If you are familiar with the horror writing genre then you are well aware of Stephen King and his long career of the macabre. Well in Bag of Bones King tells us about Mike Noonan and his wife who get's killed in the beginning of the story which brings us to dark score lake where Noonan's grandfather had willed him his lake house which leads Mike ultimately to the discovery his wife was on which leads him to the story of Sara Tidwell.
Sara is a blues singer who had the misfortune of singing at the 1939 fair in dark score lake and of course because Sara was feisty and not one to bow down to white superiority Sara gets raped by some white teenage inhabitants of the town she had just finished singing in and to add insult to injury they killed her child because her child was a witness to what was being done to Sara drowned him in the lake in fact in front of her while she was getting raped then these same teenage boys kill her as she begged them to spare her child and with her last dying breath she cursed all the teenage boy's lineage which in turn will make them kill their own offspring years later. In the made for TV movie of course the story was told a little different they changed Sara's child to a girl which in turn meant that all the boy's that committed the awful horrible act against Sara and her child would be cursed with killing their daughters and every time their sons would have a daughter they would in turn commit the same act until all the girls of the teenagers that committed the act perished which they eventually did except for the last surviving one.
When I initially read the book I remember being angry but its been a minute since I've turned the pages of that story and I thought to myself I will watch the miniseries and see what impression I get this time. Now I am late in watching the movie but the story still makes me angry no matter how they slice it that story is offensive hidden in the pages of horror is another horror and its white privilege of course which is not surprising considering Stephen King is a white male he just used a common back story which rang true especially doing the 30's at any given day or time but he used the back story as a means to an end because ultimately it wasn't about Sara and the wrong that was done to her and her child it was about the survival of Mike and the other last descendant under this curse brought on by the death of Sara and her offspring so not only has Sara been raped and murdered she is also made into the villain in this story. Once Mike finds out what is going on and what ultimately caused his wife to get killed of course he seeks a solution. The solution that his wife had ultimately come up with and that is melt down the bones of Sara and her child with lye wipe your hands off and be done with the whole mess.
Now here is where I have the issue your kin raped and murdered Sara and killed her child as and those that that actually killed her well those bastards are all dead and gone but the curse remains so the last male descendant breaks the curse by melting Sara and her child's bones done and then closed chapter lets not ever discuss it again. This story is indicative of so many things like how the life of a black woman and her child are not valued, how even in death her life is not valued and how as long as you are white you are right. I know I shouldn't expect no one else to get it especially the white heterosexual man that wrote this story in the first place but I just feel sad and ultimately disappointed and dejected because even in books black women are expandable and disposable. Ultimately in the end Sara gets no justice the wrong that is done stays covered up because Mike melts the bones so no bodies, no bones, no remains, no crime. It all gets swept up under the rug and everyone can go on and keep turning a blind eye to the wrong that was done to her.
Sara's story doesn't get told she doesn't get a decent burial she doesn't get a tombstone she get's her bones melted and the evil that was perpetrated against her and her child is never told. She is not even given a decent ending she is just melted away like a tough stain that needed to be gotten out. In the end this story say's your life still doesn't matter and your story will never be heard because you are causing me and mines pain so let's erase you once and for all. I see that this story wasn't intended for a black woman to read I don't think it ever crossed Stephen King's mind that a black woman would one day pick up this book and read it I don't think it ever dawned on him to even give Sara some closure in his story all she got was raped killed and then melted so her curse would stop bothering the good white folks who's decedents didn't really have anything to do with it. It's just like the issue of slavery or race in America every time its brought up the first thing white folks say is, I'm not racist I know plenty black people some are even friends I even let them in my house etc or they say I had nothing to do with slavery that was so long ago let it go. They don't want you to acknowledge or address the wrongs they did to you and yours but you better address the wrong you did to them or there will be hell to pay.
On a lesser note Anika Noni Rose was really beautiful in this movie and she sings wonderfully. I just wished that there was some where else besides Hollywood for black talent to shine because Hollywood is not about P.O.C. its about exploitation and domination and perpetrating the myth that white is always right and anything else is lesser than and I reject that reality daily.
