‘Suffer the Little Children’ (1972) is a horror short story written by Stephen King. The main
character, Miss Sidley, is a strict third-grade teacher. One day, while teaching spelling, she
notices in the reflection of her glasses that one of her students, Robert, looks distorted. Yet,
when she turns to the class, Robert looks normal. Later, she confronts Robert, and he
changes into a strange creature, so she runs away terrified. She takes a leave of absence,
and when she returns, Robert says that foreign creatures are posing as pupils. Miss Sidley
comes to school with a pistol, and she shoots twelve students. Another teacher catches her,
and she is sent to a mental institution. Here, she works with preschoolers every day for
therapy, but she ends up committing suicide. After this, Buddy Jenkins, her psychiatrist,
begins to pay more attention to the preschoolers.
Analysis/discussion:
During our childhood, many of us had a strict teacher. Someone who truly evoked a sense of
fear in everyone. ‘Suffer the Little Children’ by Stephen King delves into this through the
central character, Miss Sidley.
In terms of Miss Sidley’s external characteristics, she has greying hair, experiences back
issues, wears glasses, and is approaching the age of retirement. Her students harbour a
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