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Paul Sheldon is the main protagonist in the novel Misery, written by Stephen King and published in 1987. For most of the novel, he is held hostage by the nurse   Annie Wilkes who is his number one fan' and also portrayed by  Kathy Bates in the film adaptation (1990). James Caan was cast in the role of Paul Sheldon.

Paul Sheldon is the author of the Misery Chastain novel series, which he views as dime-store romances, even though they have brought his career much success. In his latest installment Misery’s Child he kills off the main character ‘Misery’ and this development allows him to pursue other writing aspirations.

Character Background
Paul Sheldon lives in New York and Los Angeles but writes mostly in his cabin in Sidewinder, Colorado. When finishing his new novel fast cars he decides to drive to California in celebration.

Whilst driving to California, Paul gets stuck amidst a terrible snowstorm, and some-what still drunk off celebratory champagne, swerves off the roadside crashing into a snowbank. He is then 'rescued' by Annie Wilkes, a retired  nurse, who takes him into her home whilst his injuries heal.

When he next wakes up, drug-induced on a fictional substance known as 'Novril' (a codeine-based pain pill), he becomes aware of his shattered legs, crushed knee, and dislocated pelvis.

It is then that Paul realises he is trapped inside Wilkes' home, a woman who doesn't seem to have his recovery on her agenda.

Wilkes is upset by his decision to kill off Misery Chastain, the female lead in his Victorian England  romance novels, and forces him to write another Misery novel; one in which she is brought back to life.

Whilst Paul writes the new installment of the Misery series, which he calls Misery's Return, he attempts to escape many times. One escape ending in him being caught by Annie, and subsequently gets his right foot chopped off with an axe.

He begins his final plan of escape when he burns the finished manuscript of Misery's Return. This is before Wilkes' has the ability to read the long-awaited final installment. Her demise is reached when an altercation ensues, provoked by Sheldon, and she trips over the typewriter and knocks her head against the mantelpiece.

Character Developement
Stephen King's novel Misery deals closely with the theme of addiction. King's explanation of the novel as ‘Misery is a book about cocaine. Annie Wilkes is cocaine. She was my number-one fan' gives the novel an underlying and deep-rooted experience of addition. Sheldon's experience being 'contained' by Wilkes and being geared up with the fictional substance 'Novril' can show the reader how addiction can sometimes feel inescapable, as Sheldon feels being bound to his room.

By the end of the novel, Paul is known to be suffering from writer's block, and PTSD. He is plagued by visions of Annie, she is a constant reminder of his suffering and the fact that she may return one day, even if she is dead. This supernatural force of Wilkes can be an underlying and long-term effect of addiction. The thought that one day, you're most feared reality, could return to you.

Relating to this, Sheldon's development by the end of the novel is realistic. He is still plagued by Annie. Much like some addicts will still be plagued by their drug once clean.

Adaptations
The Misery (1990) film is the most popular adaptation of the successful Stephen King novel. Caan is described in his performance by critics as ‘brilliant, full of dry humour, witty one-liners and wearing a near-permanent terrified expression, Caan gives a highly understated turn that acts as a fitting contrast to  Bates's  more manic larger than life performance’.

The second noteworthy adaptation is when Bruce Willis plays him in William Goldman’s stage adaptation (2015). This ‘fear-free’ production focuses more on arch humour, rather than the fear or claustrophobia, centering the events of the main (1987) novel. Willis’s portrayal of Sheldon has been described by critics as with a ‘flatness and passivity that feels too inert, even for a character who is bed-bound'.

Major Scenes
The 'Hobbling' scene: One of the most gruesome in the 1990 adaptation. The scene was originally one where Annie chopped off Paul's foot and had it cauterized. This was changed in the adaptation to 'hobbling' as it suited the Southern slave setting of the Misery novels and didn't provide as much gore as the original text.

The last fight scene: In the 1990 adaptation Annie Wilkes finally meets her demise. This initiates with Paul finishing the last chapter of Misery's Return and subsequently throwing the installment into the fire before Wilkes has the chance to read the long-awaited ending to the series. A fight ensues and Annie is killed by Paul's violent bashing her over the head with a statue. Interestingly, in the novel, Annie dies by tripping over the typewriter and hitting her head on a mantelpiece. This makes it so that Annie does not die at the hands of Sheldon in the novel.

Inspiration
Stephen King expresses his inspirations for the novel.'The inspiration for Misery was a short story by Evelyn Waugh called "The Man Who Loved Dickens." It came to me as I dozed off while on a New York-to-London Concorde flight. Waugh's short story was about a man in South America held prisoner by a chief who falls in love with the stories of Charles Dickens and makes the man read them to him. I wondered what it would be like if Dickens himself was held captive'.

This outlines the purpose of Sheldon's character in the novel; He is an ‘entertainer held captive by his audience'.