Stephen King's the Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance Revised and Updated

by Robin Furth

  6. “The Skin-Man” begins after the death of Roland’s mother. How was Gabrielle’s death explained publicly? How does this compare to the truth? Why do you think Steven Deschain chose to explain his wife’s death the way he did? Do you think it was the right thing to do? How do you think word of Gabrielle’s death in places such as Arten affected the position of the gunslingers? How might it have affected people’s support for John Farson?

  7. In Roland’s mind, what is the relationship between Gabrielle Deschain and the starkblast? Why does Roland associate them?

  8. Although Roland’s mother is dead and never appears as a character in our tale, she is a haunting presence throughout the narrative. How does Roland’s mother haunt young Roland? How does she affect his behavior at the beginning of “The Skin-Man”? How does she haunt his time in Debaria? What about how she haunts the adult Roland? What new light did this novel shed upon Roland’s relationship with his mother? Did anything about that relationship surprise you?

  9. What does the young Roland have in common with the Young Bill Streeter? What does Young Bill Streeter have in common with Tim Ross?

  10. Although the story “The Wind Through the Keyhole” is a fairy tale, the evil figure of the Covenant Man turns out to be none other than Marten Broadcloak/Walter O’Dim, who is Roland’s enemy. Although it is tempting to take the Covenant Man’s identity at face value (after all, we know that Roland’s nemesis is an ageless sorcerer who can change his identity at will), it is important to contemplate the deeper reasons why both young Roland and adult Roland might have chosen to cast Broadcloak as the evil Covenanter. What personal grudge does the young Roland have against Broadcloak? What grudge does the older Roland have against O’Dim? Do you think that the tide of opinion against the gunslingers and in favor of John Farson, affected young Roland’s decision to cast Broadcloak as the villain of the tale?

  11. What is a skin-man? Does this figure remind you of any other monsters in Stephen King’s fiction? (HINT: Think about the novel Desperation.)

  12. “The Wind Through the Keyhole” is a fairy tale. How would you define a fairytale? Why does this story have a special place in Roland’s heart? Although as a fairytale it takes place in the land of “Once upon a bye,” it has particular relevance to Roland and his ka-tet. Why? Do you think that such fairy tales—in Mid-World and in our world—serve a greater purpose? Do you think the figure of Tim Ross—the lowborn lad who eventually becomes a gunslinger—is especially important in the context of our three intertwined tales? If so, why?

  13. The wind is an extremely important force in Wind Through the Keyhole. How does the wind bind the three tales together? What is its symbolic significance?

  14. How do the emotions and actions found in Tim Ross’s story—jealousy, murder, grief, regret, questing, and redemption—relate to Roland’s story? What about how they relate to Young Bill Streeter’s story?

  15. Who is Maerlyn? How does his depiction in this novel change how we view him?

  16. At the end of “The Skin-Man,” Roland tells us that he kept his mother’s final letter for many years, tracing the words over and over. He says:

  I traced them until the paper fell apart and I let the wind take it—the wind that blows through time’s keyhole, ye ken. In the end, the wind takes everything, doesn’t it? And why not? Why other? If the sweetness of our lives did not depart, there would be no sweetness at all.

  What do you think Roland means? Do you think these words would be spoken by a younger character, and written by a younger author, or do you think that this perspective comes from maturity? Do you agree with what Roland says?

  17. Why is it so significant that The Wind Through the Keyhole ends with Roland’s dead mother telling her son that she forgives him and asking for his forgiveness in return? Does this affect how you see Gabrielle? Does it affect how you see Roland?

  The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger, Revised Edition, 2003

  1. Who is Roland of Gilead? What is his ancestry? How does his personal history reflect the history of his land?

  2. In many ways, Roland reminds us of the semimythical gunslingers of the late-nineteenth-century American West. Like them, he is simultaneously part lawman and part outlaw. Are there any figures from folklore, history, or film that remind you of Roland? How is he similar to them and how is he different? Would you call Roland a hero or an antihero?

