Rose Madder
Published: June 1995
Author: Stephen King
Genre: American, Classic, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Fiction, Folk Tales, Ghost, Horror, Mythology, Psychic, Psychological, Thriller
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Summary
Norman Daniels, Rosie Daniels' husband, abuses her while she is four months pregnant in 1985, leading her to miscarry.
Rosie contemplates leaving Norman, but she dismisses the notion because Norman is a police officer who is very good at locating people.
He also has a violent temper and was recently accused of attacking and raping Wendy Yarrow, a black lady. He has become much more volatile as a result of the ensuing litigation and internal affairs inquiry.
Rosie is making the bed, nine years later. She notices a spot of blood on the sheet from her nose the night before when Norman struck her in the face for spilling an iced drink on him.
Rosie knows she has been silently suffering Norman's abuse for fourteen years, and that if she continues to put up with it, he will ultimately murder her.
Rosie boards a bus with their bank card in her hand. When Norman discovers Rosie has vanished, he vows to track her down and murder her.
Rosie comes in a Midwestern metropolis, befuddled and terrified. She encounters a man named Peter Slowik at the bus terminal, who directs her to a nearby women's shelter.
She rapidly makes friends and, with the assistance of shelter director Anna Stevenson, obtains an apartment and work as a hotel maid.
When Rosie attempts to sell her engagement ring and discovers it's virtually useless, she falls in love with a picture of a woman dressed in a rose madder gown.
She exchanges her ring for the picture, which is unsigned. Bill Steiner, the charming gentleman who runs the pawnshop, approaches her and invites her out on a date.
Rosie is terrified of starting a new relationship, yet she falls in love with Bill despite her fears.
Rosie notices that the artwork appears to shift from time to time. She is eventually able to pass through it. On the other side, she meets Dorcas, a lady who resembles Wendy Yarrow.
She also notices the lady in the painting, whom she dubs "Rose Madder" because of her clothes and obvious insanity.
Rose Madder asks Rosie to save her infant from a subterranean labyrinth inhabited by Erinyes, a blind, one-eyed bull who navigates by scent.
Dorcas walks Rosie to the temple grounds' edge. Dorcas is unable to enter the labyrinth since she is suffering from the same mystery ailment as her mistress, and Erinyes can smell her.
Rosie is forced to strip nude and shred her nightgown into many sections before being separated from Dorcas. One has been bathed in Dorcas' blood and is tethered to a rock.
Rosie enters the temple and saves the kid, escapes Erinyes, and returns the newborn to Rose Madder, who vows to compensate her. Rose returns to her normal life, putting the bizarre occurrence out of her mind.
Norman arrives in town, assaults several of Rosie's shelter friends, and then goes to Rosie's apartment.
He assassinates a police officer assigned to protect her, acts like one of them in the patrol car, and encounters Rosie and Bill on their way back from the police station.
He assaults them; almost choking Bill, but Rosie is able to fend him off because she believes she is wearing the golden arm circlet Rose Madder gave her.
After hurting Norman, Rosie drags Bill to the apartment, where she notices the circlet on her table and realizes she has been battling Norman alone the entire time.
Rosie dupes Norman into following her and Bill into the painting, then brings him to Rose Madder, who murders him.
Rosie returns to her reality with Rose Madder's orders to "remember the tree" and a magic elixir that induces memory loss.
She contemplates taking it but ultimately decides to maintain her memories. She rationalizes that, while unpleasant, they are still a part of her and help shape who she is. Her experiences could even make her stronger in the long run, and she doesn't want to give that up.
She then chooses to use the potion on her lover without his knowledge. She hesitates for a minute, concerned that it would poison him by excess because she has no clue how strong it is, but then thinks it's worth the risk because his negative memories will harm their relationship or possibly drive him to leave her.
She drops a drop into his cup and the events of the past fade from his recollection. She then has a sexual encounter with him. The two later marry and have a daughter, and Rosie continues to drug Bill whenever he appears to regain his recollections of the magical world in the picture.
The bottle eventually runs out, but the benefits appear to be permanent at that time, so Rosie no longer worries about it.
For a long after that, everything is OK for Rosie, but when she burns the picture in an attempt to break links with the past, she discovers that the violent rages that characterized both Norman and Rose Madder have begun to flare up within her.
She recalls Rose Madder allowing her to take some seeds home with her, and as penance for the painting, she plants the seeds, along with Norman's police ring, in a secluded forest near her beloved lake.
The seed develops into a gorgeous but lethal tree. She returns to the tree on a regular basis as it develops, allowing her to let go of her fury and go on with her life.
Useful Search Related Words & Keywords
Abusive Husband, Dark Tower, Domestic Violence, Drop Of Blood, Edge Of Your Seat, Geralds Game, Husband Norman, New Life, Pawn Shop, Tower Series
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