a man named "Riddell" (sometimes mispronounced in the book as "Riddle") is finding cryptic messages, such words beg to be read as cryptic messages. Connect this with an ending many people feel is incomplete, and one could speculate on the topic endlessly. Perhaps another ending is hidden in a cryptic message?

Because I don't want to give away much about the novel, I'll leave it at that, letting everyone on her or his own. If you've not read it, I'd urge you to read it. It might have been cast as a "zombie novel," which some readers view as "mindless entertainment," but it is neither. King explores human nature and human needs in a modern world, and brings contemporary society to a halt by taking away the technology we use to keep the world running. For many people, the most horrifyingly element in the novel is that humans are forced to speak face-to-face (those in the zombie cells seem to have another method of communication). Such a slow, archaic means of communication is something of a dying art - maybe it is already undead in nature (so says the fellow typing on his blog on the Internet).