The Drawing of the Three

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1987

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1, Chapter 3

Part 1, Chapter 4-Interlude 1

Part 2

Interlude 2-Part 3, Chapter 2

Part 3, Chapter 3-Interlude 3

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Ka

While destiny is interchangeably used for ka, ka isn’t exactly the same as fate. In fact, ka may be an untranslatable word, the range of its meanings lost in English. Roland describes it to Eddie as “duty, destiny, or in the vulgate, a place you must go” (198). In The Waste Lands, the sequel to The Drawing of the Three, ka is described as “a wheel,” the purpose of which is “to turn.” If the larger mythos of the series is considered, ka represents the will of Gan, the godlike persona who is ostensibly the spirit of the Dark Tower. For practical purposes, ka is an amalgam of duty and destiny. A key motif in The Drawing of the Three, ka links to the theme of The Relationship Between Destiny and Free Will. Roland is driven by ka, a sense of his higher purpose. According to Roland, his higher purpose and duty is to seek the tower and fight brutish destiny. In other words, Roland’s destiny is to fight what seems predestined and forge a new path. In the quest for this path, ka provides clues, which Roland trusts.

Because Roland acts on clues revealed by ka, ka is important in moving the plot forward. For instance, when Eddie asks Roland to take him through the second door, Roland’s heart tells him this would be the wrong move. Eddie tells Roland that he’ll kill his body if Roland leaves without him, but Roland steps through the doorway anyway, trusting ka. Thus, the decision to trust ka leads to Roland’s choices. Other characters likewise follow ka and walk the path they must, even though they do it without knowledge of their destiny. Eddie’s decision to wait for Odetta, risking his life, exemplifies how he goes to the place he must go, that of love and self-sacrifice. Although Eddie is initially skeptical of the concept of ka, making a scatological joke out of the term (“kaka”), he begins to accept it as a version of doing what one must do. When Eddie grimaces at the thought that he must kill the lobstrosities by hand to save bullets, Roland tells him, “Never mind, Eddie. What is, is” (307). Eddie nods his head and replies, “ka.” Ka is also an important plot point because it brings together Roland, Eddie, and Susannah. This “ka-tet” is a group of people whom fate brings together for a higher purpose.

The Dark Tower

The center of the multiverse in the eponymous series, the Dark Tower is under peril, occupied by the antagonistic Crimson King. It’s described as wreathed in flames and standing in the middle of a plain of red roses. Diagrammatically, the tower functions as a central axis around which the many worlds are arranged. Roland has been searching for the Dark Tower because he believes it’s here that he’ll find answers to the puzzle of mortality and existence. In his way, Roland may be able to help his fading world and find closure for the many who have died. In The Drawing of the Three, Roland often references the tower as the goal for his quest, romanticizing and mythologizing it. The tower is a key motif because like ka, it drives the plot forward. Most of the actions Roland takes are to get closer to the Dark Tower. For instance, during the trio’s rest period in the end, Roland dreams of the Dark Tower. In his dream, voices call to him: “Roland […] come […] come […] come” (450). He sees that the tower stands on a vast plain the color of blood. He decides that the many voices are calling to him and awakens, saying, “I come.” This indicates that Roland will soon end his rest and begin to seek the tower again.

As a symbol, the tower represents the end of a quest or journey. Its flip side is that it symbolizes endless pursuit and hubris, or excessive pride, which leads to tragedy. Roland is so fixated on finding the tower that he tends to overlook his reality and the people around him. Several events foreshadow that Roland’s chase for the tower may be never-ending, as suggested by the tower symbol repeated in Balazar’s building a house of cards. Eddie compares Henry’s drug use to a white tower, indicating that a quest can easily become self-detrimental. To reach the tower in a meaningful way, perhaps one needs to value the journey as much as the destination.

King takes the symbol and aesthetics of the tower from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series, where archvillain Sauron is embodied as a tower with an eye. In addition, the tower motif is drawn from Robert Browning’s poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came.” In the poem, a “childe,” or a callow, untested knight has been searching for a mysterious dark tower for years. Many knights before him have perished in the quest. Childe Roland travels through a horrific landscape, finally arriving at the tower, which is a squat turret. Roland signals the end of his quest by blowing a horn. The poem contains notes of ambiguity about the tower and the quest, and King’s series repeats these schemata.

Doubles and Pairs

When Roland reminds Jack Mort of the time Mort pushed Odetta onto the train tracks, Mort struggles to admit this. Roland notes that like Odetta/Detta, Mort has different aspects. However, while Odetta has dissociation—a mental health condition—Mort knows about his other self, “the pusher,” and knows “well enough what he did from time to time” (431). The pusher becomes a way for Mort to compartmentalize his actions. This example illustrates the key motif of doubles and pairs, showing that most people have different aspects. For instance, Eddie can be cynical or kind, and Roland can love both his companions and ka. The symbol of doubles highlights the thin line between good and evil and the importance of choosing the right action.

Eddie sees himself reflected across the doorway, while Detta and Odetta see each other. Roland and Eddie are also doubles in a way, both men in a state of peril. In addition, Roland’s relationship with Eddie mirrors his paternal relationship with Jake in the first book and repeats the relationship between Roland and Cort (Roland’s mentor). When Detta ambushes Eddie, Roland doesn’t intervene, noting that he must play the role of Cort to Eddie, letting Eddie make his own mistakes. Eddie also reminds Roland of his childhood friend Cuthbert, which ties into the motif of doubles in the series as a whole. The humorous and charming Cuthbert meets a fate similar to Eddie’s in the series, and the two bear an uncanny resemblance. The pattern of doubles or pairs continues in symbols and objects as well. The lobster-like creatures take two of Roland’s fingers. The Dark Tower has its mirror image in the house of cards that Balazar builds. The tarot card of The Lady of Shadows has both a bright and a shadowy side. Many of these doubles and pairs reflect the circular and pattern-like nature of reality. For instance, the walk across the beach is a recurring pattern, as is the movement of the lobstrosities. This foreshadows the recurrent nature of Roland’s quest in the context of the series.