  3. Why does the term Man in Black have such emotional impact? What images do we automatically associate with such a figure? Do you believe that Walter is actually human? Is he demonic? What role does the demonic play in Roland’s world?

  4. One of Roland’s favorite phrases is “the world has moved on.” What does this mean? What do you think Roland’s world was like before it moved on?

  5. Throughout The Gunslinger, we are struck by the number of similarities between our world and Roland’s world. The townsfolk of Tull know the words to the Beatles’ song “Hey Jude,” and they use bocks (bucks, or dollars) as their currency. Jake’s description of New York (recounted while he is under hypnosis) reminds Roland of the mythical city of Lud, and the tunnels beneath the Cyclopean Mountains contain the ruins of a subway system that remind Jake of home. How do you explain these similarities? What is the relationship between Roland’s world and our world?

  6. Although Sylvia Pittston claims to be a woman of God, she is actually one of the most actively destructive characters found in The Gunslinger. As Roland’s lover Allie says, Pittston’s religion is poison. What role does Pittston play in the novel? Have you come across Pittston-like characters in any of King’s other fiction? How do you explain the discrepancy between Pittston’s professed role as a preacher and her actual allegiance to the Man in Black and the Crimson King? What are the divisions between good and evil in Roland’s world?

  7. Nort, the weed-eater Roland meets in Tull, suffers a terrible fate. After being poisoned by the addictive devil grass, he is resurrected by the sinister Man in Black, only to be later crucified by Sylvia Pittston and her followers. The terms resurrection and crucifixion automatically make us reflect upon the biblical account of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, and the belief that, come Judgment Day, the dead will rise and be held accountable for the good and evil of their lives. Why do you think King includes these references? Why do you think Nort is crucified after being resurrected, a direct reversal of the biblical events?

  8. Nort is not the only sacrificial figure found in The Gunslinger. Why does the Man in Black call Jake Roland’s “Isaac”? What does this tell us about Roland, about his relationship to the Man in Black, and his relationship to the Dark Tower?

  9. When do the characters of The Gunslinger use High Speech? Would it be justified to call this a sacred language? What languages, in our world, are associated with religious ceremonies, ritual, and magic? What makes them special? Can these same attributes be said to belong to High Speech?

  10. In literature, settings often serve a symbolic purpose. Throughout The Gunslinger, the landscapes Roland traverses are described as hostile, dry “purgatorial wastes.” Even relatively lush environments, such as the willow jungle, are full of dangerous forces, both mortal and demonic. In terms of its history, why is Roland’s land so dangerous and desolate? What is the symbolic significance of this harshness?

  11. Although the setting of the Dark Tower series reminds us of a cowboy Western, King’s Tower novels draw from many other literary genres, including gothic fiction, science fiction, horror, and medieval Romance. Can you identify these elements in The Gunslinger?

  12. One of Stephen King’s central inspirations for writing The Gunslinger was Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” The Victorians who first read “Childe Roland” saw it as a story of heroism and duty. For them, it was a Romance in which a brave knight attempted to make a pilgrimage even though all before him had failed. More recent critics, however, have read the poem in much more psychological terms. They interpret the landscape that Brownin
g’s Roland traverses as a reflection of the character’s fears, terrors, and preoccupations—in other words, as a reflection of his internal state. In this interpretation, the knight’s search for the Dark Tower ultimately leads him to the center of himself, and to the truth of self-awareness. Do you think that either of these interpretations can be applied to The Gunslinger, in all or in part? Is Roland’s story a heroic tale of a knight on a quest, or can Roland’s travails be read as an allegory for the decisions, strivings, successes, failures, and personal betrayals we all face?

