ben = king

I can’t help but think that King based Ben Mears off of himself. Once I learned about King’s early life and background I discovered an enormous number of parallels between the two. Both grew up in small towns in Maine. Both grew up without a father figure. Both studied English at the college level. Both opposed the Vietnam War. Both taught some English at the high school level. Both are burgeoning writers with some success. The most important parallel, however, is that both of them experienced a frightening, surreal experience as young children. King watched his friend get run over by a speeding train and Ben saw the ghost of Hubie Marsten. It seems pretty obvious to me that Ben Mears is actually Stephen King.

Here is a link to King's biography.