Hi everybody I'm new here so I may be a little inexperienced. I have had this question since I read the books,
?
I hope this is understandable and please bear with me as this is my first attempt and english is not my first language :):)
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Hi everybody I'm new here so I may be a little inexperienced. I have had this question since I read the books,
?
I hope this is understandable and please bear with me as this is my first attempt and english is not my first language :):)
it's my understanding that yes the tower was under threat from the CK and his breakers
as far as theSpoiler:goes, there are quite a few ideas about it, i think that roland's quests are as much about saving himself as they are about the tower, even if he doesn't know it 03-15-2011 04:27 PMColton Grech MicallefThat is also my understanding. 03-16-2011 02:52 AMcandyFor me - and this is a purely personal interpretation
Spoiler:
As i said its a purely personal thought, however it also helps with the ending of the book in regards to the Crimson KingSpoiler: 03-16-2011 04:43 PMpathoftheturtleWell, I'll tell you what: this website gets a lot of different questions from newbies and all kinds of theories about the ending, but this one really seems to cut straight to the heart of some of the most perplexing issues left from many of the deeper discussions which I've been involved in over the years here.
Is Roland's personal growth really so important? If so, why? Is there not any better way for him to learn how to be a better person?
When you think about it, though, King's version of this rather clichéd plot twist serves, probably just by luck, as a pretty powerful metaphor for some awfully perplexing questions about God and real people. Is it truly good that we should have free will such that we can kill ourselves? And are we really so free that it's genuinely possible for us to collectively destroy this whole world? 03-18-2011 05:53 PMMerlin1958To me, No not really. It was a threat created to motivate Roland and the Ka-Tet. When push came to shove if Roland didn't answer the bell something would've intervened. I think that is supported by the "Loop" to a degree. 03-18-2011 07:21 PMLadyHitchhikerMy understanding is that it is always in danger. 03-19-2011 06:06 PMMerlin1958 03-20-2011 12:24 AMJean 03-20-2011 04:04 AMpathoftheturtle"Mama always said, God is mysterious." ~ Forrest Gump 03-20-2011 06:28 AMblavigne 03-20-2011 12:08 PMMerlin1958 05-31-2011 06:22 AMLadyHitchhikerSo is the tower conscious? Is the tower an extension of Gan? Does the tower really have any effect on what happens? What truly made Roland loop back? Was it Gan, the tower, ka? 05-31-2011 08:52 AMAdumbrosIf it weren't in danger, then why would he keep getting sent back? and is it possible that, just maybe, he himself is a threat, erby explaining why the Tower denies him true entry? 05-31-2011 11:14 AMLadyHitchhikerOoooooooooh now THAT is a nice discussion question... 05-31-2011 12:04 PMAdumbroshey it's a question that begs to be asked. after all, roland himself informs the reader numerous times that the Tower has many magical forms of self-preservation, the rose being among them. perhaps it was using subterfuge against him to prevent from being breached? perhaps the line of eld was not meant to cross that barrier, perhaps being why the crimson king was imprisoned on the balcony, for maybe the Tower knew that his auspices would see through it's obfuscations if he managed to win access? 06-01-2011 06:37 PMpathoftheturtleOr maybe the Tower just didn't actually want Roland's final ascent to be published for everyone on Keystone Earth. 06-02-2011 04:32 AMLadyHitchhikerWhere does the tower get consciousness from? Mechanical? God? Has this been discussed? 06-02-2011 06:51 AMpathoftheturtleYeah, it's a good topic, (try the Gan=God? thread) but I think it's a useful metaphor to talk about the intentions of the Tower even if it may not actually have literal intentions and/or their source is unclear. 06-13-2011 09:02 AMjohnny39I think the only way you can say it is truly "in danger" is if there really is a "final journey" in which the horn of eld, or some other thing is there so it is "done right".
Or perhaps the tower simply represents Roland's release from the cycle and isn't really what all the worlds spin on. 06-13-2011 12:37 PMpixiedark76The tower is ALWAYS in "danger" The tower will always need Roland to protect it. Because Ka is a wheel and it never stops turning! The tower is the "wheel" that spins our world and all of the worlds. There is no "final journey" The cycle wail keep happening and Roland will never be released. Sad as it may sound for Roland the tower is his! Forever and Ever. What happens in Roland's quest for the tower might be different each time, but Roland will always have to protect the tower. 06-13-2011 01:16 PMblavigneI think that maybe when Roland "does it right", his personal journey will end and he will be able to hand off the job to another from the line of Eld. Maybe when he reaches the tower with his horn. I believe that there is a clearing for Roland and that he will find it. However the tower will always need protecting and someone will always be doing it. 06-13-2011 09:09 PMpathoftheturtle 06-13-2011 09:31 PMLadyHitchhiker 06-13-2011 10:18 PMpathoftheturtleMe? I don't think so. I mean, it is a complex subject, but I was honestly trying to further contribute. A lot of folken seem to nearly overlook the moral order angle. The last post from blavigne seems like a nice compromise, if it's true that the Tower is ALWAYS endangered for some reason; there's the idea that Gan would find a way to let Roland, at least, finally rest.