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

by Robin Furth

  14. In his notes on “The Waste Land,” T. S. Eliot stated that he was extremely influenced by the Grail legend. What is the legend of the Grail? Do you think it influenced Stephen King when he wrote The Waste Lands?

  15. Eleven dimensions, worlds made out of vibrating strings, parallel universes that contain alternative versions of you . . . sounds like another Dark Tower book? It’s not, but it does seem as though the scientific community is finally taking Jake Chambers seriously. There are other worlds than these. For a fascinating description of string theory (and as a way to begin discussing the similarities between contemporary physics and the multiple worlds of the Dark Tower series), visit the following Web sites: www.pbs.org/nova/elegant (a terrific introduction), www.bbc.co.uk/science/horizon/2001/parallelunitrans.shtml (another great introduction), http://superstringtheory.com (for brave folks who are used to technical language), www.scientificamerican.com (in the “search” section, type Parallel Universes).

  The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

  1. Why, do you think, did the Great Old Ones build Blaine? What purpose did he serve in their world? What do you imagine the Old Ones’ world was like?

  2. While riding in Blaine, Eddie thinks to himself, Not all is silent in the halls of the dead and the rooms of ruin. Even now some of the stuff the Old Ones left behind still works. And that’s really the horror of it, wouldn’t you say? Yes. The exact horror of it. How does Eddie’s statement prefigure the coming action? Does his observation hold true for the first three novels of the series?

  3. What is a thinny? What effect does it have on those near it? Is it alive? How does the image of the thinny help to bridge the two parts of Wizard and Glass—the section that takes place in Topeka and the one that takes place in Hambry?

  4. Why does Roland say that in Hambry “the waters on top and the waters down below seemed to run in different directions”?

  5. Ka is a wheel; its one purpose is to turn and (inevitably) repeat. In what ways have we seen the wheel of ka turn so far in the series?

  6. What is the story of Lord Perth, which we learned about in The Waste Lands? How did that myth play out in the novel? How does it continue to resonate throughout Wizard and Glass? Do you think the theme of the Lord Perth tale is also one of the themes of the Dark Tower series?

  7. Who is Rhea of the Cöos? What role does she play in the novel? How does she compare to Roland’s other major enemies—the Man in Black and Sylvia Pittston? If Rhea had been a male character, would she have been as convincing or as formidable? Why or why not?

  8. What is the Wizard’s Rainbow? What do we know about it? How many of the balls are still in existence, and why are they said to be alive and hungry? What is the relationship between the White, which Roland and the other gunslingers serve, and the spectrum of colors that make up the Wizard’s Rainbow?

  9. The imagery surrounding Maerlyn’s Grapefruit is often sexual; even its color is described as “labial pink.” Why does King use this imagery? What is the relationship between the Grapefruit and emotions such as desire, jealousy, and vengeance? How do these emotions drive the action of Roland’s Hambry adventure? How did they begin his journey into manhood, even down to the early winning of his guns?

  10. How does Roland’s experience of Maerlyn’s Grapefruit differ from that of the other people who have it in their possession? Why do you think this is so? What visions does Roland have while the ball is in his possession? How does the ball lead to his downfall?

  11. The tale of Hambry begins under a Kissing Moon and ends under a Demon Moon. Why is this significant? How does the transition from one of these moons to the other reflect the darkening of the novel’s atmosphere?

  12. At the beginning of the Hambry portion of Wizard and Glass, Susan Delgado must “prove” her honesty. What does this mean? In what other ways does Susan continue to prove her honesty throughout the book? What other characters prove themselves to be honest? Which characters prove to be dishonest?

  13. For if it is ka, it’ll come like a wind, and your plans will stand before it no more than a barn before a cyclone. In what ways have we seen Pat Delgado’s description of ka hold true, both in this novel and in the three preceding ones?

  14. How would you describe Cuthbert Allgood? What does Roland love about him? What about him angers Roland? In what ways is he like Eddie? Is this similarity also ka?

