Trashcan Man as a servant of good.

[Carbon]

I always liked Trashy, but I also always viewed him as a compatriot of The Walkin Dude, and watching the Stand on Scyfy tonight, a friend pointed out that Trashy saying "My life for You" he was talking about God and Mother Abigail as he (Trashy) destroyed Randall Flagg. He gave his life to destroy The Walkin Dude

[sam peebles]

Yeah, I like Trashy too, but I don't think he was actively trying to kill Flagg (and he failed anyways), and I'm pretty sure he was talking to Flagg when he says "My life for you," not Mother Abigail or God. But it's cool to have different interpetations. Subjectivity isn't always a bad thing.

[randallFlaggfan1]

Yeah, I like Trashy too, but I don't think he was actively trying to kill Flagg (and he failed anyways), and I'm pretty sure he was talking to Flagg when he says "My life for you," not Mother Abigail or God. But it's cool to have different interpetations. Subjectivity isn't always a bad thing.

No, there certainly isn't anything wrong with subjectivity (I think it's great, actually.) Anyway, I have never viewed Trash Can Man as good..

[JohnDalglish]

Anyway, I have never viewed Trash Can Man as good..

Hi,

No, me nether, rf, but I think it's an interesting insight.

Without Trashy Flagg would have gone from strength to strength, no?

You could make a case for Trashcan Man being his Nemesis IMO (''My life for you' indeed!).

Long days and pleasant nights

[Snaggletooth]

I always saw this guy as being beyond good and evil; he's compelled to start fires, blow things up, etc., but not to necessarily harm anyone, he's just your average pyromaniac on steroids.. He's a tool, and in the end, we know whose tool he actually becomes.

[PatInTheHat]

Trashy just wanted to be accepted and belong and loved for the little pyromaniac he was...I mean he couldn't help who and what he was, and certainly from what we could gather, no one bothered, but instead constantly ostracized & punished, bullied and pick on him:glare:.
Everyone but Flagg that is, he gave Trash Can Man what he never had before, and what we all want, acceptance for who he was and a reason to be:love:....okay, and so "that reason to be" was being a prolific firebug..perhaps the firebuggiest, but that's not really the relevant point now is it:biggrin2:.
Yep, at the risk of sounding cliche', I think 'ol Trashy was a tragic figure that was just misunderstood:down:...you know, as much as that might be possible:oops:.

[bookworm101]

I've always wondered that myself Carbon. Welcome to the board.

[randallFlaggfan1]

I always liked Trashy, but I also always viewed him as a compatriot of The Walkin Dude, and watching the Stand on Scyfy tonight, a friend pointed out that Trashy saying "My life for You" he was talking about God and Mother Abigail as he (Trashy) destroyed Randall Flagg. He gave his life to destroy The Walkin Dude

Interesting inquiry, Carbon. Welcome Aboard!

[PatInTheHat]

He gave his life to destroy The Walkin Dude

Actually, don't you think he more gave his life to please him?
Some folk are like that ya know, they'll just do anything to get the approval of the one they love, or anyone for that matter, just to be let down and feel used again...bummer dat!
Tragic figures are almost always the biggest suckers:wink2:.

[Sarkisaur]

I thought Trashy was too crazy to be either good or evil. He was just a simple, instinctive little freakish creature. Whose actions happened to have massive consequences. If there were other forces at work, Trashy could never grasp them, he was innocent in his own way.

[Bryan James]

I just couldn't get the character past Max Headroom's quote of "Come, sweet slumber, enshroud me in thy purple cloak."

I didn't have cable/MTV as a kid. The two cute girls next door did.

We played "Doctor In the Closet" while waiting for a replay of MJ's "Thriller" video or another episode of 'Max Headroom.'

I learned a lot that year.

[GNTLGNT]

I always felt that Trashy was the most tragic of the cast of thousands in "The Stand". Talk about a case of poor to non-existent nurturing! If he had had a semblance of a decent upbringing, he might truly have sacrificed himself for the power of good. But since Flagg is the only one who "appreciated" him-Trashy that quickly offers up his life for him...if that ain't tragic I'll eat my mouse...(with a nice glass of Chablis)

[~Ally~]

if that ain't tragic I'll eat my mouse...(with a nice glass of Chablis)

Your computer mouse or a real life Mr Jingles??

[GNTLGNT]

Whatever-if it ain't nailed down and has cheese on it...

[~Ally~]

Whatever-if it ain't nailed down and has cheese on it...

I can dig it.
I'm partial to a bit of cheese myself. :cool2:

[Pucker]

I think Donald, more than any other character in the tale, illustrates how all of them -- and I mean each and every one -- were all just pawns in the Christian chess game that, whether the characters themselves chose to believe it or not, the aftermath of the outbreak became. Donald owed no special allegiance to Flagg the way, for instance, Lloyd did. He simply wanted to burn down the world, and would have done his best with or without Randall. That Flagg appeared to give purpose to Donald's madness -- which purpose I won't reveal for those who have yet to read it -- can be seen from either perspective. I think that, given ensuing events, "My life for you" is certainly open to interpretation.

[BlaineThePain]

I don't think Trash was good or evil. He was just crazy, especially at the end. When he says, "My life for you," I always imagined the "you" being fire. He just wanted to see that bomb explode. He probably had the happiest death in the entire book (from his point of view, I mean).

[motocop]

Cool interpretation but I still think he was an evil little bugger. If he was working as the hand of God he wouldnt have been as destructive I dont think. Unless.... now that I think about it, God maybe thought blowing up the gas tanks was good since hes probably a green kinda guy. The nuke couldve been a cleansing of sorts. Yeah maybe your right.

[md10pc]

To me, Trashcan's reference to "my life for you" was more along the lines of "I am dedicating to my life to you" rather than "I am willing to die for you." At least that's the way it played out to me. I thought when he trundled into town at the end, his idea was to present Flagg with what he thought would be the ultimate present (the nuclear weapon).

I had read The Stand several times but am reading The Stand, Uncut and Unabridged, for the first time. One thought that keeps coming to mind is what an amazing book considering how young Stephen King was when he wrote it.

[michal]

I too have a soft spot for Trashy - who could not to such a creature that emits unconditional love to anyone who would love him back? But, like Tom Cullan, he is beyond both Mother Abigail and Flag. He is an outsider, a creature who isn't exactly of this world and his actions, in my eyes, are niether good nor bad.

[TPG555]

I always viewed Trashy as an inevitable agent of good. In other words, one that didn't know his destructive actions would ultimately bring down and destroy the cause he supports. It was the dark man's colossal mistake to have Trash on his side. He was the ultimate aspect of evil's irrational impatience. Flagg had to get those weapons ASAP at all costs. He could have waited for technicians to uncover books and manuals that showed how to arm the planes, fly, get the nuclear weapons, go to the white house, etc. Instead, he chose a short-cut. Short-cuts almost never work out.