Catherine Chapman
The Dark Tower Series is known as King’s “magnum opus,” using towns, characters, and other elements from many of his other novels, though the main characters and plot are separate.
Publication spans over 20 years. (stephenking.com)
The Drawing of the Three (D3) is the 2nd book of the Dark Tower Series.
The Dark Tower books follows a group (or “ka-tet”) on a quest to reach the Dark Tower.
D3 is the part of the story where the main character, Roland Deschain first “draws” his ka-tet to his world.
VII. The Dark Tower
I. The Gunslinger
II. The Drawing of the Three
III. The Waste Lands IV. Wizard and
Glass
V. Wolves of the Calla
VI. Song of Susannah
All photos from stephenking.com
*Elements of genre are present in Lost
Drawing of the Three
Traits Lost
Roland Deschain -Leader-Obsession with “Ka” to the point of sacrificing others to reach what he thinks is his destiny
-Jack-Locke, Ben
Eddie Dean -“The Prisoner”-Heroin Addict at time of “drawing”; something he must overcome-Uses humor to cope, relieve tension
-Kate-Charlie
-Hurley
Detta/Odetta/Susannah
-The “Other”-Exceptionally kind; optimistic-Incredibly adept in new environment
-The Others-Rose-Kate
Jake Chambers -youngster with uncanny abilities and understanding of strange surroundings
-Walt
Jack Mort -“The Pusher”; orchestrates events -Ben? -Mrs.Hawking
Eye motif Inconsistency of time Obsession with
numbers World moving on “Desmond”
The eye of the Crimson King, antagonist in The Dark Tower Series.
Two takes on similar themes:
Ka/Fate- draws everyone together
in an “otherworld”- links people together
before the start of the story (e.g. “The Pusher”)
“What’s ka?” Eddie’s voice was truculent. “I never heard of it. Except if you say it twice you come out with the baby word for shit.” “I don’t know about that,” the gunslinger said. “Here it means duty, or destiny, or, in the vulgate, a place you must go.”
(King 206) Possibility of Redemption: - Characters are obsessed with destiny because
they believe that they can make up for their pasts.
- Obsession w/destiny drives characters (even to actions that would jeopardize their friends’ goals/lives).
Sacrifice as way toward redemption
Idea that fate is cyclical.- “Ka is a wheel”- Recurring images (Jack’s eye, Locke’s
leg)- Time travel in Lost
The Dark Tower Official Website. 22 February 2009. <http://www.stephenking.com/DarkTower/>.
King, Stephen. The Drawing of the Three. New York: New American Library, 2003.
Further Reading:
Furth, Robin. Stephen King’s Dark Tower: The Complete Concordance. New York: Scribner, 2006.