1922

1922 centers on a single act of evil, emphasizing its power to possess and corrode the mind and reality of the person who commits it. Through Wilf’s deteriorating mental and physical state, Henry’s tragic arc, the pervasive rats, and Wilf’s turn away from religion, King demonstrates that the mind cannot outrun evil actions.

The psychological effects of Wilf’s actions manifest in the form of a haunting that blurs the line between real and supernatural. The rats, which infest Arlette’s corpse in the well, begin as scavenging animals that are attracted to death. However, they later appear in increasing numbers and invade Wilf’s home, symbolizing his psychological decay as his crime consumes him. The rats follow him for years, slowly eroding his sense of stability as he loses his son, his livestock, and his farm, the very things that Wilf committed his crime to protect. In this way, the rats serve not only as horror imagery but also as the psychological consequences of Wilf’s act. The self-mutilation that occurs in Wilf’s death by suicide emphasizes the horror of what he has been through.

Henry’s psychological descent, first shown in his bitterness toward Wilf, then leading to theft and murder, conveys a different trajectory of consequences than what Wilf experiences.