  15. What do you think the relationship is between Walter (also known as the Man in Black), Marten, Flagg, Fannin, and Maerlyn? What part do these nasty characters play in this novel?

  16. In what ways does gunslinger culture actually inflame the rebellion led by Farson?

  17. When Roland first meets Susan Delgado, King tells us, “Roland was far from the relentless creature he would eventually become, but the seeds of that relentlessness were there—small, stony things that would, in their time, grow to trees with deep roots . . . and bitter fruit.” Why does King tell us this? Do you agree with this assessment of Roland’s character?

  18. Where do we see the sigul of the open, staring eye? Why is it so sinister? How does it connect Hambry, Topeka, and the Green Palace? What does it tell us about Roland’s world?

  The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla

  1. In his author’s note, Stephen King acknowledges the influence that several films and film directors have had upon the Dark Tower series. Most notably, he mentions Sergio Leone’s spaghetti Westerns starring Clint Eastwood (A Fistful of Dollars; For a Few Dollars More; The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly), and Akira Kurosawa’s classic The Seven Samurai. He also gives credit to John Sturges’s 1960 Western (a remake of the Kurosawa film), The Magnificent Seven. Can you describe the influence that any or all of these films have had upon the Dark Tower series as a whole and upon Wolves of the Calla in particular?

  2. At the beginning of Chapter I of Wolves of the Calla, Eddie Dean reflects upon the old Mejis saying Time is a face on the water. Do his theories explain why time passes differently in our world and in the borderlands? Why or why not? Do his observations hold true for you, personally? Have you ever experienced such time-dilation or time-contraction?

  3. Why are Eddie, Jake, Susannah, and Roland so wary of Andy when they first meet him? Why is this significant, both in terms of our ka-tet’s history and in terms of the history of Roland’s world?

  4. What is happening to Susannah Dean’s personality? How did this come to pass? Do you think this process is part of her ka? Given her condition, what do you think will happen to our ka-tet in the final two books of the series?

  5. Who are the roonts? How did they become roont? Do you think that the roonts understand what has happened to them? What, from the text, makes you say this?

  6. What power do the Wolves ultimately serve? Why are the people of the Calla so afraid to fight them? Can you understand their fear?

  7. What mythical event do the Sisters of Oriza honor? What purpose do they serve in terms of plot? Do you think that King is trying to make us reexamine traditional ideas about men and women?

  8. Describe Black Thirteen. What is its history? What role does it play in the book? How does it compare to Maerlyn’s Grapefruit, which figured prominently in Wizard and Glass?

  9. What is todash? Why is it dangerous to travel todash? Who are the Manni? Why do they believe that todash is “the holiest of rites and most exalted of states”?

  10. What role does the number 19 play in Wolves of the Calla? Where have we seen it before? (Hint: You’ll need a 2003 edition of The Gunslinger to answer the second part of this question.)

  11. Describe the Cave of Voices (also known as Doorway Cave). What is its function? Is it magical or mechanical? What voices do the various characters hear when they are inside the cave? In what way does the “demon” or “mechanism” of this cave expose unconscious fear or guilt? If you were suddenly transported to the Cave of Voices, who would come to speak to you?

  12. What is the meaning of the term commala? Why would the Commala Song be so important in
a rice-growing community? Does the Commala Song—and its accompanying dance—remind you of any ceremonies from our world?

  13. Compare the tale of Lady Oriza to the story of Lord Perth, which we learned about in The Waste Lands. What do they have in common? How do they differ? What themes do they share with the Dark Tower series as a whole?

  14. Where, in King’s fiction, have we met Father Callahan before? Why do you think King decided to link a non–Dark Tower book so closely to the Dark Tower series?