  13. Ancient warrior cultures developed strict codes of honor and duty, which we now refer to as heroic codes. Great heroes were expected to be courageous, fearless, and headstrong. They had little or no regard for personal safety and in fact often acted rashly. What a warrior’s peers thought of him mattered above all else, and he thought little or nothing about personal conscience (in the modern sense) or the well-being of the soul. The warrior did not aim to enter Heaven, but to become legendary. Personal honor, family honor, and/or loyalty to the king or chieftain were what made a man worthwhile. Did the gunslingers of Gilead obey a Christian code or a heroic code? What about Roland? Is there a shift between these two codes as the novel progresses?

  14. Judeo-Christian culture is primarily a guilt-based culture. In other words, people believe that God alone has the right to judge sins, and that He knows our guilt or our innocence, no matter what the world thinks of us. If an individual is innocent, he (in theory at least) can hold his head high, even though his reputation has been ruined. What matters is personal conscience. Hence, by the same token, if an individual believes he has committed a crime, he will be consumed by guilt, even if no one else ever discovers what has been done. Warrior cultures, on the other hand, were often shame-based cultures. In shame-based cultures, an individual must avoid “losing face,” since the disgrace he or she accrues reflects not only on the individual, but upon the family and the lineage. What a person thinks of himself matters less than what society thinks of him. Did Cort train apprentice gunslingers using guilt or shame? What does this tell us about gunslinger culture? At his hanging, does Hax show either guilt or shame? Why? What kind of culture does he seem to reflect? Does Roland primarily experience guilt or shame? Does this change over the course of the novel? Why, in terms of Roland’s personal development (or lack of it), might this happen?

  15. Take a look at the tarot reading Walter does for Roland in the golgotha. How many of these cards are from the traditional tarot deck? Are there any others that seem to be versions of traditional cards? Which cards did King create anew? Which ones actually come from other sources? (Hint: Take a look at T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land.”) What is your interpretation of this reading? Why do you think Walter burns the card of Life?

  16. At the front of the revised edition of The Gunslinger (2003), King adds a quote from Thomas Wolfe’s novel Look Homeward, Angel. (This quote did not appear at the front of the previous edition.) What emotions does this quote arouse in us? Why do you think King added it? Does it affect your interpretation of the novel?

  The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three

  1. How does King’s writing style change between The Gunslinger and The Drawing of the Three? What about his storytelling process? What are the strengths of each approach?

  2. In the prologue of The Drawing of the Three, Roland has a dream in which he becomes the human embodiment of Walter’s tarot card the Sailor. Why does he consider this a good dream? What is actually happening to him, and with what results? Do you believe that this is an existential punishment for his previous actions, a violent joke played upon him by the Man in Black, or simply a chance event?

  3. What is ka, and how does it affect Roland’s life? Does it seem to imply predestination? Are human beings trapped by ka, or do we retain free will?

  4. Describe the three magic doors. How do they work? Does ka have anything to do with their existence?

  5. What disembodied voices echo inside Roland’s mind? What part do they play in Roland’s internal monologue/dialogue? Are they forces for good or for ill? In turn, how does Roland become a voice in the minds of other people? Does this affect your interpretation of the voices inside Roland’s consciousness?

  6. Unlike the action of The Gunslinger, which takes place in Roland’s world, much of the action of The Drawing of the Three takes place in our world. In fact, many of Eddie’s problems, and most of Detta/Odetta’s problems, have their roots in U.S. culture and U.S. history. What social, economic, and cultural problems of 1980s America touched Eddie Dean’s life? What long-range effect did the Vietnam War have upon Henry Dean and, in turn, upon Eddie? How did racial hatred, segregation, and then the Civil Rights Movement affect Odetta Holmes’s life? What about Detta Walker’s?

  7. Why is Eddie Dean willing to put his life at risk for his brother, Henry? Does Henry deserve this kind of loyalty?

  8. What, in Roland’s treatment of Eddie, shows that Roland comes from a warrior culture, not our culture? What part does patriarchal lineage play in gunslinger culture? Why would this be especially alien to Eddie?

  9. Some warriors cultivate battle frenzy, using this altered state of consciousness to achieve feats that would otherwise be almost impossible. A famous historical example of this phenomenon can be found in the Norse berserkers. What is Roland’s battle frenzy like? What about Eddie’s? Is frenzy the right word?

