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Angie
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Feb 24, 2009 10:34AM
Seems like there is a lot of interest in this story. What do you think about it?
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I am about 3 pages in and am already amazed at what I had forgotten!*******************SPOILERS************************
First, the story starts off with a tragedy, so we are set up for something scary or strange to happen. Everyone is right about Ron Jeremy! I looked at more pitcures of him, and he is exactly who I am seeing.
"By circe". Who says that. Yet another little precursor to the bizzarity to come.
I love the way King's characters are always so real. He makes them that way with the smallest of off-hand seeming phrases. Like saying his daughter changed into a "skimpy" sweater. The way the man drinks beer and listens to ball. Real men do that. They fall asleep on lazy Saturday afternoons when their wife and daughter leave them alone too!
****************SPOILERS**************Okay, so what does it mean? I don't remember anything in Greek or Roman mythology about the worshippers of Pan having anything to do with grass. He was part goat (?), so I guess HE may have eaten it. Is that the only explanation we get?
The sex-maniac comment the officer makes-does that make anyone think Harold's privates are in the birdbath? Or, am I just weird?
Interesting comment about the contents of the birdbath Kandice. I wouldn't have really thought about it that way. In fact, every time I've read this, I simply thought that there was blood there, as if Harold's throat had been cut. But that doesn't make sense, does it?I did find this interesting site about Pan: http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/article... In this site, it mentions that "It is probable on the whole that his (Pan's) name means the Feeder or Pasturer." Which explains the grass eating.
He's also a god of fertility, sexuality and "...came to represent the freedom of spirit and love of Nature which could be viewed only as works of the Devil."
Based on that, I'd say you're right about the contents of the birdbath. It's only right that a god (or a devil for that matter) would require a sacrifice, especially of those who try to out them. Can't have the flock going hungry!
And just how many pictures of Ron Jeremy are you looking at Kandice? Eh? *wink wink* ;)
Lots!!!!! *lecherous wink wink*BTW, seeing what the Wikipedia article says he's most famous for, he would make an interesting naked spectacle, huh? (obviously, I haven't seen any nude photos...yet)
odd Kandice, i would think most pics of Ron Jeremy would be nude...
I guess maybe its my innocent, perversion-free mind that never made the connection between the sacrifice and the "sex maniac" comment. ;)
I'm glad you agree with me so enthusiastically, Kandice. ;)
Hmm... I was just thinking about the "Circe" reference in the story. I wonder if the LM man was turned into the kind of grass-eating beast he was by Circe? She's said to have turned men into animals, and also to have "destroyed her enemies with poisonous juices" - a reference to the grass juice running out of the LM man's mouth which makes Harold so crazy?
Maybe Circe made the LM man what he is now, and he then entered into the service of Pan in order to feed as well as collect sacrificial offerings for him?
Or do you think I'm reading too much into this?
No, that's exactly the kind of thing I think we are supposed to be inspired to figure out. I don't have my book, but the LM makes reference to the boss having figured this all out, so it's perfect! Pan needs followers, Circe regularly "turns" men into animals. They would have a hard time practicing their proclivities without drawing attention to themselves, so... Voila! (not "F") As far as the poisonous juice, that's great! I thought it just grossed the guy out, but perhaps it was actually meant to drive him crazy. Had he stayed inside, he would never have seen it, or been any the wiser.
On a side note, Pan was said to have had "relations" with every maenad. Sound familiar? (Becky?)
I think that Pan had relations with just about anything... He was a god of fertility, so why not spread his seed anywhere and everywhere possible? So, the short answer would be yes. ;)
They were followers of Dionysus (sp) and were whipped up by him into a frenzy of drink and ecstacy. There is a maenad in the Sookie Stackhouse series, and I thought that was funny.
Yeah, and she's a very sexual being as well, so maybe they were "bred" to be Pan's go-to girls? Hmmm?
Well, according to the article, there were all types of maenads. It certainly seems like they were right up his alley. All that revelry, randiness, etc...I think as far as the lawncare service went, it was probably a luck of the draw thing. No matter what, whoever was dispatched got to "graze". If they were stumbled upon and a brouhaha occurred, there was the bonus of a sacrifice.
It seems that at the time of the story, lanscapers weren't a big business, but they are a huge thing in my neighborhood. We do our own, but lots of our neighbors use services. I'll never really look at those workers in the same light again;)
Oh! Here's something I wondered about while I was reading this last night... Harold mentioned that after the cat/lawnmower accident, his wife would continuously groan and moan in her sleep "in the next bed". They didn't share a bed? That seems odd to me. This was the late 70's, so it seems strange to me that they should sleep apart. But I'm too young to know first hand, so... Was that normal?
I think if they were married in the early to mid 60's it would not be "un" normal. They probably just wouldn't have changed their sleeping arrangements. Funny, since I am older, that never even struck me as weird.
Interesting. They probably were married in the 60's since their daughter was a teenager.
Just got the CDs for this. I will be listening to it this week!
I forgot just out great this story was! Really sick. How would any of us respond to this? As far as the separate beds, It didn't strike me as odd, who knows when this story was actually written....there was a time, not so long ago when this was the norm. And I completely forgot that The Greek God Pan was named. Really interesting, Pan just wasn't about "goats" but also nature and wilderness....so in a bizarre stretch, eating grass makes sense. Really sick! Loved it!!
