Insomnia
66 pages • 2-hour read
Stephen KingInsomnia
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, animal death, child death, pregnancy termination, and gender discrimination.
Overcoming the Fear of Uncertainty
The novel introduces Ralph Roberts as a man afraid of the uncertainty that surrounds death, as reflected in the deathwatch. Ralph can never predict when the ticking will stop, nor can he ever know what will become of Carolyn once she dies. Ralph avoids these questions by going on long walks to escape the reality of Carolyn’s impending death. As the narrative progresses, however, Ralph gradually learns how to overcome the fear of uncertainty.
Ralph’s exposure to hyper-reality and the higher planes of existence gives him a heightened awareness of death. Not only is he able to predict death via the appearance of the bald doctors, but he also gains some sense of the manner of a person’s death, whether that death is natural, senseless and violent, or accidental. While the knowledge does not relieve the emotional burden surrounding death, it does give Ralph a sense of moral responsibility to act upon that knowledge, which in turn inspires him to more actively confront his fears instead of dodging them.
Ralph’s growing motivation to act instead of remaining passively afraid grows throughout the novel. When Ralph sees Clotho and Lachesis leaving May’s house, he immediately feels compelled to call the police, believing that the bald doctors have hurt May. He has a similar response to Atropos’s harassment of Rosalie, prompting him to intervene when he believes her life is at risk. His active combating of his fears for the sake of protecting others culminates in his confrontation with the Crimson King on the flight toward the rally. While the Crimson King tries to intimidate Ralph, first through emotional manipulation by appearing as his mother, and then as a catfish—something Ralph fears—Ralph forces himself to push through his fear to foil both the Crimson King and Ed. In doing so, he saves thousands of lives and realizes that his fears do not need to overpower him.
By the end of the novel, Ralph’s attitude toward death has changed, especially with the knowledge that the death he has promised in exchange for Natalie’s life is his own. Though Lois urges Ralph to walk away from his deal for her sake, Ralph is determined not to let Natalie die. Instead of trying to avoid his impending death, Ralph boldly goes forward to it, which brings him a measure of confidence and peace on his own deathbed that contrasts with the helplessness and fear he felt when Carolyn died. The novel thus suggests that, while living with uncertainty is a part of human life, it is possible to choose courage over fear in the face of it.
The Complexities of Grief
The insomnia that plagues Ralph throughout much of the novel is both connected to his involvement in the higher planes and an embodiment of his grief over his wife’s death. As Ralph develops through his character arc, he is forced to work through the emotional toll of Carolyn’s death, with his experiences revealing the complexities of grief.
At the novel’s opening, Ralph is overwhelmed with grief at the thought of Carolyn’s impending death. He feels fearful and isolated, going for long walks by himself and feeling unsure how to deal with his difficult emotions. In a flashback to her deathbed later in the novel, Ralph feels torn between wanting Carolyn’s suffering to end and his deep dread of being separated from her. When she does die, Ralph is consumed by his grief, reflecting the love he has for her and his confusion as to how to continue living without her. The insomnia that begins to trouble him shortly after her death speaks to his inner turmoil.
As the novel progresses, Ralph gradually learns to cope with grief through his connections to others. As he becomes more engrossed in helping others, such as when he intervenes to protect Helen after she flees from Ed’s abuse, he rediscovers his sense of purpose and also feels more capable of opening up to other people. His grief and need to connect lead him to a closer relationship with Lois, who, as a widow, also knows the pain of losing a spouse. In a scene that is a turning point in their dynamic, Lois confesses to Ralph that she often feels lonely, due to both her widowhood and her old age. In hearing Lois’s confession, Ralph realizes that he is not alone in his grief after all.
After the events of the rally, Lois and Ralph become a couple and eventually marry, choosing to give love another chance in spite of their knowledge that, at their advanced age, their time together is likely limited. When Lois discovers that Ralph has agreed to trade his life for Natalie’s, she is initially consumed by fear of a fresh grief: The thought of losing another husband feels overwhelming to her. However, Ralph’s calm determination to save Natalie and the tender moment Lois and Ralph share afterwards on his deathbed bring Lois a measure of peace and comfort. Her experience of Ralph’s aura further calms her, as it suggests to her that Ralph will always remain a presence in her life.
The novel thus suggests that while grief is difficult and complicated, it is not always a wholly bad thing. For both Lois and Ralph, grief is a reflection of how much love and appreciation they had for their spouses, and later, for one another as Ralph dies. By choosing to share their grief with one another, Lois and Ralph realize that grief can bring people together instead of just isolating them.
Free Will Versus Predestination
In Part 2, Chapter 17, Ralph quips that he has no choice in the matter of his involvement with the Purpose, prompting Clotho and Lachesis to quickly respond that he always has a choice, even as the Purpose is constantly imposing its influence on his actions. This conversation demonstrates the tensions of free will versus predestination, with the narrative suggesting that the existence of higher beings does not preclude the existence of free will. In fact, what puts humanity on equal footing with these beings is their agency, making it the essential feature of their nature.
According to the cosmology of the novel, all of humanity live under the influence of the Purpose and the Random. When Clotho and Lachesis communicate the importance of Patrick Danville, they suggest that Patrick’s destiny is predetermined, but impossible to guarantee. What limits the Purpose’s ability to guarantee Patrick’s fate is the existence of the Random. Though not inherently moral in themselves, the constants of the Purpose and the Random take on a moral undertone in the conflict over Patrick’s life. From a philosophical lens, the Random, which represents antagonism or evil in the conflict, is what makes human agency possible. Without the Random, the Purpose would be free to enact the predetermined fates of every human being on Earth. Clotho and Lachesis thus rely on the willing collaboration of Ralph and Lois to ensure that Patrick gets to play his part in King’s other novels.
King plays with the dynamic between Ralph and Lois’s knowledge and their agency to keep the question of free will ambiguous during the middle of the novel. They are never clearly told what they are supposed to do from the minute they finish their first meeting with Clotho and Lachesis, which becomes a constant point of frustration for them as they are only aware of the lives at stake at the Susan Day rally. There is also, however, the sense that the wrong amount of knowledge at the wrong time would have influenced their decisions just as easily. While descending into Atropos’s lair, Ralph comments: “If I’d known what we were going to be doing… I would have cashed in my bonds… and had us on a plane to Rio, my dear” (625). They repeatedly weigh the idea of leaving against the burden of their conscience, ultimately acknowledging that it was already too late for them to unlearn what they know about their universe because they made the decision to involve themselves in the Purpose and the Random’s affairs.
In the end, Ralph demonstrates his free will by choosing to fulfill destiny on his own terms. Ralph demands a bargain with the Purpose to save Natalie’s life in exchange for Patrick’s. This is stressed when Clotho and Lachesis insist that Natalie is of no importance to the Purpose. Ralph does not accept this because he feels the same way about Patrick. For Patrick to matter, he reasons, then so must someone whose destiny does not figure into the grand narrative of the universe. The Purpose’s acceptance of the deal signals their willingness to see Ralph as an equal collaborator, not as a pawn or a piece to be moved in the game of their conflict with the Random.
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