  10. Why did Odetta’s father refuse to tell her about his past? What metaphor does King use to describe Dan Holmes’s protective silence? How does Dan Holmes’s treatment of his past contribute to Odetta’s fragmentation?

  11. How does Roland help to cure Odetta? Why is his timing so significant?

  12. Were Jack Mort’s attacks upon Odetta racially motivated?

  13. How does Roland assess the people of our world—both those he sees on the plane and those he deals with while controlling Jack Mort’s body? What does this say about the difference between a world that has “moved on” and one that has not?

  14. The second section of The Drawing of the Three (the one immediately following “The Prisoner”) is entitled “Shuffle.” One of the images that King is conjuring is that of a cardsharp, shuffling a deck of cards. Why does King use this image? What kind of deck is being shuffled? What event, from The Gunslinger, does this remind us of? Why is the final section of the book entitled “Final Shuffle”?

  15. The verb to draw has many meanings and can be used in many contexts. Roland, Eddie, and Detta all draw guns. Roland draws his two companions into his world. However, the verb to draw can also be used to describe the action of drawing poison from a wound so that the wound can heal. What role does this kind of drawing play in The Drawing of the Three?

  16. What role does Jake play in this novel? Why is this so significant in terms of Roland’s development?

  The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands

  1. Between the end of The Drawing of the Three and the beginning of The Waste Lands, the relationships among Roland, Susannah, and Eddie shift. Describe these changes. What causes them? Does Eddie now trust Roland? Does Susannah?

  2. What is the gunslinger litany? What worldview does it imply—from what a gunslinger should honor to how he/she should attack his/her enemies?

  3. In what ways are Roland’s new friends much like his deadly old friends? What happened to those old friends? Do you think the same fate awaits Roland’s new friends?

  4. What is ka-tet? How do the forces of ka-tet bind individuals together, and how do they ultimately bind a society together?

  5. Describe the metaphysical map that Roland draws at the beginning of the novel. What is its linchpin? What sits upon its circumference? What forces hold the world together? What part did the Great Old Ones play in the devising of this map? Do you think that the forces described there predate them? Why or why not? Does this map describe the actual origins of the world or of the linked worlds? What role did North Central Positronics play in the making of this w
orld, or in the remaking of it?

  6. What are the Drawers? Are they objective places—places that you could find on a map—or is their existence more subjective? Have you encountered any such places in your life? If so, what are they? Do you have a special term for such places?

  7. What paradox tears Roland’s mind apart at the outset of the novel? What causes it? What eases his suffering? Why is this significant?

  8. What voices does Jake hear in the Vacant Lot, just before he sees the Rose? What happens to him when he actually sees this flower? How does Jake’s vision of the Rose differ from Eddie’s vision of the Tower amid its sea of roses?

  9. What is the White?

  10. While contemplating the rose, Jake sees that it grows out of alien purple grass. Roland sees the same purple grass during his vision in the golgotha, at the end of The Gunslinger. Why does King seem to want us to compare these otherwise dissimilar visions? What is he telling us about the nature of the Rose?

  11. What is the difference between Jake’s door, labeled The Boy, and the beach doors?

  12. The scene in which Roland and his new ka-tet cross the bridge into Lud eerily echoes the passage in The Gunslinger where Jake falls to his death. Compare these two scenes. What do they tell us about the changes happening within Roland?

  13. The third book of the Dark Tower series takes its title from T. S. Eliot’s long poem “The Waste Land.” Two themes that thread through Eliot’s poem are fragmentation and alienation—the fragmentation of modern culture and its inevitable loss of meaning, and the sense of alienation that individuals experience in reaction to this. (It must be remembered that “The Waste Land” was written in the aftermath of World War I, when Europe was still in shock over the death and destruction caused by modern weaponry.) How does King’s novel reflect these themes? How does this fragmentation extend to the psyches of the characters themselves, and even to the computerized personalities of machines?