I've always loved this story - but you've all reminded me about how cool it really is ... and now I want to be a maenad when I grow up ...
WHAT THE HELL????This story is so damn scary. So I listened to the story on the way to Denver Sunday. The audio version is WAY scary... the lawnmower noise was in the background and scary music too of course. Freaky.
I thought the cop called him a sex maniac because he just thought there was something wrong with everyone... because didn't he also call him other names after it (I can't look since I don't have the book).
I am a little confused about what Becky is saying up in message 5... are you saying that it is Pan out there doing this stuff?
Oh and I am stupid... this whole time I thought Maenads where made up by Charlaine Harris! I didn't realize they were real mythical creatures! DUH!
I thought it was weird that the lawnmower went straight after the mole. If they eat grass then what was the mole all about?
What is the movie about?
No, I'm not saying that Pan is the lawnmower man, but rather that the lawnmower man is a being that kinda pays homage/worships/works for Pan.
Pan is "The Boss". Yes, the mole is a sacrifice. Just like the homeowner ends up being a sacrifice. The more I read about Pan, the more I think the neccesary, or most important part of the sacrifice was what ended up in the birdbath. *clears throat*The movie was idiotic. If I remember right, there's a mentally challenged man that mows lawns for a living and ends up being part of an experiment to help improve his mental faculties with a computer. It's a bit hazy in my mind, but I remember being just disgusted that they were allowed to all it that!!!!!
I hate it when the only thing a movie has in common with a book is it's title (example: I Am Legend). I'm glad I never saw Lawnmower Man. I think I'll keep it that way!
I know that there will be shoe throwing when I say this, but I liked "I Am Legend" - except for the terrible CGI. That's one of the few movies that I can watch and not judge by the book it's based on. I like Will Smith though, and I'm willing to forgive a bad movie he's in just because he's in it. ;)
I Am Legend also didn't bother me, except I wish the zombies had been real actors. I also love the Richard Matheson story for it's own merits.
Right, Rachel! Exactly! The whole jaw distending past chest level when roaring is a little silly. That kind of thing makes one reminisce on the original Dawn of the Dead zombies. Sometimes less is more, and simpler is better.
Becky wrote: "I know that there will be shoe throwing when I say this, but I liked "I Am Legend" - except for the terrible CGI. That's one of the few movies that I can watch and not judge by the book it's based ..."Yeah, I can kinda agree on that, Becky. If you can forget what it's supposed to be based on, it's not a bad movie. I just wish they had called it something else!
I really liked I am Legend.. though I have not read the graphic novel. And Will Smith is such eye candy I can watch him in anything! Oh and he's a good actor!
Angie wrote: "I really liked I am Legend.. though I have not read the graphic novel. And Will Smith is such eye candy I can watch him in anything! Oh and he's a good actor! "
Angie, have you read the actual novel by Richard Matheson?
I liked I Am Legend a little too (Will Smith-of course) I've said before, I am usually pretty good at keeping movie adaptations and books as seperate in my mind, but Lawnmower Man had NOTHING in common with the short story. They just cashed in on King's name.
Yeah, pretty much Kandice. I haven't seen it in years, but I'm in no hurry to refresh my memory.
I have not read the novel.. I thought it was a graphic novel? After reading the description of the Lawnmower Man movie I wonder why an author would sell the rights to their novel and allow the movie to go so off topic? Money only? So I think it is the opposite of what Kandice said... King sells the rights and he says what he wants in the contract.
I Am Legend is a novella, which was originally published in 1954 as the main part of a book of short stories under that title. All of the stories in that book are really good, I definitely suggest reading it! Apparently it's now also in graphic novel form, which I might check out one of these days.
I did not really like this story.It was just to out there forme kind of over my head probably because i was also on some kind of pain medicine while reading it.
In the odyssey, circe would cut off a man's penis unless he made her swear by all the gods not to. So there you go with the penis in the birdbath.
Angie wrote: "I have not read the novel.. I thought it was a graphic novel? After reading the description of the Lawnmower Man movie I wonder why an author would sell the rights to their novel and allow the mo..."
Actually, Mr. King sued to have his name removed from the movie and was furious over the adaptation.
Sassydandelion wrote: "Angie wrote: "I have not read the novel.. I thought it was a graphic novel? After reading the description of the Lawnmower Man movie I wonder why an author would sell the rights to their novel an..."
LOL...it's true...Stephen King did sue. And good for him! LOL....as for the short story in Night Shift...I laughed my ass off when I read that. I laughed at the movie too even though they screwed King.
Just read this for the first time and really enjoyed the analysis that took place here four years ago. I didn't dig into any of the Pan or Circe stuff when I read it. I can't wait until spring so I can try this out on my own lawn. Pushing is hard work.
this is easily the dumbest and most random thing I've read from KING so far
Totally agree Hannibal, for King this really low quality stuff. Wonder why he even published it
Henrik wrote: "Totally agree Hannibal, for King this really low quality stuff. Wonder why he even published it"That was way back in his early days when he was happy a magazine paid him a few bucks for a story.
