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Thread: And Your Little Dog, Too

  1. #1
    Traveler Banksy is on a distinguished road

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    Default And Your Little Dog, Too



    And Your Little Dog, Too

    The Dark Tower series contains many references: to King’s other novels and short stories, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc. But there is one reference which is more obvious than any other: The Wizard of Oz. I didn’t catch it the first time through but after reading the series the second time, it seemed so obvious that I couldn’t believe I’d missed it.

    In the second novel, The Drawing of the Three, our protagonist gets 3 fellow travelers on his journey. And a little dog, too. In the movie that probably every kid in the world has seen, his name is Toto. In King’s version, it’s Oy. Instead of drawing the scarecrow, the tinman and the cowardly lion, Roland is paired up with Eddie, Susannah and Jake. This is the first obvious reference to Wizard of Oz.

    The first novel, The Gunslinger, contains little obvious references. The protagonist is in conflict with a bad person – the man in black, or Miss Gulch, the mean old lady who’s also The Wicked Witch. It’s like the black and white part of Wizard of Oz - we’re introduced to the characters, some relatively insignificant things happen and then boom - the house falls, Jake falls, and we’re in color. Our three travelers are on a journey to some sort of epic final destination that they don’t seem to want or need to go on but are incapable of preventing it. In the movie, they’re on the Yellow Brick Road. In the book, they’re following the beam.

    While the references aren’t as obvious in the next book, The Waste Lands, King really drives the point home in the fourth novel – Wizard and Glass. Here we meet the wicked witch – Rhea of Coos, or The Wicked Witch. The end of the novel contains outright mentions of Wizard of Oz lore – Emerald City, etc. By this point there’s no way I should have missed the Wizard of Oz parallel. In the next novel, our travelers finally meet The Wizard of Oz, the man behind the curtain. But in the books, the wizard is Stephen King himself. He’s inexplicably drawn into his own story. He’s the guy running the show, the man behind the curtain.

    But meeting the Wizard isn’t the end of the movie, and it’s not the end of the books. Here in the series reality itself seems to unravel for our characters as they approach their destination, I’m sure you’ve all read them so I won’t retell it. But in the end of the movie, there’s a relatively large plot twist. When Dorothy finally leaves Oz, she wakes up in her bed. Her family tells her everything was just a dream. The audience of course believes it wasn’t really, but it’s still a surprise to consider that maybe Dorothy had just been in some kind of coma from the tornado. The books end with a kind of big twist too and while it’s not the same as The Wizard of Oz, it has that same sort of downer twist of an ending.

  2. #2
    Fundraiser Emeritus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958's Avatar

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    You make some very salient points!!! Good thread!!!

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    BAZZINGA candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Banksy View Post


    And Your Little Dog, Too

    In the second novel, The Drawing of the Three, our protagonist gets 3 fellow travelers on his journey. And a little dog, too. In the movie that probably every kid in the world has seen, his name is Toto. In King’s version, it’s Oy. Instead of drawing the scarecrow, the tinman and the cowardly lion, Roland is paired up with Eddie, Susannah and Jake. This is the first obvious reference to Wizard of Oz.

    .
    I never saw this as a Wizard of oz reference, however as you say once you point it out its pretty obvious!

    I think as the books progressed the references became sledge hammers to a point where they became annoying, but I love this take on the first few books

  4. #4
    Fundraiser Emeritus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958 is loved more than Jesus Merlin1958's Avatar

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    Have either of you ever experienced the Wizard of Oz/Dark side of the Moon thing? It's kinda freaky. You start DSOTM when the MGM Lion roars for the 3rd time and its like the sound track for the movie. There are websites dedicated to it.


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    The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????

  5. #5
    Roont Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by Merlin1958 View Post
    Have either of you ever experienced the Wizard of Oz/Dark side of the Moon thing? It's kinda freaky. You start DSOTM when the MGM Lion roars for the 3rd time and its like the sound track for the movie. There are websites dedicated to it.


    It's even more mindblowing on acid dude... or so I hear.
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    BAZZINGA candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy is a jewel in the rough candy's Avatar

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    I have not tried this yet, but I am sure you can guess what i will be doing this weekend

    Spoiler:
    without the acid obviously

  7. #7
    Roont Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice has much to be proud of Brice's Avatar

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    It is still fascinating... just not to a degree where you're whole reality is ripping apart.
    The Awesomest fled across the desert and The Awesomer followed.

    If you rescue me
    I’ll be your friend forever


    I wish that I could write fiction, but that seems almost an impossibility. -howard phillips lovecraft (1915)



  8. #8
    Caution: eye irritant Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon has a reputation beyond repute Jon's Avatar

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    I tried it with hydrochloric acid... it was very painful!!
    All that's left of what we were is what we have become.

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