The Science of Stephen King

Shop proprietor Leland Gaunt is considered one of King’s most terrifying villains. Although at first glance he may look like a harmless old man, many people in Castle Rock are unnerved by both his stolid glance and the feel of his bony hand on their skin. As the novel continues, Gaunt’s evil nature is exposed, and by the climax, in which Sheriff Alan Pangborn must vanquish him from Castle Rock, it is clear that Leland Gaunt is either a demon, or the Devil himself.

Hungry for souls, Leland Gaunt has discovered a way to convince the unsuspecting residents to give them up. He simply offers them an item, a manifestation of what they desire. For Polly Chambers, it is a necklace that inexplicably heals her crippling rheumatoid arthritis. For eleven-year-old Brian Rusk, it is a priceless Sandy Koufax baseball card that will make his collection the best in town. One fascinating find is a supposed piece of Noah’s Ark, that when touched, makes the owner feel as if she is really there, perceiving the swaying of the ship and the murmur of the animals. Religious school teacher Sally Radcliffe easily gives up her soul, though she doesn’t consciously understand the trade, in order to get her hands on this splinter of religious history.

Gaunt’s presence ultimately causes chaos. While many of his customers kill themselves, others commit murder, and there are some, like Sheriff Pangborn, who are working to take back the stolen souls. This led us to examine the concept of the soul. Is it simply a religious or cultural belief, or is there real science to the soul?

A soul is defined as “a non-material essence of a living human that generates consciousness. It can also be considered as the spiritual principle of human beings; or, the moral and emotional nature of human beings.”1 In the Journal of Religion & Psychical Research, Dr. Donald R. Morse attempts to simplify how each religion views the soul. For instance, in Christianity, the typically held belief is that each human has one soul, and that once a person has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, that soul will be allowed into heaven. In Islam, there is a widely held belief that the soul will stay with the body until the “end of days.” At that time, there will be consequences based on whether the person was good or bad. Morse explains the more complicated concept of the soul in Hinduism:

Hinduism has a concept of a spirit-soul (Atman) and a “subtle body” (consisting of mind, intelligence, and the false ego) that upon death must be purified. To do this, the spirit-soul and the subtle body must enter another body to be reincarnated. If you led a pure life or after being cleansed through reincarnation, the subtle body is discarded and is liberated from the cycle of rebirth (moksha). With the impersonal viewpoint of Hinduism, when moksha occurs, the spirit-soul is absorbed into the all—this is bliss; then reincarnation occurs again. With the personal and predominant viewpoint, when moksha occurs, the spirit-soul with its spiritual body (a seed of which is found in your soul) goes into the spirit sky (similar to heaven) to be with God forever.2

Science tells us that the brain is what makes us ourselves. It is a series of neural pathways which dictates our actions and choices. And once this brain loses oxygen and blood flow from a beating heart, we cease to be. Yet, researchers who are also religious have continued to question whether there is a way to prove that we do, indeed, have a soul that lives apart from our body.

The oldest use of the word “soul” is found in the epic poem Beowulf, written by an anonymous poet sometime between the years 975–1025 CE.

The soul is at the heart of most religions, yet is it possible to prove such an elusive concept? In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall, a Massachusetts physician, was inspired to try. He attempted to construct the most scientific of conditions possible in the era. MacDougall convinced terminally ill patients to participate. They were placed on beds that were outfitted with beam scales. The doctor would then take copious notes, including the patient’s time of death, as well as make certain to include the natural fluctuations in weight that occur because of escaping oxygen and emission of sweat and urine.