Survivor Type

Last updated
"Survivor Type"
Short story by Stephen King
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s) Horror, short story
Publication
Published inTerrors(1st release),
Skeleton Crew
Publication typeAnthology
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Publication date 1982 (1st release)

"Survivor Type" is a psychological horror short story by Stephen King, first published in the 1982 horror anthology Terrors, edited by Charles L. Grant, and included in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew . The Robinsonade follows a shipwrecked drug-trafficking surgeon who, left with only a large amount of drugs and no food or resources, resorts to self-cannibalism.

Contents

King considered the idea that came to him to be too disgusting, saying that "[it] goes a little bit too far, even for me." [1] He consulted with a doctor, discussing how long a person could feed on his own body. Even being a famous writer, the author could not get the story published for a long time. Literary critics emphasized the author’s courage, humor and irony inherent in the work, as well as the realism of the events described, though some assessments of the plot were more restrained. The story has been adapted into short film and television format multiple times.

Plot summary

The story opens with the following epigraph:

"Sooner or later the question comes up in every medical student's career. How much shock-trauma can the patient stand? Different instructors answer the question, in different ways, but cut to its base level, the answer is always another question: How badly does the patient want to survive?"

Survivor Type is an epistolary story written as the diary of a disgraced surgeon, Richard Pine, who, while attempting to smuggle a large amount of heroin aboard a cruise ship, is forced to escape when an explosion causes the ship to sink. Pine relates growing up poor in New York City's Little Italy, attending medical school, and establishing successful practice until his illegal distribution of prescription medicines led to the loss of his license. He arranged to smuggle heroin from Vietnam to make a large amount of money, which would then be distributed for bribes that would enable him to return to practicing medicine.

Pine finds himself marooned on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean whose exact location is completely unknown to him, with very limited supplies and no food. A self-proclaimed "survivor" type, he bitterly whiles away the time by using a logbook as his diary, detailing his rise and fall in the medical profession and his determination to survive this ordeal, get even with the people that "screwed him over", and return to prosperity.

Over time, the diary entries become more and more disjointed and raving, revealing Pine's slow mental decay and eventual insanity caused by starvation, isolation, and drug use. Determined to hold out for rescue, he goes to horrifying lengths to survive. He eats insects, kelp, and seagulls. After fracturing his ankle while attempting to signal an airplane, he amputates his own foot, then realizes he has to eat it to survive. He continues to amputate his own limbs to use as a food source, ingesting the heroin as a crude anesthetic during these operations. Although he initially keeps track of the dates (the entries begin January 26), his increasing mental instability causes him to lose perception of days passed (finally ending his entries with "Febba" and "Fe/40?"). His last few diary entries, barely comprehensible, indicate that Pine has sliced off and eaten both legs, as well as his earlobes, and drools uncontrollably as he ponders which body part to consume next. The diary entries end when he cuts off his left hand to eat it and writes that his fingers taste just like lady fingers.

Development

In the Notes section of the 1985 short fiction collection Skeleton Crew, Stephen King wrote about the topic of arriving at the story's premise: "I got to thinking about cannibalism one day . . . and my muse once more evacuated its magic bowels on my head. I know how gross that sounds, but it's the best metaphor I know." [2] King later elaborates that he was so interested in the idea that it was all he could think about for days. Hesitant to write anything down, King gained the assurance for the story after speaking with his neighbor, Ralph Drews, a retired doctor who confirmed that "a guy could subsist on himself for quite a while - like everything else which is material, the human body is just stored energy." Dr. Drews's further elaborations became the inspiration for the opening epigraph of the story. [3]

King wrote "Survivor Type" in 1977, but he was unable to sell it for years; he stated that "not even men's magazines would consider this one". [4] In a 2021 interview with Stephen Colbert, King stated that "Survivor Type" was his favorite story that he had written. [5]

Adaptations

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Skeleton Crew</i> (short story collection) 1985 short story collection by Stephen King

Skeleton Crew is a short story collection by American writer Stephen King, published by Putnam in June 1985. A limited edition of a thousand copies was published by Scream/Press in October 1985 (ISBN 978-0910489126), illustrated by J. K. Potter, containing an additional short story, "The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson", which had originally appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, and was later incorporated into King's 1987 novel The Tommyknockers. The original title of this book was Night Moves.

<i>Night Shift</i> (short story collection) Book by Stephen King

Night Shift is Stephen King's first collection of short stories, first published in 1978. In 1980, Night Shift won the Balrog Award for Best Collection, and in 1979 it was nominated as best collection for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award.

<i>The Mist</i> (novella) Book by Stephen King

The Mist is a science fiction psychological horror novella by American author Stephen King. First published by Viking Press in 1980 as part of the Dark Forces anthology, an edited version was subsequently included in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew. In the story, the small town of Bridgton, Maine is shrouded in a dense mist that conceals otherworldly creatures. The protagonist and narrator David Drayton, who has taken refuge with his young son in a supermarket, tries to survive against not only the creatures of the mist, but also fanatical aggression from other survivors. In The Mist, King addresses the themes of man-made fears and religious fundamentalism.

