The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Analysis

In the 2003 novel, The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, by Stephen King, starts the journey of Roland Deschain, the last Gunslinger. This is the first book of eight in a series which tells the story of the Dark Tower. Roland is on a quest to find the Man in Black, and he encounters humans, demons, and many unearthly beings throughout his travels. In the middle of the desert, Roland encounters a boy named Jake Chambers, who, like anyone else, he does not think he can trust. Despite this, Roland decides he likes Jake, and many characteristics are expressed about Roland and the way he thinks. Through this relationship, King expresses that attitudes about many things can change drastically based on one’s life experiences.

Roland’s attitude about life

As previously mentioned, Roland compares himself to a hawk named David from his past. This is seen in another instance where Roland remembers, “You cannot friend a hawk, they said, unless you are a hawk yourself, alone and only a sojourner in the land, without friends or the need of them” (182). It is evident that Roland is hesitant to seek company, because of the idea that he is too violent to spend much time with anyone. This thought eventually subsides, as he obviously enjoys Jake being by his side while on his long and unsmiling journey. Roland tends to avoid recalling his past, but he finds himself often telling stories to Jake, whether he realizes it at the time or not. This happens when he asks Jake, “When I was your age, I lived in a walled city, did I tell you that?” (108) and continues to tell a story. Roland has quickly become accustomed to companionship and opening up, which is a huge difference from his previous outlook. He has visibly changed regarding his attitude towards himself, but he also learns to appreciate other people and the values he learns from

At the beginning of the novel, Roland is desperate to catch up to the Man in Black and learn about the Dark Tower. It is possible that at first, Roland has hardly any idea where he is going. This is show when, “The gunslinger was struck by a momentary dizziness, a kind of yawning sensation that made the whole world seem ephemeral, almost a thing that could be looked through” (1). Although Roland knows he is following the Man in Black, he is lost in the open desert, walking through miles of barren, thirsty land. The novel starts and finishes with the Gunslinger being exhausted, possibly leading to some of his pessimism and dizziness towards the task at hand. He initially follows the Man in Black’s burnt out fires and campsites, but ends up unsure of where he is going. Once he encounters with Jake, almost all sight of the Man in Black is gone. This is hardly off-putting, as he is no longer totally desperate to catch up to him. Roland is actually tired of chasing him, which is evident when he realizes, “…the two of them could cast the man in black aside like a cheap wind-up toy” (214). By now, the Man in Black is clearly no longer a priority, regardless of Roland’s task as the last gunslinger. The Man in Black started out being of utmost importance to Roland, but ended up coming second to friendship, optimism, and a better