  15. As we all know from experience, few people are completely good or completely evil. Even the most annoying individual can surprise us with a selfless act, and an otherwise admirable person can sometimes shock us with an angry word or an unfair judgment. The same goes for well-drawn, believable characters. Make a list of the most important characters we meet in Calla Bryn Sturgis. Who is “good”? Who is “bad”? Who would you say is “brave” and whom would you call “cowardly”? Now take a look at any scenes where these characters exhibit unexpected, opposite tendencies. How does the author make us sympathize with the wicked or feel disappointment with the opinions and actions of the “good”? How does King let us see both the savory and unsavory traits of each character?

  16. Roland’s world contains both machinery and magic. Most of the machinery we’ve encountered so far has been hostile, but the magic is more ambiguous. In Wolves of the Calla, the most potent magical objects are the Rose and Black Thirteen. Is one completely good and the other completely evil? Why or why not? What greater forces do these objects represent? Do you think that they symbolize a struggle found in our world as well?

  17. Both fans and reviewers often refer to King’s large body of work as “the Stephen King Universe” or “the Stephen King Multiverse.” How do you interpret these terms? What part does the Dark Tower play in this universe? What part does our world play in this universe? Do you think that Stephen King’s realistic fiction should also be classed as part of the “Stephen King Universe”?

  18. Human beings have always craved magical, supernatural tales. In fact, many of the earliest and greatest of our stories—The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and The Odyssey, to name just a few—tell about man’s interaction with the unseen worlds. Although “official” culture denies that telepathy, spirit worlds, and magic exist, such ideas still thrive as part of modern folklore. Why do you think that magical and supernatural tales are still popular? Do you think their appeal has grown over the past few years? Why? Do these kinds of tales serve a particular purpose, either socially or personally? Do you think the appeal of the Dark Tower series lies in the way it successfully weaves together both technology and magic?

  The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah

  1. Stephen King placed two unusual facing pages at the beginning of Song of Susannah. At the center of the left-hand page (which is otherwise blank) is the word REPRODUCTION. At the center of the right-hand page is one large number—19. However, in the bottom left-hand corner of the right-hand page is the tiny number 99. What effect is King striving for? What effect do these pages have upon you as a reader?

  2. How does King shift our mood from one of elation, when the Wolves are defeated near the end of Wolves of the Calla, to one of anxiety at the beginning of Song of Susannah? What series of tragedies—and inexplicable events—takes place?

  3. What is a Beamquake? What effect does it have on the borderlands? What is its significance, as far as our characters’ quest is concerned?

  4. Who, or what, is Mia? How does her appearance (and disappearance) drive the action of Song of Susannah? In what ways does her history intertwine with Roland’s?

  5. When the Manni help Roland, Eddie, Jake, and Callahan open the Unfound Door, they all expect that it will open onto New York City in 1999, and then onto Stoneham, Maine, in 1977. Eddie and Roland are supposed to follow Susannah into the Big Apple, and Jake and Callahan are supposed to pursue Calvin Tower in Maine. What goes wrong? What series of unexpected events takes place? In your opinion, who or what is behind this change of plan?

  6. What is Susannah’s can-tah? How do you think it came to Susannah? With what force is it aligned? Have you ever encountered a similar type of object in any of King’s other fiction? (Hint: Take a look at the novel Desperation.) If so, how does it differ from Susannah’s can-tah? What does this say about the forces of the White and the Outer Dark in the Stephen King universe?

  7. What is Susannah’s Dogan? What part does it play in Song of Susannah? How does it link this novel with Wolves of the Calla? Is Susannah’s Dogan completely imaginary? Is the machinery within it completely under Susannah’s control? Why or why not?

  8. What are Demon Elementals? What role do they play in our tet’s adventures? Why do you think that King waited until Song of Susannah to tell us about them? How do they affect your view of the Guardians? How do they affect your vision of Roland’s world?

  9. What role does John Cullum play in Song of Susannah? Do you think that his appearance is linked to ka? If so, what part does ka play in the battle between the White and the Outer Dark? Does it always play the same role?

