Donate To Keep The Site Ad Free
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 48

Thread: Eddie's Age - Which One Is It?

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default Eddie's Age - Which One Is It?

    So I've been re-reading Drawing and it occurred to me that King is inconsistent with Eddie's age...

    At one point fairly early in the book King writes, "...there was enough steel left in his spine for him to have some to loan this scared twenty-one-year-old junkie."

    A bit later on Eddie tells Odetta that he is twenty-three. Not only does he say he's twenty-three, but says that he was born in 1964 and was drawn into Roland's world in 1987, which would confirm that he was twenty-three.

    So which is it? Not that it matters all that much, but I wish (a) King were a bit less sloppy with things like this, and (b) that an editor would have done their job properly and caught this mistake.

  2. #2
    Banned The Lady of Shadows is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    6,059

    Default

    it's a continuity mistake. just like the time of odetta's drawing gets messed up.

    originally she was drawn right after kennedy's assassination (approx. feb or march of 1964) because when she gets back from her "detta walker jaunt" andrew is talking about how kennedy was the last gunslinger and odetta is completely mortified by this comparison. remember? and when roland enters her doorway and comes back he asks eddie what he sees and he says they were wearing coats and boots and roland thinks that eddie missed the gloves and scarves but otherwise did well.

    but she talks about being jailed in the summer of 1964 which would have occurred after she was drawn. Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney, who she talks about having gone down to mississippi because of (even though they disappeared from ohio) didn't disappear until june of 1964 after being arrested for speeding and then being released.

    so, if the timeline is to be believed, odetta was drawn in jan, feb, or march of 1965 and we know she wasn't because of her age and what was said in her conversation with andrew and what was on the news the night before she was drawn while detta was shoplifting.


    my point, in this roundabout way, is that eddie is 23 and odetta was drawn in early 1964 and all other references are mistakes that got melded into the text and kept going. then the story got built on them and he couldn't get rid of them.

  3. #3
    The Tenant Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Chinatown
    Posts
    28,087
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    yes, we've discussed it elsewhere - and I am still firm in my opinion that all those so-called "mistakes" only reflect the immense complexity and intrinsic self-contradictoriness of existence. There're things in the way the universe/multiverse is organized that is beyond human comprehension, and they manifest themselves in phenomena we perceive as paradoxes and contradictions.

    Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
    When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)

    bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  4. #4
    damned and saved Letti will become famous soon enough Letti will become famous soon enough Letti's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Hungary (till I move to Fatu Hiva with Brice)
    Posts
    10,962
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    I always say the same: thank God I am not clever enough to notice mistakes.

    Roland would have understood.

  5. #5
    The Tenant Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean has a brilliant future Jean's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Chinatown
    Posts
    28,087
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    it's not the question of "clever". It's just that you trust the author, because the author is God of his creation, and you put yourself into His hands. I think that's what makes a reader really happy with reading, and turns a book into a whole new universe, not just a pile of paper sheets typed on.

    Ask not what bears can do for you, but what you can do for bears. (razz)
    When one is in agreement with bears one is always correct. (mae)

    bears are back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  6. #6
    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

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Lettiland
    Posts
    29,625
    My Mood
    Aggressive
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    I am only surprised there weren't more errors than there are.
    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)



  7. #7
    Wolf Woofer will become famous soon enough Woofer will become famous soon enough Woofer's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Fangboner Manor
    Posts
    8,222
    My Mood
    Worried

    Default

    It's easy enough to keep notes on characters. Rolodex, notebook, computer file, index cards, etc.

    While I forgive King the mistakes, I do wish he had done one of the above to prevent them. I remember reading that some author even went so far as to hang the index cards on a corkboard and run colored yarn between the characters to denot relationships and timelines.

    I'm just sayin'...
    It'll take a lot more than words and guns,
    A whole lot more than riches and muscle.

    The hands of the many must join as one.
    And together we'll cross the river.

    Puscifer, "The Humbling River"


  8. #8
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Woofer View Post
    While I forgive King the mistakes, I do wish he had done one of the above to prevent them.
    That's pretty much exactly how I see it. I don't really "blame" King. Fact is, I kind of like finding the mistakes because (a) it's a good way to see how much I'm really retaining of what I read, and (b) it reminds me that King is human. It breaks the spell a little bit when I catch a mistake, but overall it doesn't take away from the overall magic of the series.

  9. #9
    Roont Matt will become famous soon enough Matt will become famous soon enough Matt's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Parachute, Colorado
    Posts
    17,620
    My Mood
    Psychedelic
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    originally she was drawn right after kennedy's assassination (approx. feb or march of 1964) because when she gets back from her "detta walker jaunt" andrew is talking about how kennedy was the last gunslinger and odetta is completely mortified by this comparison. remember? and when Roland enters her doorway and comes back he asks Eddie what he sees and he says they were wearing coats and boots and roland thinks that eddie missed the gloves and scarves but otherwise did well.
    Hmmm...I think what you are thinking of was a memory of a past one. When Roland draws Suze, she is Detta again isn't she? I always got the impression that the "JFK is gunslinger" moment was from a previous outing. Not that we were picking up the moment right then.

