1. Horror often deals with inversion. King begins various sections of the novel with references to Biblical narratives such as Lazarus, which is a story of resurrection. How does Pet Semetary “invert” biblical narratives of resurrection, and to what end? What truths is King hoping the reader will discover through this inversion?
  2. When Louis explains death a second time to his daughter, after the death of Gage, he covers a number of religions’ different beliefs in the afterlife. Later, he mentions various funeral superstitions such as how the toes of the dead were tied together at Irish funerals to ensure that the deceased ghost’s would not walk. Why is it important in the narrative that so much ground is covered, in terms of different cultural beliefs about death? How might this story be different if only one perspective about death was presented as some kind of absolute truth?
  3. What is the significance of the references throughout to Oz the Great and Terrible from the Wizard of Oz? What is the function of this reference in the narrative?
  4. We finally learned about Zelda’s death. What uncomfortable truths about death and chronic illness did this anecdote reveal?
  5. Why does Louis bring Gage back? What is frightening about this action?
  6. Why is dead Gage so scary? 
  7. Discuss the very end of the book. What do you think happens next?

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