The real question about the ending **SPOILERS**

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Joseph Burdette

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Jul 26, 2018
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I just finished rereading the novel and I was left with one real pressing question about the ending. Why didn't Gage kill Louis when he had the chance? When Gage came for the scalpel he could have easily killed Louis in his sleep and removed a potential threat? It was obvious he planned on killing everyone (and not just cut a rug like Timmy Baterman) that had 'wronged' him, so why leave the one with the better chance of stopping him alive? Even in their final fight in Jud's house Gage didn't come at Louis the same way he did Rachel or Jud, so this left me wondering.
 

jujuhound

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Nov 16, 2017
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This to me seems obvious. Gage planned to do away with Jud and Rachel. Clearly the being wanted Louis to find both of their bodies to show Louis who was really in control here. Everything went according to plan. Hard for Louis to be tormented by both of those grisly deaths if he is merely killed in his sleep. What fun would that be, especially when we learn that Rachel's death is the last straw which drives him insane?

I think the power in control here also deduced that Louis would plant one or both in the burial ground, thus using the place again.

While the book clearly states that whoever wishes to go up to the woods will find a way to make it no matter what they are carrying, such as a large bull on a sledge or an undead child carrying much heavier adults, we know Gage would never take his mom up there when the idea would be for Louis to succumb to temptation again.

Again this went according to plan.
 

Joseph Burdette

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Jul 26, 2018
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West Virginia
This to me seems obvious. Gage planned to do away with Jud and Rachel. Clearly the being wanted Louis to find both of their bodies to show Louis who was really in control here. Everything went according to plan. Hard for Louis to be tormented by both of those grisly deaths if he is merely killed in his sleep. What fun would that be, especially when we learn that Rachel's death is the last straw which drives him insane?

I think the power in control here also deduced that Louis would plant one or both in the burial ground, thus using the place again.

While the book clearly states that whoever wishes to go up to the woods will find a way to make it no matter what they are carrying, such as a large bull on a sledge or an undead child carrying much heavier adults, we know Gage would never take his mom up there when the idea would be for Louis to succumb to temptation again.

Again this went according to plan.

That is actually a good summary. I never considered that Gage wanted one or more of his victims brought back, but without Louis there was no way for that to happen. It is still ironic that the being in Gage spared to one person ruthless enough to destroy it, but in the grander scheme of things the power of the place still go what it wanted even if Gage was destroyed.
 

JMR

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Aug 26, 2017
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I thought it was more like has long has you where not trying to kill the one brought back it didn't care. Like when Jud talk about the old guy son from the past he was fine tell they wanted to kill him. Or the cat..it was just creepy but never try to hurt anyone tell the end. Jud was going to kill Gage no matter what. Has for Rachel. I think it knew she would have turn on it at some point. Louis also turn on it that's why it tries to kill him. That why at the very end last person come back..puts a hand on Louis shoulder. It knew he would not kill it they could live.
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
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This to me seems obvious. Gage planned to do away with Jud and Rachel. Clearly the being wanted Louis to find both of their bodies to show Louis who was really in control here. Everything went according to plan. Hard for Louis to be tormented by both of those grisly deaths if he is merely killed in his sleep. What fun would that be, especially when we learn that Rachel's death is the last straw which drives him insane?

I think the power in control here also deduced that Louis would plant one or both in the burial ground, thus using the place again.

While the book clearly states that whoever wishes to go up to the woods will find a way to make it no matter what they are carrying, such as a large bull on a sledge or an undead child carrying much heavier adults, we know Gage would never take his mom up there when the idea would be for Louis to succumb to temptation again.

Again this went according to plan.
....nicely done....well thought out......I have to agree with this logic.....
 

Gerald

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Sep 8, 2011
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It also makes for a better ending. Otherwise what kind of ending would you have: Gage comes back from the dead, kills everyone, THE END. I don't think in general audiences accept that kind of ending - there has to be more to it than evil just triumphing. Pet Sematary actually has one of his darkest endings, but it doesn't totally say: everyone died, THE END.

What Pet Sematary does as an ending is repeat the story again in short, but now with the wife. And it leaves things ambiguous from then on. It's almost as if the thing with Rachel is done as a bit of a joke, certainly in the film - I remember in the cinema at the time there was big amused cheering when Louis kisses his undead wife.
The thing with a horrorstoy is how do you end it satisfactorily - I think that's why there are often complaints about King's endings especially.
 

Heyholetsgo

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Apr 17, 2019
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The impression I get is that everything that happens in the novel was orchestrated by the Wendigo. For all we know, the Wendigo compelled Louis to move his family to Ludlow in the first place. Early in the novel Gage is stung by a bee and Ellie injures her leg. Those were omens, I think. The Wendigo wanted Louis to meet Jud, who serves as a conduit to the Micmac Burial Ground. The Wendigo feeds on people's suffering. There's certainly a lot of that in the story. Louis' uncle was a mortician. Louis's first day on the job began with the violent death of a college student. Accidents of that nature were said to be a rarity on campus. Rachel had a sister who had a devastating illness and who died. Norma Crandall had bad arthritis. She dies in the novel, leaving Jud alone and depressed in his old age. I remember the very end of the story where Louis is carrying Rachel's body over the deadfall and his friend and colleague Steve catches up with him and for a while Steve felt compelled to help Louis bury her but then he suddenly changes his mind, because the novel explains that the Wendigo was "full" for now. It had gorged itself on the Creed family's suffering. Pet Sematary is an incredible story. I am a huge fan of the book, and of the movies.
 

Joseph Burdette

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Jul 26, 2018
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West Virginia
What Pet Sematary does as an ending is repeat the story again in short, but now with the wife. And it leaves things ambiguous from then on

That's why i liked the book ending better than the movie. In the book not all the pets were evil, most were just stupid. Even the people weren't all death machines, Timmy Baterman went around for a while without harming anyone. I don't think Rachel would go for the kill right away. I think she'd play for a while. That is one thing I will give the new version, they did the reanimated more like the novel.