    As far as Eddie's age, it may be inconsistant but I also believe that if you are talking to someone from the past in a totally different world, your age isn't really traceable anyway.
    The kindness of close friends is like a warm blanket

  10. #10
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Matt View Post
    As far as Eddie's age, it may be inconsistant but I also believe that if you are talking to someone from the past in a totally different world, your age isn't really traceable anyway.

    Perhaps Eddie just doesn't know how old he is. I mean he's not a real person right? He's a character in a book.

    Spoiler:
    Maybe he should have asked King when they met. "Hey, how old am I anyway?"

  11. #11
    Architect Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany is a splendid one to behold Bethany's Avatar

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    7,447
    My Mood
    Angelic
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Matt View Post
    originally she was drawn right after kennedy's assassination (approx. feb or march of 1964) because when she gets back from her "detta walker jaunt" andrew is talking about how kennedy was the last gunslinger and odetta is completely mortified by this comparison. remember? and when Roland enters her doorway and comes back he asks Eddie what he sees and he says they were wearing coats and boots and roland thinks that eddie missed the gloves and scarves but otherwise did well.
    Hmmm...I think what you are thinking of was a memory of a past one. When Roland draws Suze, she is Detta again isn't she? I always got the impression that the "JFK is gunslinger" moment was from a previous outing. Not that we were picking up the moment right then.

    As far as Eddie's age, it may be inconsistant but I also believe that if you are talking to someone from the past in a totally different world, your age isn't really traceable anyway.
    could it be that perhaps people, especially those intimately involved in the civil rights movement, were still talking about JFK and his death in 1965??
    People love frozen yogurt. I don't know what to tell you.

  12. #12
    Life is beautiful LadyHitchhiker has a spectacular aura about LadyHitchhiker has a spectacular aura about LadyHitchhiker's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Kingsford, Michigan, United States
    Posts
    6,602
    My Mood
    Worried
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    I know people complain about the continuity mistakes but I always attributed the confusions to the fact the beams were broken... There's only one or two blatant mistakes I get mad at SK for.

  13. #13
    Banned The Lady of Shadows is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    6,059

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by LadyHitchhiker View Post
    I know people complain about the continuity mistakes but I always attributed the confusions to the fact the beams were broken... There's only one or two blatant mistakes I get mad at SK for.


  14. #14
    Gunslinger Apprentice Whitey Appleseed is on a distinguished road Whitey Appleseed's Avatar

    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    The Copper Country
    Posts
    125
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    I don't have a clue about the age thing. Read this thread before a re-read and I still don't know.
    The Wastelands
    Last edited by Whitey Appleseed; 12-28-2008 at 07:55 PM. Reason: spoiler

  15. #15
    Gunslinger Apprentice EdwardDean1999 is on a distinguished road EdwardDean1999's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Illinois, USA
    Posts
    143
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by R_of_G View Post

    So which is it? Not that it matters all that much, but I wish (a) King were a bit less sloppy with things like this, and (b) that an editor would have done their job properly and caught this mistake.
    SK doesn't need to be less sloppy. The editor is the one who screwed it up. We know King is famous for these kinds of mistakes. I personally don't look to an author to apologize for these mistakes. You start looking into continuity constantly as a writer while writing a story and you interrupt the flow of your work. You can't write. It slows you down. It interrupts the story telling/narrative flow. While writing, a writer has the option of backtracking to previous statements about a character's age or pushing on with expressing ideas as they fly through his/her head. The creative process can not be interrupted. Even when doing rewrites/revision. Let the editor take the blame for these published misses. Let the writer worry about the story.

    I think too that it's worth noting that you caught this on your re-read. Assuming that you missed it on read through #1 then I say the inconsistently does not matter to the casual reader. So SK was right to push on and not worry about Eddie's age. His narrative flow remained unbroken and you didn't even look back as a reader because you were so into the story.


    Do You Folks Like Coffee?
    Real Coffee,
    From the Hills Of Colombia?

    The Duncan Hills awake you
    from a thousand deaths.
    A cup of blackened blood.
    (Die, Die)
    You're dying for a cup.

  16. #16
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by EdwardDean1999 View Post
    You start looking into continuity constantly as a writer while writing a story and you interrupt the flow of your work. You can't write. It slows you down. It interrupts the story telling/narrative flow. While writing, a writer has the option of backtracking to previous statements about a character's age or pushing on with expressing ideas as they fly through his/her head. The creative process can not be interrupted. Even when doing rewrites/revision.
    Of course this can all be avoided if the writer uses an outline or some of other form of organizational procedure prior to writing the text.

