“Blaze” by Richard Bachman (post 2) (pseudonym of Stephen King) (post 17): Blaze kidnaps a baby, helped by George, his alternate personality

Blaze, the mentally handicapped “dummy,” manages to get into a gated community and kidnap a rich family’s baby. He is now back in his shack with the baby.

“What did he know about kids, anyway? He was just a dummy. He could barely take care of himself…

“George!” he cried [to his deceased friend]. “George, what should I do?”

"He was afraid George had gone away again, but George answered him from the bathroom. 'Feed him. Give him something from one of those jars' [that Blaze had stolen along with the baby] [Blaze does what he is told and the baby likes it]…

“One of Joe’s thumbs crept into his mouth and he began to suck it. At first Blaze thought he might want a bottle (and he hadn’t figured out the Playtex Nurser gadget yet), but for the time being the kid seemed content with his thumb…” [Note the normal use of parenthesis, unlike the oddly indented parentheses previously seen in King’s Carrie.]

"Blaze…turned away…and started for the bedroom.

“Hey dinkleballs,” George said from the bathroom. “Where do you think you are going?"

“To bed.”

“The hell you are. You’re going to figure out that bottle gadget and fix the kid four or five, for when he wakes up.”

“The milk might go sour.”

“Not if you put it in the fridge. You warm it up when you need it.”

“Oh” (1, pp 141-143).

Comment

As noted above, Bachman’s Blaze has had a normal parenthesis, in contrast to the oddly indented parentheses previously seen in King’s Carrie and The Dark Half. This is the most concrete textual marker I’ve noted to support the possibility that Richard Bachman and Stephen King are distinct personalities.

Blaze continues to get advice from the voice of what is, more and more obviously, an alternate personality, patterned after his deceased friend, George.

If this were real life, it is unlikely that Blaze would have gotten multiple personality for the first time as an adult, since this condition starts as a way to deal with a traumatic childhood. And indeed, Blaze has been described as having had a very traumatic childhood. So his multiple personality probably started then.

It is quite common to add additional alternate personalities, as needed, throughout the rest of life, as the person’s way of coping with a crisis. George’s death was one such crisis.

1. Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman). Blaze [1973/2007]. New York, Gallery Books, 2018.