It's a nice dream. But... who rules Mid-World? What will become of the people?Originally Posted by Letti
...
A perfect ending (for me at least, a perfect ending)
by Letti
Spoiler:
Yeah...
I am a dreamer.
R_of_G: The question of "Why did *I* survive, when others died?" is a common one. God only knows. In this case, God might be Stephen King... or not.Anyway, having different fates for no apparent reason is at least not unrealistic.
Last edited by Letti; 12-11-2010 at 07:17 AM.
Strange but true.
Perhaps it was because Susannah purchased Toren stock.
After all, a new reality was just exactly what she invested in.
Now wouldn't that be typical? Everything goes to the rich.
True. King himself dedicated an entire story to that theme in Just After Sunset (which happened to be my least favorite story in the book). You're right, it's not unrealistic (even relatively speaking given the suspension of reality needed to enjoy the series itself). It is interesting to read people's different versions of what Susannah's exit signifies as well as the different interpretations of who exactly the Eddie and Jake are that she meets in NY in the Coda.The question of "Why did *I* survive, when others died?" is a common one. God only knows. In this case, God might be Stephen King... or not.
After all, a new reality was just exactly what she invested in.
Now wouldn't that be typical? Everything goes to the rich.
Man, have any of you realized that Jake has died 3 times? Fell down into a canyon, pushed in front of a car, jumped in front of a moving van.
And there was another Jake.
I'm going in a different direction as to my dislike of how Susannah's character was developed.
Susannah is my least favorite character in the book due to Sai King's forcing her into the novel as a political statement. She was his way of assuaging his white guilt as if to prove he was progressive enough to put a black heroine into his novels. It got laid on too syrupy thick with her being a rich heiress that was volunteering in the same county that the three civil rights workers died during Freedom Summer and herself having been tortured by the white sheriff; but she still fell in love with a younger white ex-junkie. Add the fact that she was a bilateral amputee(i.e. Handicapped) by a white man which required her to be carried as the symbolic “white man's burden'. Then to have Odetta Holmes symbolically spit in Roland's face by being the personality that drove through the Unfound door. Susannah threw the revolver away as a nod to Sai King's stated opposition to firearms(Oh, you don't need those nasty things in a real world/life.)
There were a lot of great possibilities that were thrown away with her character in favor of a running political commentary. This with his rush to complete the series, apparently to silence what he regarded as the barking of his readers, keeps it from reaching the greatness levels of JRR Tolkein's LOTR books.
My 2¢,
yeah
that's...
the only way I can respond to such a statement
is the following song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovF1...eature=related
if the worlds gonna end then let's get it over with, i got shit to do
Are the games of pool and snooker racist?
I actually thought the portrayal of Susannah overall was mostly positive in the racial sense. Sure Detta is very much a caricature, (and to some extent Susannah too, when's she's getting lippy) but it's made clear that it's meant to be a caricature. Someone not born in the real way but out of the fragmented mind of somebody who started off the opposite in many ways, although both personalities suffered from the racism of the period.
As for her disability it wasn't the burden it might have been.* She didn't let her disability get her down for long and was probably a lot stronger than man able bodied people as a result. The crippled Susannah Dean was a far stronger person than the able bodied Odetta Holmes (before the second Mort incident), that's for sure.
Even though she was a burden to some extent (albeit a loved and accepted one) in the sense that she had to rely on the others to push and carry her, it had nothing to do with race. Eddie was a burden to the others too of a different kind. All of them brought strengths and weaknesses to their Ka-tet. The latter they largely overcame helping each other along the way and grew as people as a result.
I can speculate, of course, on why King exempted Susannah from the deaths that took the rest of the ka-tet. I admit to wondering about why he wrote it the way he did; especially since he mentions (offhandedly, in his writers post-accident part in DT7) that originally it was Jake that was supposed to go with Roland all the way to the end.
Of course, you could say that's just the way King wrote it; he's been often quoted as arguing that writing is like uncovering a fossil, and evidently this story fossil said "Off Eddie and Jake and let Susannah leave."
My best guess is simply that King wanted to have a member of the ka-tet leave voluntarily, not through death, and that Susannah was the only character who would have left Roland voluntarily. If Eddie had been the last survivor, I don't think he could have called off even if Susannah was dead; his desire to see the Tower was too strong. Jake doesn't get much desire to see the Tower till Book 7, but I think he would have stayed with Roland anyway. Susannah was the only one of the core ka-tet that could "walk" away.
Still, I would have loved to have seen the version where its Roland and Jake who reach the Tower; it would have really brought back their trek across the desert in The Gunslinger.
I agree with Delah on wanting Jake to be with Roland when he reached the rose field to see the Dark Tower. Sai King did Susannah(we the readers really) a disservice in her character development. Her leaving for a 'when' to be with Eddie and eschewing the rewards of ever seeing the Dark Tower could have been a much more powerful moment. What I keep seeing and drawing parallels to the scene from the Lord of the Rings movie where Aragorn and Arwen are in the garden and Arwen foregoes life eternal alone for just the chance of love with Aragorn. Here is the YouTube for the scene that I believe is the best love scene ever filmed. Arsen & Aragorn in the garden at Rivendell. We could have had Susannah telling Roland that she loved him as din(as she previously done before the battle of the Devar-Toi) but her love for her husband was far stronger; and that her love for Eddie meant more than whatever reward lay at the top of the Dark Tower.