    I agree that the fault lies more with the editor for not catching this mistake, that's an important aspect of the editor's job, but I don't think the writer can be completely absolved.

  17. #17
    The White! MonteGss is on a distinguished road MonteGss's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Minneapolis
    Posts
    4,677
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    If I knew I was getting into a BIG project such as The Dark Tower (like King did), I would keep some pretty good f*ckin notes or outlines, doodles, scratch papers, whatever. However, getting the story out is what matters.

    King was kinda lazy for not doing these things while writing but his editor DOES have more of the blame for not catching the mistakes and fixing them before publication. The end.

  18. #18
    Along the Path of the Beam Matt of Gilead is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    33

    Default

    King started with outlines, but over the course of 30 years things get misplaced. Now, there is little excuse for mistakes within a single book. That is, indeed, the editor's job.
    "The ability to get back up after a defeat is far more admirable than the ability to never lose." -Narumi Kiyotaka

  19. #19
    The White! MonteGss is on a distinguished road MonteGss's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Minneapolis
    Posts
    4,677
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    I disagree. The editor should also be checking for continuity errors as well, imo.

  20. #20
    Roont jayson is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Posts
    15,452

    Default

    I agree Monte. I think the editor is responsible for catching all manner of errors prior to publication. King gets some blame for making the mistake, but the editor gets the larger share for not catching it.

  21. #21
    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

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Lettiland
    Posts
    29,625
    My Mood
    Aggressive
    Country
    Country Flag

    Default

    ...and the original outline King started with was lost prior to publication of The Gunslinger (or at least very early on in the series) if I recall correctly. It wouldn't have been hard at that point for him to start a new one. Although I actually don't think outlines are really necessary myself. I don't think it's the writer's responsibility to catch every mistake. I think it's the editor's, but hey in a work of that magnitude (the whole series) there are bound to be some mistakes I think.
    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)



  22. #22
    Banned obscurejude is on a distinguished road

    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    5,643
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    See, here's the thing. I'm pretty sure that King hates editors and once he was a money making machine, as was the case by The Drawing of the Three, I'm pretty sure he only hired people that took a relatively hands off approach.

    I do absolve King, though, in the name of father, son, and holy spirit.

  23. #23
    Gunslinger Apprentice EdwardDean1999 is on a distinguished road EdwardDean1999's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Illinois, USA
    Posts
    143
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by obscurejude View Post

    I do absolve King, though, in the name of father, son, and holy spirit.
    HA!


    Do You Folks Like Coffee?
    Real Coffee,
    From the Hills Of Colombia?

    The Duncan Hills awake you
    from a thousand deaths.
    A cup of blackened blood.
    (Die, Die)
    You're dying for a cup.

  24. #24
    Traveler Bama71 is on a distinguished road Bama71's Avatar

    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Mendota, Illinois, United States
    Posts
    9
    My Mood
    Amused
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    I've noticed the continuity errors dealing with Eddie and Susannah's ages myself. King also writes that Detta Walker would dance with the white boys 'to ofay party music like Double Shot of My Baby's Love', a song which was not released until 1966 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Swingin%27_Medallions), making her 2 years older than stated. It's always bothered me that these mistakes were left in, while The Gunslinger was updated to fix mistakes. But I agree that over 30 years it would be hard to keep it all together. Maybe someday things will be cleaned up. I've heard that he may revise and update the whole cycle. We'll see.
    Last edited by Bama71; 07-19-2011 at 12:30 PM. Reason: spelling

  25. #25
    Traveler SDZald will become famous soon enough SDZald will become famous soon enough

    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    San Diego
    Posts
    12
    Country
    Country Flag
    Gender
    Gender

    Default

    King is such a good story teller that when I read his books I can be really drawn into the story, it is like I am in the story, the real world vanish and I become part of his created world.

    Let's take the DT VII, Roland only has one of his guns after Suze goes through the door to meet up with Eddie and Jake and "live happily ever after." Yet when Roland is hiding behind the ruins as the King tosses Snitches (sp) he thinks he can handle them as long as the King tosses no more then 12 Snitches, since he only has one "six shooter" and really only one good hand shouldn't he be worried about the King tossing more then 6?

    YES I know this is so minor a point that it is laughable and affects the story in NO way. Yet it yanks me out of Roland's world, it is like someone jarring me out of a very vivid daydream.

    Don't ask me why my brain works the way it does, I mean I am so engrossed in the story how the heck can such a trivial fact jar me out of it? But it does and it distracts from my pleasure of reading such a fine story. Considering there are many such instances of this happening throughout the series it is bothersome to me.

    I put most of the blame on the editor, it is their JOB to make sure things like that get cleaned up and they did a very poor job of it.

+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts