The Science Fiction novel, The Running Man, was written in the early 80s by Stephen King under the name of Richard Bachman. King was already known for his writing, so he went under the name of Richard Bachman to try a new style of writing without being criticized. The Running Man was "a book written by a young man who was angry, energetic, and infatuated with the art and the craft of writing.” (Stephen King, 1996) The Running Man is the fourth and last novel written under Richard Bachman. King was going through a phase of frustration and wrote about how he felt about main stream USA and recent events happening in his time. The story is set in a dystopian future where the economy collapses and poverty and violence pervade the lower echelon. The game is a symbol of the Network and the society taking part in their own destruction and corrupting. King is warning of a dark …show more content…
Ben decides to participate in the Running Man games to provide the medical care that is essential to his daughter. The gap between rich and poor is so wide that everyone in the South City, the lower class, can’t afford any food or medicine. Those people take part in TV Game Shows to get a chance of winning money they desperately need. The common theme of the games is torture and torment of the contestant. The Running Man is by far the most anticipated game with largest prize where the longer they live the more they get. The contestants are enemies of the state hunted down by soldiers with hounds and anyone who spots them must inform the police about them and they will receive a prize and whoever catches them gets an even larger prize. It is very hard to travel and remain unseen, for the games are structured for the inevitable defeat of the participants. Ben enters the games certain of his death, but by doing so, he ensures the best medical treatment for his