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.