  10. Unlike most novels, Song of Susannah is divided not into chapters but into stanzas, a term we usually associate with songs and poems. Does this name change affect how we read the novel? Does it affect our expectations? At the end of each chapter/stanza, King includes a short rhymed section containing a stave and a response. What do these terms mean, both in and of themselves and in the context of the novel?

  11. What is the significance of Susannah’s dream at the beginning of the tenth stanza? What visions does she have? What future do they foretell? Can this future be altered, even though the visions show future events in the Keystone World?

  12. In stanza eleven, Roland says that Stephen King is the twin of the Rose. Earlier in the Dark Tower series, we were told that the Rose is the twin of the Dark Tower. How do you explain the relationship between King, the Rose, and the Tower?

  13. What is the nature of the black shadow that Eddie Dean sees hovering around sai King? What is its possible significance, both in terms of King’s life and our tet’s quest?

  14. Why—according to sai King—did he stop writing the Dark Tower series? What about Roland, in particular, disturbed him? Do you agree or disagree with his assessment of our gunslinger? In your opinion, has Roland changed since King first started writing about him? Were there any other forces that contributed to King’s ceasing work on the Dark Tower series?

  15. In stanza eleven, King describes his writing process. Does this description surprise you? Why or why not?

  16. At the end of Song of Susannah, Stephen King includes a section entitled “Coda: Pages from a Writer’s Journal.” According to the Oxford English Reference Dictionary, a coda is a concluding event or series of events. More specifically, it tends to refer to the concluding passage of a piece of music (or of a movement within a piece of music), usually one that acts as an addition to the basic structure. In ballet, the term coda refers to the concluding section of a dance. Why do you think King chose to call this section a coda? What does this say about the structure of Song of Susannah? What specific event in Wolves of the Calla is King consciously echoing?

  The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

  1. Of all the books in the Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower is probably the most action-packed. What are the major crisis points within the novel? How does King create this dramatic tension? How do you think King goes about planning such a plot? Does the story line just evolve naturally from the characters he imagines?

  2. What do Jake and Callahan find in the Dixie Pig? In what ways do the forces of the Outer Dark mock the White? Since the Crimson King is also descended from Arthur Eld, is there some hidden significance in this mockery? If so, what does this say about the nature of the White? What about the nature of the Tower?

  3. How does Pere Callahan’s death, at the beginning of The Dark Tower, refer back to his experiences in ’Salem’s Lot? What does this say about Ca
llahan’s ka?

  4. What is an aven kal? How is it similar to, or different from, todash?

  5. What kind of “walk-in” do Eddie and Roland meet along Route 7 in Lovell? How did this creature enter our world? What connection does King make between walk-ins, the Prim, and the creative imagination?

  6. What is the difference between a magical door, which links worlds, and a mechanical one? Where do the different types come from? Is one aligned with the White and one with the Outer Dark? Can such simple labels be put on them? Why?

  7. The Breaker prison in Thunderclap is known as the Devar-Toi to the prisoners and Algul Siento to the can-toi and taheen guards. How do these two names express different perspectives on the duties being performed there?

  8. The three Breakers who initially aid Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake all come from other places in King’s fiction—either from earlier parts of the Dark Tower series or from other stories or novels. Where do these characters come from? Why does King choose these characters? What does this say about the Dark Tower itself, and about the interconnectedness of the “Stephen King Universe”?

  9. To describe Pimli Prentiss, Master of the Devar-Toi, Stephen King compares him to Jim Jones, the leader of the People’s Temple in Guyana, who convinced his followers to commit mass suicide. What effect does this have upon us? Is King making a wider social statement when he draws this comparison?

  10. What is ka-shume? How does this force manifest in the ka of our ka-tet? Can a person escape ka-shume?

  11. Although it has its own stark beauty, Roland’s world has been devastated by mutations, plagues, and ruinous technology. Now that you’ve finished the series, how do you think Mid-World relates to our world? Does the company North Central Positronics have any symbolic significance? Is King commenting on contemporary culture? If so, what is he saying? Is his vision completely positive, completely negative, or something in between?