Balazar drove the car?

[Cononach]

In the Final Argument before Wolves begins, King writes that the driver of the car that hits Jake is Enrico Balazar. I don't remember this revelation happening in any of the previous books. Did I miss something?

[Letti]

???
Could you quote that part?

[Matt]

I've heard that and wasn't sure if it was true either. It makes sense that it would be though.

[The Lady of Shadows]

yeah, we find out in wolves that it was balazar (a much younger balazar) that killed jake that day. i always got a kick out of the idea of balazar in that hat with the feather. but it made my head whirl - and i wondered if that particular balazar wasn't different from all the rest. because he was described in the gunslinger as a business man and after he killed jake he seemed genuinely distraught. does this strike you as the balazar we've all come to know and love?

ETA:

There is a brief glance through a polarized windshield at the horrified face of a businessman wearing a dark-blue hat in the band of which is a small, jaunty feather.

The Dark Tower 1: The Gunslinger Revised & Expanded Edition
Donald M. Grant First Trade Edition
Italics in Original


"The first of these links is revealed when Jake, a boy from the New York of 1977, meets Roland at a desert way station . . . Jake finds himself in this desert way station after being pushed into Forty-third street and run over by a car. The car's driver was a man named Enrico Balazar."

The Dark Tower V: The Wolves of the Calla, The Final Argument
Donald M. Grant First Trade Edition


i'm sure there's another reference. one of balazar, after he hits jake, getting out of his car. he's nearly sobbing with dismay and he says something like "he just jumped right out in front of me" but i can't find it right now. i'm still looking though.

[Empath of the White]

Sure Balazar is a mobster in some worlds, but surely hitting an innocent kid would affect even a person in his line of work?

[The Lady of Shadows]

Sure Balazar is a mobster in some worlds, but surely hitting an innocent kid would affect even a person in his line of work?

are you kidding me? he shot a guy for blowing down his house of cards. that guy is a stone cold monster. i don't think eddie's balazar would even notice running down a kid. he wouldn't notice running down an entire school room full of kids. that's why i think the balazar on jake's level is different from the balazar on eddie's level (and the keystone level).

[Míchéal]

I think he's the same Balazar...I can understand being pissed off about the cards, it was a justified killing:shoot:

[Letti]

Even if Balazar drove the car, Jack was pushed. We mustn't forget it.

[ManOfWesternesse]

I guess the simple truth is that the 'businessman'/driver who ran Jake down, and was full of remorse, was written by King in, what, the late 70's.
The Balazzar we met in between was the guy we know and love (not).
The 'Balazzar' whom King retrospectively decided had run Jake down was King's idea in the late 90's? (& not a great idea imho - because he stretched his attempt to 'link' things a bit too far. But it's not a big issue or anything.)

[Brainslinger]

I guess, whether or not one chooses to accept it depends on whether one considers the forewords to be legitimate parts of the story. Remember how much of the forewords and afterwords in earlier books were discounted later.

True, this was the foreword of Wolves of the Calla, and therefore King had the end firmly in sight and had resolved some of the disparity (in some cases creating more, but never mind) so it could be argued it's 'more true', but I think it's worth making the distinction from the novel material. I'm sure it's a retcon though, and the businessman was not originally intended to be Balazar.

However, I think it's fair enough to accept it as part of the story, as there isn't really any reason to believe it's not true. Jake was the only member of the ka-tet to see the man on that day, and if it was Balazar, none of the ka-tet would be aware of the connection. (The only other people to meet balazar were Roland and Eddie, in completely different circumstances where Jake was not present.) It's purely a nudge to us, the reader.

As for the apparent disparity in the way Balazar acts, bear in mind it could be just that, an act. This is a guy who comes across as rather normal and amiable much of the time, sitting there behind his desk, building his towers of cards, right up until the point he'll put a bullet in your head. That's part of what makes him so dangerous. It's not much of a stretch that he would act appropriately should a child be pushed in front of his car. It's also not much of a stretch that some, if not all his reaction is genuine. It just makes him a more 3 dimensional character.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he'd be willing to murder Jake if required. But, as others have said, the sudden act of a child being pushed in front of your car when you're on your way to work, minding your own business, could be shocking for even hardened criminals. He'd just exaggerate his reactions somewhat, then go to the office and have himself a cup of coffee. Possibly with scotch or brandy. I doubt he lost much sleep over it later though.

[ManOfWesternesse]

Well put.
Yes, I think it's a definite that, as you put it, "....the businessman was not originally intended to be Balazar.....", but other than in the drivers behaviour, there's nothing else to really make us question the switch. It's accaptable enough I guess.

[Darkthoughts]

I agree with Brainslinger that Balazar may not have many scruples, but for a mobster to survive he needs to know how to act like Joe Public from time to time, to avoid unwanted (ie official) attention.

I mean, if you run over a child in the street and don't react, people will notice...a hit and run would involve an inquiry etc. The initial look of horror on his face could more have been a "I don't need this!" type reaction than the more genuine, non psychopathic reaction of real concern.

[Whitey Appleseed]

I don't have anything to say about the matter. But the thread brings to mind this old buck I knew, left the bar, a Legion club if it matters, headed home. Rear-ends another. Struggles out of his car, clutching his chest and fakes a heart attack. So instead of blowing into the small hand held device, repeatedly, cause if it doesn't register high enough there's another available... he was attended to, fawned over, looked after, forgiven. Almost through Wolves and don't recall the scene being played out...but I recall something about a guy getting out and reacting, from a previous re-read.