The Man In The Black Suit

American author Stephen King wrote the short story “The Man in the Black Suit” in 1994, and The New Yorker published the story that same year. The story was included in the limited-edition collection Six Stories in 1997 and in the short story collection Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales in 2002. In 1995, the story won the World Fantasy Award and the O. Henry Prize for Best Short Story. The page number citations in this guide come from the 2002 Kindle edition of Everything’s Eventual: 14 Dark Tales.

The story opens in 1994 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. At this time, Gary, the protagonist, is 90 years old and lives in a nursing home. He is writing in his diary about an event that happened to him when he was nine years old, hoping that by writing the story down it will “leave him forever” (45). Gary narrates the story’s opening in the first-person present tense.

When the story of Gary’s nine-year-old self begins, the narration switches to first-person past tense. This story takes place in July 1914 in the small town of Motton, Maine. Gary briefly describes the area, which was mostly farms, and how desolate the winters are. The loneliness and distance in winter has inspired some tragic events in the area, like the farmer who murdered his family three years before and said that “the ghosts made him do it” (47). Gary lives on a farm with his mother, Loretta, 35; his father, Albion; and their black Scottish terrier, Candy Bill. The family’s last name is unspecified. Gary’s older brother Dan died the previous summer from anaphylactic shock after being stung by a bee. Gary remembers that his brother’s face was purple and disfigured from swelling, but the image does not seem to upset him. Gary’s mother still hasn’t recovered from the loss and has stopped going to church because of another lady at church telling Loretta about others dying of bee stings.

Gary is excited to go fishing and try out his new fishing pole. Before Gary leaves, he notices his mother baking bread in the kitchen. He sees her as an idealized vision, with the sunlight shining through her hair. Albion tells Gary not to go too far into the woods, not beyond the fork in the stream. He makes Gary promise his mother, who looks on with a worried smile (47-48). Though Candy Bill has followed Gary around all morning while doing his chores, and he always went fishing previously, the dog refuses to accompany Gary fishing.

At Castle Stream, Gary catches two large trout and then dozes off. When he wakes, something is tugging at his line. He tries to reel it in but freezes when he notices a bee has landed on his nose. He tries to blow it away, but it does not move. He is horrified, irrationally believing that it is the same bee that killed his brother. Then, from behind him, he hears a clap, and the bee falls dead into his lap.

Gary’s line snaps as he attempts to reel in a trout that was even larger than the largest he had caught so far. Just then, he notices the terrifying figure behind him: A tall, thin man with a long, pale face and slick black hair wearing a black three-piece suit. The man’s eyes are burning orange, and Gary believes that the man is not human (52). Gary urinates in his pants from fear as the man approaches. The man addresses Gary as “fisherboy” and bends down to smell Gary’s soiled pants (53-54). He invents an immature rhyme meant to shame Gary, and after he has laughed his fill, he tells Gary that Gary’s mother has died of a bee sting, just like Dan.

By now, Gary has decided that the man is the Devil. Gary calls the Devil a liar, but the Devil knows too many details about Gary’s life. Eventually, Gary believes the Devil’s story.

The Devil says he is hungry and means to eat Gary, but Gary gives him one of the trout in his basket. The Devil opens his huge mouth to eat the fish, and Gary uses the opportunity to escape. The Devil pursues Gary along the bank and up the hill that leads to a bridge. Gary throws his fishing pole at the Devil, and it tangles around his feet. Gary crosses the bridge and runs down the road into town. When he gets into town, he turns and sees that the Devil is gone.

Gary runs into Albion, who had also been fishing. Hysterically, Gary tells Albion that a man appeared to him in the woods and told him that Loretta is dead. Albion assures Gary that Loretta is fine; she was in the kitchen a half hour ago when he left. Albion convinces Gary that they should go back to the stream to retrieve Gary’s lost fishing rod and creel, but Gary insists that they return home to check on Loretta. Albion agrees, and they eat the blackberry jam sandwiches that Loretta had packed for Albion.

On the way home, Albion asks Gary if Gary had fallen asleep at the stream and if he had dreamed his encounter with the man. Gary claims the man was real but does not give his father any details about the man’s appearance. Albion reminds Gary that Gary used to have nightmares about Dan, and Gary decides to allow his father to think the man was a dream.

When they return home, Loretta is fine. She is surprised when Gary runs to her and hugs her tightly. Albion explains that Gary had a bad dream while he was by the stream, and his mother says that she hopes it will be the last (65).

Gary accompanies Albion back to the stream to retrieve his rod and creel, bringing the Bible with him for protection. When Albion examines the area where Gary was fishing, he sees the dead patches of grass in the shape of a man. They find Gary’s creel, which is empty. Albion seems to hear something in the forest, and he hurries them away.

On the way home, Gary tells his father about the second fish he had caught and that the man ate it. Albion then throws Gary’s creel over the side of the bridge, saying that it “smelled bad” (67). Gary agrees not to tell his mother about the creel.

The narration returns to the present day, when 90-year-old Gary has completed his diary entry. He still believes that his encounter with the Devil was real, and that he escaped because of luck rather than divine intervention (68). Gary is nearing death and, despite not having committed any evil deeds, he fears that the Devil will appear to him again. This time, because Gary is old and infirm, he fears he will not be able to escape.