Pet Sematary

Throughout the novel, King presents the theme that sometimes, dead is better to the alternative. The novel exists at the intersection between life and death, wherein the barrier between these two worlds is something that can be crossed. However, King repeatedly cautions against crossing this threshold, as resurrection only seems to yield unfathomable horror. Although the trauma of grief is something that can be truly terrible, King maintains that the avoidance of grief can be even worse. King asserts this philosophy primarily through the character of Jud, who seems as wise as he is flawed. Jud introduces Louis to this theme, arguing “’Maybe I did it because kids need to know that sometimes dead is better’” (153). This argument seems to be something that must be learned through trial and error, something that is not necessarily inherently known to people. In fact, the audience witnesses how this knowledge does not appear to be innate via Louis’s continued attraction to the MicMac burial ground. Much like a child, Louis does not seem to understand the fundamental concept that grief is a necessary part of life, just as death is. For Jud, it seems important to teach kids about death as a part of life, which the author implies does not represent the end of life but rather the end of pain.