Directions in the Gunslinger ***Possible Spoilers***

[jallred350]

I have read the Gunslinger several times. It is one of my favorite books. I have never been able to figure out Roland's path however. Throughout his hunt of the man in black (MIB) he is travelling SE, always SE. The first mention I find of any other direction is under the mountain when they reach the "subway" platform and one of the tunnels is marked "TRACK 10 TO SURFACE AND ALL POINTS WEST." Then when he is palavering with the MIB there are several references by King about directions. The MIB tells Roland that he needs to head west, towards the sea. But Roland just came from the west where there were mountains and desert. Sure, there could be a sea past all this, but then the MIB tells him that this sea "lay no more than twenty easy miles to the west." Another mention: "He began west again, his back set against the sunrise, heading toward the ocean..."

Drawing starts out with strange directions as well. When deciding which way to walk it is mentioned that Roland came from the east and the ocean is to the west. He chooses north and as he is walking the sea is to his right. What?!?!

Maybe I'm making too much out of this, but it has always struck me as off. Either they got turned around under the mountain or the MIB changed things prior to their palaver. I'm not sure.

Has anyone else noticed this or thought about it?

Thanks,
Jake

[wally wonder]

yeah, but i've tried not to let it trouble me too much. i figure i'm just weird, but i get this in other stories, as well. i'm following mike down the path to the lake, figure to turn one way, he turns another, i got to trot to catch up. it's curious though, how the mind works that way, for the reader. so anyway, yeah, i've considered it a time or two, but like i said, i've tried not to be troubled by it. keep on truckin'.

[jallred350]

yeah, but i've tried not to let it trouble me too much. i figure i'm just weird, but i get this in other stories, as well. i'm following mike down the path to the lake, figure to turn one way, he turns another, i got to trot to catch up. it's curious though, how the mind works that way, for the reader. so anyway, yeah, i've considered it a time or two, but like i said, i've tried not to be troubled by it. keep on truckin'.

I guess the reason it is so curious to me is the way in which it is written. SK seems to go a little out of his way to point out that the directions are different in Gunslinger and Drawing by saying things like "He began west again, his back set against the sunrise, heading toward the ocean..." instead of just saying he was heading west. Or when he writes that the sea was to Roland's right as he is walking north along the Western Sea. But I don't remember any more mentioned about this the rest of the series other than to say that things are "soft" in his world.

And the directions are weird in 2 completely different ways. (1) the way in which Roland was heading SE the whole time, but then MIB instructs him to travel 20 miles west (the way he came) to get to the sea (when there is nothing but mountains and desert to the west, or at least we are led to believe). Did Roland and Jake enter a new world somewhere? It seems like we are made aware of this in other situation throughout the series, but nothing is menitoned here. And (2) North and South (or East and West) seem to be the opposite of our world, based on the passage I mention from Drawing. It's almost like Roland's world is a mirror image of ours.

Has anyone ever seen SK comment on this past the "soft" argument? Maybe I am just fixating on it too much, but the differences fascinate me.

[Moderator]

The beams were falling and everything was in flux including directions--the world was moving on. The shifting directions is mentioned later in the series but I can't recall off the top of my head specifically where. He's told me that's also why some characters who were strong at one point, no longer were and was one reason why it was much easier for them to be defeated. That and their hubris.

[morganelafee]

the only thing i told myself, when i realised the same thing, was: this world is changing. hope it answers your concern.