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Hearts in Atlantis (1999), is a fictional work by Stephen King. This book is not quite a novel, but not quite a short story collection either. It consists of five novellas, each connected to the next by recurring characters and taking place in chronological order. The stories are subtly about the Baby Boomer generation, specifically King's view that this generation (to which he self-consciously belongs) failed to live up to their promise and ideals. Significantly, the opening epigram of the collection is the Peter Fonda line from the end of Easy Rider: "We blew it." All of the stories are about Baby Boomers, and in all of them, the members of that generation fail profoundly, or are paying the costs of some profound failure on their part. The closing "Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling" is clearly meant as a eulogy for the promise of the Baby Boom generation, with the hint of redemption (though it should be noted that in the story, Bobby Garfield's life is a ruin, and his childhood sweetheart, Carol, has been living underground for over twenty years, with no end in sight).
Low Men in Yellow Coats The first part, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", takes place in 1960. Bobby Garfield is eleven, and his biggest trouble is a bike he really wants. His mother claims they do not have the money for a bike, despite her constant purchases of new clothing. For his eleventh birthday, Bobby's mother gives him a birthday card containing an adult library card. Bobby loves his mother very deeply and tries to suppress the bitterness and jealousy he feels because of the affair his mother is carrying on with her boss. An older man named Ted Brautigan moves into an adjacent apartment on the floor above Bobby and his mother. It is obvious from the start that she doesn't like Ted, but Bobby does. Ted spends a lot of time discussing books with Bobby and gives him Lord of the Flies, which makes a huge impression on the boy. Bobby's mother claims to be worried that Ted might be sexually abusing Bobby, though in fact she feels guilty about her neglect of her son. Bobby, understanding the situation but unable to articulate it, solves the problem by keeping the two apart. Ted speaks to Bobby as one would speak to another adult, a fact which makes a great impression on Bobby. Ted offers Bobby a small amount of money to read him the paper daily, claiming his eyes are not what they used to be. As the two grow closer, Ted confesses to Bobby that he is being stalked by "low men". The signs of these men include "lost pet" signs, and chalk drawings of stars and moons. Ted asks Bobby to keep an eye out for their signs and to let him know when they are near. Bobby does begin to see the signs but doesn't say anything to Ted. This withholding of information eventually leads the low men directly to Ted's door. After a nightmarish chase, Ted deliberately sacrifices himself for the sake of protecting Bobby—and Bobby makes no effort to stop this needless sacrifice. As the story ends, the low men take Ted away in their car. Insofar as The Dark Tower Series' overall plot is concerned, it is revealed in 7th book that Ted is essential to the Crimson King's quest to break the beams that hold the Dark Tower up, in turn, holding the universe together. This early part of the work was made into the movie Hearts in Atlantis. Hearts in Atlantis The next part, "Hearts in Atlantis", takes place in 1966 and is about Peter Riley who has just started at the university. He has been a good student before, but now he's drawn to the interminable card game of Hearts that is going on in the communal room in the all-male dorm where he lives. The story explores how the university of the 1960's was an "Atlantis", an imaginary kingdom isolated from the troubles of the world. However, as more and more of the students become addicted to playing Hearts, their grades begin to suffer...and the only way they are escaping the Viet Nam draft is through their student deferments. If they flunk out of college, they will be drafted and sent to the war in South East Asia. Peter Riley quickly falls behind in his studies, but even though he knows he might flunk out, he is unable to stop himself. Meanwhile, he meets Carol Gerber, Bobby Garfield's friend and first love from "Low Men in Yellow Coats". Peter Riley falls in love with her, and with her help tries to cure himself of the addiction to Hearts. However, he is too self-involved and therefore unaware that Carol herself has become caught up in an escapist addiction of her own—student terrorism. As Peter Riley and his friends' self-destructive addiction to Hearts continues, the War in Viet Nam grows closer, drawing Carol into an activist group and taking part in bloody demonstrations. The last three stories are shorter. Blind Willie "Blind Willie" is about a Vietnam veteran's penance after the war. The main character in this story is William Shearman. In the story, he recounts how he and another boy, Richie O'Meara, held a then eleven year old Carol Gerber while another boy Harry Doolin, beat her with a baseball bat. Why Were in Vietnam "Why We're in Vietnam" describes a reunion of two vets, one being John Sullivan, at the funeral of a third and recounts an incident that almost escalated into a My Lai. Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling In "Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling" Bobby Garfield returns to his hometown after almost forty years, and finds closure to his relationships with Carol Gerber and Ted Brautigan. As an aside, we learn that, since college, Carol Gerber blew up a building, killing a janitor. Now an FBI fugitive, she has gone underground, and has been underground since the early 1970's, her life a ruin. Editions See also | ||||||||
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