<i>Creepshow</i> 1982 horror comedy anthology film by George A. Romero

Creepshow is a 1982 American horror comedy anthology film directed by George A. Romero and written by Stephen King, making this film his screenwriting debut. The film's ensemble cast includes Hal Holbrook, Adrienne Barbeau, Fritz Weaver, Leslie Nielsen, Carrie Nye, E. G. Marshall, Viveca Lindfors, Ted Danson and Ed Harris, as well as King himself. The film was primarily shot on location in Pittsburgh and its suburbs, including Monroeville, where Romero leased an old boys' academy to build extensive sets for the film.

<i>Tales from the Darkside: The Movie</i> 1990 film by John Harrison

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 American comedy horror anthology film directed by John Harrison, serving as a spin-off of the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside. The film depicts the frame story of a kidnapped paperboy who tells three stories of horror to the suburban witch who is preparing to eat him.

"The Raft" is a horror short story by Stephen King. It was first published as a booklet included with Gallery in November 1982 and was collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.

"Word Processor of the Gods" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the January 1983 issue of Playboy magazine under the title "The Word Processor". It was collected in King's 1985 book Skeleton Crew.

<i>Creepshow 2</i> 1987 American comedy horror anthology film

Creepshow 2 is a 1987 American comedy horror anthology film directed by Michael Gornick, and the sequel to Creepshow. Gornick was previously the cinematographer of the first film, and the screenplay was written by George A. Romero who was director of the original film. The film's stars were Lois Chiles, George Kennedy, Dorothy Lamour, and Tom Savini. It was once again based upon stories by Stephen King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dollar Baby</span> Contract with Stephen King to adapt one of his short stories for $1

The Dollar Baby was an arrangement in which American author Stephen King would grant permission to students and aspiring filmmakers or theater producers to adapt one of his short stories for $1. King retains the rights to his work, but as he began to experience commercial success, he decided to use the Dollar Baby to help the next generation of creatives. The term may be used to refer to both the adaptation itself and the person adapting it; for example, "The Sun Dog" was made as a Dollar Baby and filmmaker Matt Flesher became a Dollar Baby upon adapting it.

"Paranoid: A Chant" is a 100-line poem by Stephen King originally published in the 1985 short story collection Skeleton Crew.

"Uncle Otto's Truck" is a horror short story by Stephen King, first published in Yankee in 1983, and collected in King's 1985 collection Skeleton Crew.

"Here There Be Tygers" is a short horror story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the Spring 1968 issue of Ubris magazine, and collected in King's Skeleton Crew in 1985.

"The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands" is a short story by American writer Stephen King, first published in the 1982 horror anthology Shadows 4, edited by Charles L. Grant. It was collected in Skeleton Crew in 1985.

Cannibalism, the act of eating human flesh, is a recurring theme in popular culture, especially within the horror genre, and has been featured in a range of media that includes film, television, literature, music and video games. Cannibalism has been featured in various forms of media as far back as Greek mythology. The frequency of this theme has led to cannibal films becoming a notable subgenre of horror films. The subject has been portrayed in various different ways and is occasionally normalized. The act may also be used in media as a means of survival, an accidental misfortune, or an accompaniment to murder. Examples of prominent artists who have worked with the topic of cannibalism include William Shakespeare, Voltaire, Bret Easton Ellis, and Herschell Gordon Lewis.

"The Crate" is a short story by Stephen King, first published in the July 1979 issue of Gallery. In 1982, the story was adapted as a segment in the movie Creepshow, and included in comic-book form in the Creepshow graphic novella.

"Weeds" is a darkly humorous short story by Stephen King. It was first published in Cavalier magazine in May 1976.

Richard P. Rubinstein is an American film and television producer, who has worked mainly in the science fiction and horror genres. In the 1970s and 1980s he collaborated frequently with horror director George A. Romero, including on the seminal zombie films Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead (1985). He also produced 1984–1988 anthology horror television series Tales from the Darkside. In the 1980s and 1990s Rubinstein produced a substantial number of projects based on the writings of horror novelist Stephen King.

<i>Creepshow</i> (TV series) American horror anthology television series

Creepshow is an American horror anthology television series that was released on Shudder in 2019. The series serves as a continuation of the 1982 film of the same name and features twenty five episodes with two horror stories per episode. The series premiered on September 26, 2019.

"Pinfall" is an unpublished short story/film treatment by Stephen King and George A. Romero. It was originally written by King as a segment for the 1987 anthology film Creepshow 2, with Romero developing it into a script in 1984, but was never filmed. In 2016, a comic book adaptation of the story was produced by Jason Mayoh.

References

  1. ↑ Grant, Charles L. "Interview with Stephen King" Monsterland Magazine, May/June, 1985.
  2. ↑ Bolotin, Susan (June 9, 1985). "Don't Turn Your Back on This Book". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  3. ↑ King, Stephen (1985). Skeleton Crew. New York: Putnam. ISBN   0356108163.
  4. ↑ King, Stephen (2010). Danse Macabre. Gallery Books. p. 380. ISBN   978-1-4391-7098-4.
  5. ↑ Stephen King Reveals His Top Five Stephen King Stories. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2024-09-13– via YouTube.
  6. ↑ "Survivor Type Film" . Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  7. ↑ "SURVIVOR TYPE | The Bedlam Files". thebedlamfiles.com. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  8. ↑ "Survivor type (Kevin Fisk)". stephenkingshortmovies.com. 31 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "Survivor Type 2017". mubi.com. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  10. ↑ "Review: A Creepshow Animated Special (2020) - Voices From The Balcony". www.voicesfromthebalcony.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.