continuity error...or something else?

[wally wonder]

this is also being discussed here: http://www.stephenking.com/forums/sh...-tense-changes


on p162, the reverand lester coggins has prayed and asked for a sign from god...someone, the lord presumably?...begins to speak and tells lester to 'open my book, and see what you see.' lester does so, and uses the finger method and happens on 'the second chapter of deuteronomy, the twenty-eighth verse'

'the lord shalt smite thee w/madness and blindness and astonishment of the heart.'

so here's where the question arises...is this a continuity error...or something else?

is that s'posed to be the 28th chapter, 28th verse? cause 2.28 in the book says, 'sell us food to eat and water to drink...'

as the lord said to lester, 'which of the two dost thou thinkest most likely?'

[wally wonder]

i guess i shoulda tagged it w/a thumbs down...might have seen more action, jackson...

[smerdyakov]

I don't think it could be a continuity error -- it's just too easy to look up the accurate verse. Given how peculiar the voice of 'God' was, I was thinking it was more of a dialogue from lester's own head. He was in cahoots with Big Jim, and the guilt may have churned out a voice to right lester's wrongs. Also, Lester was a little off the knocker, even at this time, presumably from shame (he was whipping himself); and later, he was further maddened when the 'prophecy' had been fulfilled. He was looking for miracles (and absolution) in the wind, and found one. That's just how I see it -- again, because the voice of God was so strange, Lester's mind state, and because I don't think King would put in a wrong verse unintentionally.

[Terry B]

I believe this was brought up in another thread.

[wally wonder]

hey, thanks smerdy! .....the other thought i had, mark this down cause it don't happen often...is that maybe lester's 'lord' is kin to becka paulson's jesus....think about that one? ....cause, we know what happens w/becka paulson and we know what kind of jesus was talkin to her......guess i could see the idea of it being in lester's head....but i'm trying to tie this 'lord' in w/the omniscient first person narrator (roll the credits, who is that?)....thought that idea might not wash.

another idea is that maybe lester needs glasses and can't read....but considering his occupation, reverand, i suspect he is familiar with the book of deutoronomy, chapter and verse....course, then maybe he was just winging it from memory?...had his wires crossed? i'm with you on it not being a continuity error....something else....but?

[hossenpepper]

That verse is actually Deuteronomy 28:28, so is it's a mistake in the book especially since it spells out the word "second" instead of showing it in numeric notation (2:28), which would lead you to think it's a typo. Someone probably wrote it down wrong in the research is my guess.

[smerdyakov]

Hi Bluey,

I guess I was thinking along those lines because King's prose (or the omniscient narrator) will often morph to fit the character it's describing -- in terms of syntax, colloquialisms, and what have you. But what you're saying sounds interesting. Maybe you could say a bit more about it.

[wally wonder]

well smerdy, i was kinda hoping someone would come in and enlighten me so dunno what more i could say about the matter...but if you remember what happens w/becka paulson, she has that jesus talkin to her, only the message she was getting was a message from the tommyknockers...i think...in the movie, they substituted jesus with a...used car salesman...hehhehee....actually, i think it was a game show host....budget problems most likely, what with the smurf village hidden in the woods...

....okay, so what else does the lord tell lester?....hmmm, seems the lord uses one of his mother's favorite sayings...a true miracle....but then, so did the cave of the voices...another spot where there's someone, or some thing talkin trash to the characters...so a bit later, the lord tells him to look for the blinded one who has gone mad...then tell the congregation what rennie has been up to...the lord says, we'll talk about this more...

still unclear, undecided...though that bit about his mother's favorite sayings suggests lester is fruit loops...while the same time, things like the cave of the voices, becka's jesus...that kind of stuff suggests something is afoot.

i think with that bit, 'we'll talk about this more...'....that part almost sounds like the first person omniscient narrator...in a spot or two under the dome...sheesh, even the job description, first person omniscient, that sounds like god...

prolly what i need do is give it another read....don't recall lester doing anything special between here on pages 162 and where he is again....was it at the dome during the gathering there? and how would lester's 'lord' know there was going to be anything like a blind person, that kid, forget his name....ollie's brother, or was it ollie?...and then there at the dome, i don't recall exactly what lester did...did he follow the lord's instruction?