The Spectrality of Technology and the Gendered Subjugation in

Mr. Mercedes is a techno horror novel about technology as an omnipresent but invisible force haunting its victims from both physical and psychological perspectives. With a view to showcasing the gendered subjugation happening in insidious ways, this paper seeks to discuss the notion of “spectrality”, where technology is used as a way of manifesting patriarchal power in the world. The antagonist, Brady Hartsfield, uses technology for the purpose of hurting and subjugating, controlling and manipulating the women in his victims’ lives even if he is not physically present among them. This investigation examines how King crafts technology as both a literal and metaphorical spectre that perpetuates gender-based violence. The female characters of the novel, such as Holly and Janey, are victims of psychological torture and other forms of social suppression; they show how the social system is empowered by technology. Armed with his ability to surveil, intimidate and traumatise women, Brady exposes the delicate underbelly of the vulnerability of marginalised people in an increasingly digitised world. King’s narrative sets technology apart from tools as more than a technology is a ghostly presence asserting control from the shadows, creating the erosion of privacy and autonomy in the technological age. King critiques it by framing it as spectral to project the violence that is immediate and lingering. Thus, the study proposes that Mr Mercedes can be seen as a parable concerning conspicuous forces that are regulating modern gender relations.

Keywords: Spectrality, Technology, Gender, Violence, Vulnerability, Marginalization, Suppression.