But what we got was Odetta PMS'sing and trying to take the rest of the ka-tet with her to leave Roland alone to go to the Dark Tower. If Jake was still there, he could have refrained to her, "Go then, there are other worlds than these." She would have tossed the revolver to Jake and said, "Then this is your world. Watch over and love your father Roland as I will my husband Eddie." She guns the scooter through the door, the door slammed, the scene shifts to where she is now walking in the new snow fall towards Eddie, and the fate of Susannah could have been left open ended for the reader.
Much better in my opinion.
Being that Jake is one of my favorite characters, I too would have liked to see him reach the Tower.
However, I do believe King when he talks about these stories writing themselves. anyone who writes knows that sometimes, the story has a mind of its own. Sure there are certain things you must do to keep consistency, but many times the really large plot twists write themselves. and then even if you try to take it back, try to write around say Jake's death on the side of the road, you can't. the story seems wrong. So in the end, i believe that King himself did not actually know who was going to make it to the Tower any more than we did while reading it (with the exception that he alone would be the one to enter it).
Time is a face on the water.
Oh yeah!! I thought it was just me. I felt jaded by Susannah's reaction. How could she leave Roland after they had come so far together? Why should everyone abandon him? Poor Oy even abandoned him in a sense. He only defended Roland because he knew it would please Jake (my interpretation).
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But just imagine how horribly sad it would have been if they both had reached the Tower and Roland would have asked Jake to stay out and wait for him. Because I am sure Roland would have wanted to step into the Dark Tower alone. And Jake could have waited for him forever.. because he would have never returned.
Roland would have understood.
Letti I never thought about this before but I believe you are right........how sad that would have been, and what a terrible ending!!But just imagine how horribly sad it would have been if they both had reached the Tower and Roland would have asked Jake to stay out and wait for him. Because I am sure Roland would have wanted to step into the Dark Tower alone. And Jake could have waited for him forever.. because he would have never returned.
"Head Clear. Mouth shut. See Much. Say little." Roland Deschain
"Go your way, I'll take the long way 'round. Ill find my own way down, as I should." Ben Howard
Good point, Letti. And see, its pure speculation at this point. Jake going with Roland to the Tower opens up a bunch of different scenarios of what might/could/would have happened.
I personally dont think Jake would have ever entered the Tower. My best guess would be that Jake gets killed (again!) by Mordred right after the confrontation with the Crimson King. Roland would still have to make a choice between Jake's life and the Tower but he would have to do it with the Tower right before him. Roland would make his choice but both Jake and Mordred and Oy die. Roland enters the Tower with nothing left to live for and ... well, we all know what happens next. That's just my "what if" scenario, but I like yours too, even if they're both very depressing.
It came to my mind as I was reading this thread and I saw how many people wished to see Jake to be with Roland at the Tower.Letti I never thought about this before but I believe you are right........how sad that would have been, and what a terrible ending!!But just imagine how horribly sad it would have been if they both had reached the Tower and Roland would have asked Jake to stay out and wait for him. Because I am sure Roland would have wanted to step into the Dark Tower alone. And Jake could have waited for him forever.. because he would have never returned.
Roland would have understood.
As long as Roland can't give up the Tower every ending is depressing. IMHO
Roland would have understood.
Do you think he ever will?As long as Roland can't give up the Tower every ending is depressing. IMHO
"Head Clear. Mouth shut. See Much. Say little." Roland Deschain
"Go your way, I'll take the long way 'round. Ill find my own way down, as I should." Ben Howard
I am totally sure he will. One day he will. I believe in him with all my heart.Do you think he ever will?As long as Roland can't give up the Tower every ending is depressing. IMHO
Roland would have understood.
Me too!!I am totally sure he will. One day he will. I believe in him with all my heart.Do you think he ever will?As long as Roland can't give up the Tower every ending is depressing. IMHO
"Head Clear. Mouth shut. See Much. Say little." Roland Deschain
"Go your way, I'll take the long way 'round. Ill find my own way down, as I should." Ben Howard
Music to my ears.Me too!!I am totally sure he will. One day he will. I believe in him with all my heart.Do you think he ever will?As long as Roland can't give up the Tower every ending is depressing. IMHO
Roland would have understood.
*wipes awaty tears after reading Lettis ending.*
I always thought it was different for her simply because she was
Spoiler:
The answer is within
all matter is energy, all energy is GOD
Roland would have understood.
*bows deeply* (and says in perfect ELVIS voice) "thank you, thank you very much."
I can hear SK hisself ( and maybe even Roland)saying that.
The answer is within
Yours is the post of the year, Linda.
Roland would have understood.
AWESOME!!
"Head Clear. Mouth shut. See Much. Say little." Roland Deschain
"Go your way, I'll take the long way 'round. Ill find my own way down, as I should." Ben Howard
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