Dall'evangelicalismo ai culti: diverse fedi in nome dello stesso dio in The Dead Zone di Stephen King e Walter John Harmon di E.L. Doctorow

This thesis analyzes Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone and the short story ¿Walter John Harmon¿ by Edgar Lawrence Doctorow. The study focuses on the religious themes that emerge in these works, in order to provide an insight into different outcomes of faith in America. The most salient expressions of religion to be found in these works cover a wide range of beliefs, from Evangelicalism, to unusual and alternative religions originating from it, as well as cultic communities. Religion is a very important aspect of American society and culture, hence the choice of tackling such a theme, focusing on the multifaceted nature of faith, which reflects the heterogeneous population of the United States. This paper concentrates on the works by two important and well-known American writers, namely Stephen King and E.L. Doctorow. Both authors represent American reality reflecting the religious theme, which is so significant in the United States. On the one hand, in The Dead Zone, King outlines a multifaceted religious scene and the dangers coming from the frauds originating from it. On the other hand, Doctorow in his short story represents a prototypical cultic community from the perspective of an insider, thus highlighting aspects of this reality that are usually ignored or unknown. The first chapter of the thesis focuses on Stephen King's novel The Dead Zone. In the first instance, it illustrates the author's early work and novel, together with a presentation of the two main characters on which the study will focus, that is to say John, the protagonist, and his mother Vera. Subsequently, in order to provide the sociocultural background of both the author and his characters, I will provide an overview of the religious context in America, emphasizing the role and history of Evangelicalism in the United States. In the following sections, Vera's strong evangelical faith together with her nonconventional beliefs are analyzed. Finally, the chapter deals with John's psychic power both form the Christian and the occult perspective, and the controversial meaning of his alleged mission. The second chapter concentrates on the short story ¿Walter John Harmon¿ by E.L. Doctorow. After providing an introductive section on the author's life and work, the thesis focuses on a brief synopsis of the tale and a presentation of its main characters, namely Jim, the narrator, and Walter John Harmon, the prophet of the cultic community represented in the story. In order to contextualize the short story in the American religious scene, the study focuses on the complex concept of cult and the controversial relationship between cultic communities and Evangelical Christianity. The following sections highlight the aspects that allow the classification of Harmon's commune as an aberrant Christian group and a world-rejecting new religion. Moreover, the brainwashing controversy is analyzed. After providing some considerations on how different points of view can alter the representation of the same phenomenon, the final section emphasizes that both Doctorow and King tackle spiritual themes from different perspectives, showing the plurality and complexity of American religious reality.