The Official End Thread

[Mike Beck]

I hear ya Valkyrie. I felt a little pissed that Roland got screwed also. The guy's been through so much. But it made sense the more i digested it.

first i felt, happy that i reached the end. then i felt, sad, lonely, hungry, a little tired, then slightly content. now i'm happy and want to do a reread. i haven't picked up the books since i finished. it's time to go back through, i think.

[Matt]

I have been through my second read and I am accepting it much better now. It really is the only way it could have gone.

I wanted Roland to be the tower somehow but that is really not feasible.

[Odetta]

I shouted out loud... "YES!" because it ended with the exact line I was hoping for!

[Darkthoughts]

Its such a classic line isn't it. Reminds me of The Outsiders, that finished the same way and I loved that line too.

[Valkyrie]

Yes, Matt, I think you are right that that was really THE ending for the book. Sure, part of me wishes he had died at the end, part of me wishes he had joined Suze and the ka-tet. What actually happened makes sense to me now. But it took awhile to get there! I think I felt somewhat like Roland right before his memory started to fade. Funny thing, of all the things I had contemplated, I NEVER thought it would end that way. It never occured to me one time. I was completely and utterly surprised!

[Storyslinger]

It didn't just blow my mind, it blew my soul.

That is exactly how I felt.

*hugs Ann and Matthew because she feels she needs to hug them somehow*

Blew me away to

[MonteGss]

Very, very sad. I was drained. I was sitting up in bed, I put the book down and just laid/sat there for a long time, thinking. Very sad. Poor Roland.

[Matt]

I had a bit of that as well, you expressed it really well there Monte.

Just that it was so damn unfair to him, after all the work he had gone to...the sacrifices.

[Storyslinger]

It was sad, but I felt compelled to re-read the whole series

Spoiler:

trying to imagine what would happen with Roland having the horn

[fernandito]

*Disclaimer* Alright, it's been a while since I've thought back on the ending of DT, and I really wish I had both my last book and The Road to the Dark Tower with me to cross reference, but neither are currently in my possession so please bear with me.



Okay, so the Tower/Gan sends Roland back to the Mohaine Desert to resume his quest for the tower and possibly find his way to salvation for the (hopefully) final time. But why was this seemingly cruel punishment given to Roland? Why not any of the others in the long list of Arthur Eld heirs? Was it because he was the last of his kind and must therefore pay for the sins of the rest (leading their world turn to ruin)? Was it because he was the 'worst' (relentless, cold hearted) out of them all? Arthur Eld wasn't exactly a saint himself, hell, the guy even got down with another woman who ultimately gave birth to the evil that would haunt Roland in the quests we followed him in, so he is not completely void of fault either.

What do you guys think? This question is the only one that still haunts me even after all this time, and I say thankya big-big to anyone who shares views in this thread.

[Jean]

But why was this seemingly cruel punishment given to Roland? Why not any of the others in the long list of Arthur Eld heirs? Was it because he was the last of his kind and must therefore pay for the sins of the rest (leading their world turn to ruin)?

I am not sure it wasn't. I can easily imagine all Tower seekers having to repeat their circle, and the Tower being saved numerous times. I am not sure, on the other hand, that all of them were Arthur Eld heirs, or that it had anything to do with the ability to save / obsession to see the Tower.

[fernandito]

But why was this seemingly cruel punishment given to Roland? Why not any of the others in the long list of Arthur Eld heirs? Was it because he was the last of his kind and must therefore pay for the sins of the rest (leading their world turn to ruin)?

I am not sure it wasn't. I can easily imagine all Tower seekers having to repeat their circle, and the Tower being saved numerous times. I am not sure, on the other hand, that all of them were Arthur Eld heirs, or that it had anything to do with the ability to save / obsession to see the Tower.

Thanks for responding Jean.

Also, the highlighted statement above has opened what Aladdin and Jasmine call a whole new woooooooooorld.

[sarah]

I never understood what roland ever did that was so bad that he had to live his life in a loop.

But someone on this site, sorry i can't remember...daggers?..darkers?...anyhoo, someone said that they thought Roland had to live his life in the loop to keep the tower going or somesuch. sorry i'm being so vague, but i've had five hours of sleep the last few nights and i'm living in a daze.

sarajean will be able to answer this better, i think.

[Darkthoughts]

I don't think I did - I have thought about it though. My take being that its part of the whole "Ka is a wheel" thing and that perhaps Roland and the Crimson King represent the eternal struggle between good and evil, and are possibly in an infinite loop to keep a balance. But, I think the fact that Roland had the horn really showed that the loop will be broken at some point.

Good question Feev - not quite sure what I think about that...I'd go with the fact that he's the last of the line for now...but I also have a theory I need to research a little...

[Harrald]

I never understood what roland ever did that was so bad that he had to live his life in a loop.

<<SNIP>>

My gut feeling to this....


Roland sacrificing an innocent in his quest for the tower. From what I remember all the people that died along the way had done something (I don't have the words) not so good. Jake on the other hand was a true innocent. He had done nothing but be in the wrong place at the wrong time and got pushed in front of a car.

I may be wrong. I'm already two books, 5 work projects and a kid with a busted leg away from the DT books.

[Storyslinger]

I don't think it was a punishment, I think he just forgot things that needed to get done, like the horn blowing

[Jimmy]

Maybe his mistake was "Forgetting the face of his father" by giving away one of Steven's guns after he lost his fingers. Maybe that's the punishment AND the reason for the loop.

I don't know what made me think of this, I just did.

[Jean]

Maybe his mistake was "Forgetting the face of his father" by giving away one of Steven's guns after he lost his fingers. Maybe that's the punishment AND the reason for the loop.

I don't know what made me think of this, I just did.

I think it's the first time that I see this point of view. It is unexpected, new, and certainly something to think about. I am of two minds here, and I have to think of what would be more in the spirit of that caste: expediency (something they certainly worshipped) or symbolism (something their whole culture was very much built on). After that, though, the next question will be, to what extent the Tower, as the principle of the universe, shares the code of gunslingers.

[Jimmy]

Yes, well it's a completely BS statement on my part, because Roland gave away his gun in this cycle, yet he had the horn at the end.

So I'm going to shaddup now, lol.

[Jean]

oops... yes, looks like we've both screwed up. Too bad, we were on the verge of some New Revelations.

[Jimmy]

So close and yet so far.

Of course, maybe that's why he got the horn, because he gave away one of the guns...

[Jean]

oh! ::plunges back into thinking::

[Kevin]

Interesting theory Jimmy. It would seem to me that Roland has forgotten the name of his father several times during this loop of the quest. Example: Dropping Jake, giving away his gun, forgetting the horn. Yet we know in the next loop he has the horn. Maybe each loop he fixes one thing he has screwed up. The horn this time, the guns the next, and letting Jake drop the time after that. My question is, would this loop be forever, or is it possible for Roland to fix all his mistakes?

EDIT: At the time that seemed original, but rereading it I find that its the same as what a lot of people have been saying, which unfortunately wasnt what I was going for. I'll rephrase this later.

[Wuducynn]

So close and yet so far.

Of course, maybe that's why he got the horn, because he gave away one of the guns...

THAT is a VERY interesting question Jimmy my man.

[Jean]

My question is, would this loop be forever, or is it possible for Roland to fix all his mistakes?

there's a thread on that subject