The Running Man

Can a father with an issue of authority, fervent distaste for the world, and limited inner strength be a shining light to the general masses who want him dead? That's a question that teeters through Steven King's “The Running Man,” a book that carries underline critiques of corruption and hampers on the social injustice of class structure.

The book was published in 1982 and is surprisingly set in the not-too-distant future of 2025. A future that is close to home on so many levels. Basically, the world is crumbling economically, and most people live in an impoverished state. Our main character, Ben Richards, needs a large sum of money to help get his sick daughter treated. He decides to enroll in a violent game show run by the government in hopes of raising funds. Little does he know that he will appear on the Running Man segment, where he will be hunted down by a hitman. The more days he survives, the more money he receives. Oh, and did I mention nobody who has been on this particular program has survived? Easy-peasy, right?

|| “Protest did not work. Violence did not work. The world was what it was, and Ben Richards moved through it like a thin scythe, asking for nothing” ||

Ben has an exciting time in Co-op City. Every day before 12 a.m., he must film several minutes of himself and mail the finished product to the TV studio. The studio producer takes said tapes and dubs voices over them, making Ben out to be a menace to society when the footage airs on prime time. A few colorful metaphors about authority does the trick. This enrages citizens and encourages them to turn him in.

|| “These people,” Richards said, “only want to see someone bleed. The more the better.” ||

Once Ben's feet hit the ground running, he seeks a disguise, a car, and bogus identification papers from a shadow broker and a few gang members. This allows him to dress as a visually impaired priest as he makes his way from New York to Boston and eventually to Derry.