Comment on the language/style of narrative.

Consistent with his style of writing, King using language in a variety of stories to convey double meanings and jokes relative to his subject matter. For instance, in the story “Summer Thunder,” the narrator notes of damage done to the planet by the radioactive bomb: “By September, the loons will be as gone as the loons who did this” (482). King plays on the two meanings of the word loon in this quote. The first loons, birds, will eventually die out as they are impacted by the radiation poisoning. The other loons to which the narrator refers are the people who manufactured and set the bomb. These loons are foolish because they have killed themselves as well as everyone else. King makes a statement with a double meaning in the story “Obits.” When Mike arrives at Katie’s apartment to find Penny there, Mike admits “I didn’t expect a whole lot of Fun Joy in the next few minutes” (433). On the surface, Mike is referring to the Chinese dinner, Fun Joy, that he has brought with it. He does not think they will be eating the food anytime soon. Mike’s use of the words “Fun Joy” (433) also refers to the first time he went to Katie’s apartment when they had sex. He realizes that since Penny is there is well, there it is unlikely they will be enjoying each other’s company in that way.