The Institute And The Outsider

Stephen King uses many techniques to incoporate the theme of good and evil into his stories, portraying the battle between the powerfully corrupted against the innocents. King brings up many prevalent issues that are addressed today such as manipulation, underage drinking, abuse of drugs, and identity theft. Stephen King also conveys the message of hope, that even in the darkest hours of your life there is always a guiding light to show you the way. The idea of plot armor was integrated in both The Institute and The Outsider where Luke Ellis manages to escape from the hellhole he was being kept in which was the final stress on the dam. This led to the series of events, a bounty on the young prodigy, the Institute being exposed, and finally

This ties into many issues in the US, kidnapping, breaking and entering, etc. They bring him into an enclosed area in a wooded area called the “Institute” where kids like Luke are tested and are expected to behave as they are to do so. It is later shown that he was a target of this organization due to the manifestation of “very mild telekinetic abilities'' (“In America?”, Mercer), which the Institute exploits to its advantage. The Institute uses the children and expresses their dominance through “inhumane treatment” (Mercer), in which they call discipline. Another example of a real-world issue is child manipulation in his book The Institute where the protagonist Luke Ellis is forced to live in an Institute where the supposed “good guys” use children to carry out their deeds, eventually disposing of them in the most evil

One example is the restriction of internet access in The Institute, where the use of computer is heavily restricted. This is control access to control the amount of knowledge they gain on the outside world, keeping them away from the fact that everyone’s parents were murdered the day they were brought in. The administrators of the institute were also using the technique of fearmongering to get the children to fall in line, they focus on “physical and psychological suffering of the children” (Mercer). Every child also gets a tracking device implanted on their earlobes, a painful process but a crucial one for the Institute to make sure that they can keep track of everyone in case an emergency happens. While some people think this is a good thing as the safety of children is priority for sensible adults, Luke realizes that they are “commodities that can be owned, tracked, and used” in any way that Mrs. Sigsby wants. This is an example of an iron hand, controlling every aspect of their lives in the Institute, making it as miserable as possible without “damaging