The ultimate plot?

[Brett Johnston]

Is Roland the grim reaper of our reality that draws his new Ka Tet from the doors each time he journey's to the tower? Every person is fated to help the owner of the excalibur before passing into the next world! Or does he raise the same characters with each roll of his gamble to win the house? Is he the king of spades or the ultimate gambler? If Jakes the Jack, Susannah the Queen, Eddie the King and Father Callahan is the Ace then does that make Roland the gambler riding black spades?

Does everyone of us have a turn to remember the face of our father, and to say it true, aswell as to shoot not with the hand?

[Ophelia]

Very interesting thoughts, Brett.

I am going to bet SK says it's open to interpretation.

[Brett Johnston]

Or every hardcore 'technical plot' fan would say it doesn't fit! thx Ophelia

[Ranger_Strider]

One thought I had:
Each time through 'The Cycle' (Ka is a Wheel), Roland picks up one more needed element for his ultimate tower (good life). I think that saving Susan Delgado (from charyou) is probably the key for him to end it. If he saved her he wouldn't have shot his mother later and caused himself to be a cursed individual.
That is what the DTS is about: A man who is cursed with a near eternity of death, as opposed to what we all want which is one good life and a single satisfying death.

[Ranger_Strider]

Well it is always sad when people we like die, not so much for the others.
I suppose it's the necessity of tragedy that lights the comedy of human life.

A couplet of sorts that I proffer for your amusement / puzzlement.

Long lays and pleasant smarts.

[thymeoperator]

i thought the key point was when he let jake fall - like it was about how he had his priorities all out of wack, and if he'd chosen morality over his obsession then he could have got on with his life and not been doomed to repeat his mistakes. like when he goes in the tower and comments that the tower's only showing him images of death, it says 'that's because that's what you made of your life' or something - so i thought it was like, well that's what he gets for valuing the tower over people, ultimately.

[OhhDiscordia]

Well said operator, the fact that when he starts over, he starts at the desert, obviously points that it is there, with jake, that he fails. IF he could go back and save susan, he would've started over well before that point Ranger

[Ranger_Strider]

Right, and right. I agree. I was thinking of an ultimate act of redemption for Roland and missed. I guess Jake's fall did not seem to mean as much to me because he came back (twice), once with help from Roland and Susannah and Eddie, and again with help from Susannah. Yet Susan Delgado got all burned up and never got a second chance that we know of. I think not shooting his Mother would be helpful too. And Again: What ever became of Rhea of Coos?

[K4driver]

I never thought of that.

[Bryan James]

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

(Good ideas, though. Get writin')