Inside the Dark Tower Series by Patrick McAleer brings up an interesting point about the gothic world of the Dark Tower. Gothic is usually described as uncanny, off, close enough to reality but not close enough for comfort. McAleer makes a point of noting that “simplicity and singularity function as polar opposites to the Gothic which concerns itself with the ornate and various, which leads to the eerie pairings of characters in the Dark Tower series – Roland/ Crimson King; Cuthbert/Eddie; Jake/Alain; Susan/Susannah; Sheemie/Bryan Smith…” (Page 48). McAleer notes that there is an eerie pairing of Susan and Susannah, but he doesn’t note the pairing that is Susannah. Each of the pairings is necessary for Roland to reach the Tower. I’m afraid I’m repeating myself in these posts, but I’m also trying to find other ways of explaining the connections.

This would also probably be a good time to look at the historical context of the novel. Why did King use the gothic themes? It is obvious that King was inspired by his real life, as he writes himself into the story, as well as his family and his accident. This plays into the Gothic theme in that we can see resemblances to King’s real life and the world we live in. We even see it in the world’s that have moved on, but there are still remnants of our world. The 1980s followed the major tensions of the Cold War between The U.S. and the Soviet Union. By this time Reagan and Gorbachev were releasing tensions toward the end of the decade. But the early 80s contained many assassinations of major political figures, as well as the attempted assassination of Reagan and Pope John Paul II. IBM released its first wide-spread consumer computer in ’81. The Gunslinger was released in ’82, which means King was probably working on it through the late Seventies. The last Dark Tower book (not including the Wind Through The Key Hole, a spin-off novel) was released in 2004. By that time The United States had ended the Cold War, but had suffered the loss of 9/11, and began another war. King’s personal life had also suffered loss, his boys were growing, and he was almost killed in a car accident. Turmoil, uncertainty, led to Mid-World: the world that had moved on. The gothic had evolved to a fear of nuclear destruction, a fear of a deadly disease, a fear of a post-apocalyptic world. Gothic in the 50s was a fear of brain washing, fear of otherness. Gothic in the 60s was a fear of nuclear destruction. The turn of the millenium and the last decades of a century led to a deeper, darker fear.

And thus, The Dark Tower.

So, I’m close to the end of the seventh and final book in the series and therefore close to reaching the tower. Susannah and Roland and Oy encounter Castle Discordia where the Crimson King used to rule and has abandoned to head towards the Tower. They meet fake Stephen Kings, three of them in fact. And they introduce themselves as basically the id, ego, and superego. Each Fake King speaks and communicates in the way you would expect each of the subconscious’s to communicate.

This presented an interesting take on the Ka-Tet. The Tet is brought together by Ka and they are meant to save the remaining Beams and then reach the tower. If we look at the Tet as a whole, at least the main components, are Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake. Roland is the first and sole continuous character in the Tet working toward the Tower. So to assume Roland is the whole of the Tet embodied: Jake is the superego, a child and the most self sacrificing of the group, Eddie is the id, an adult male struggling with a heroin addiction and a sarcastic personality, Susannah is the ego, she is the combination of her own personal superego and id.

This is a hefty concept so allow me to expand. Jake is drawn into the tet twice, and twice he dies to further the quest for the Dark Tower. The first death he allows Roland to let him fall to his death so that Roland can continue his journey; the second death he jumps in front of the moving car to save Stephen King so that the writer can continue writing their story. This exemplifies the idea that Jake is the superego; the superego can be defined as the ideal self or the conscience. Jake is the ideal character that sacrifices himself in order to continue the journey.

Eddie is the first that Roland draws onto the beach. Eddie grew up in a lower class family, and him and his brother both were addicted to heroin. The id is generally defined as the part of the subconscious that is driven by pleasure or desire. In Eddie’s case, he is at first driven by the desire to get high, and on the beach to get back to his when. As Eddie’s character and the story develops, Eddie becomes the one in the group that keeps things lighthearted, if Eddie isn’t joking you know something is wrong. He doesn’t have the deep held desire to get to the tower like Roland, but he is kind of the backbone to the group, expressing concerns and feelings that the other members may be unwilling to share.

Susannah begins the story as Odetta and Detta, which is interesting to note because Susannah begins as an internal superego and id before she becomes the ego for herself and for the Tet. Odetta Holmes was self-sufficient, educated, and a civil rights activist – arguably a civil rights activist would be in the definition of the superego’s ideal self definition. Detta Walker, however, was aggressive, and vulgar, driven by her want to tease white men and then cut them off to see how angry they would get and arguably to show her power over them. Detta was the id within the body, driven by wants and desires, such as stealing from department stores even though Odetta was very rich. When they have to face each other they have to merge into Susannah Dean who embodies the ego. She is the middle ground between the superego of Odetta and the id of Detta. She also becomes the ego between Eddie’s id and Jake’s superego, and therefore the ego of the entire group. Each of the Tet represents the subconscious of Roland manifested, because he needs each of them to reach the Tower. And Susannah happens to be the only one that survives to go with Roland on the last stretch of road to the Dark Tower. The ego (Susannah in this case) is necessary to embody not only her own superego and id but also the superego and id of the group.

I hate exercise, but let’s take a hike to the Dark Tower.

“A long tale, like a tall Tower, must be built a stone at a time.” -Stephen King

In this post I’m mostly working through the character evolution of Susannah Dean/Odetta Holmes/Detta Walker/Mia. They are all physically in the same body but separate characters.

Odetta Holmes was educated and humble, a civil rights activist in New York in the 1950s and 60s.

Detta Walker was her other half: vile, angry, violent. Unaware the other existed, they lived separate lives until they were forced to face each other and unite to become Susannah Dean.

Susannah seemed to personify Odetta, yet Detta is the one that surfaces in times of need or strength to encourage Susannah.

The fourth personality, Mia, emerges when Susannah begins to suspect she is pregnant. And she is, well Mia is. Mia is also white and has legs. They are forced to work together in order to birth Mordred Deschain, the creature destined to end Roland’s quest for the Tower.

Susannah enters Mid-World as a black woman with two personalities and only half her legs. Not only is Susannah the only one of the ka-tet that is woman, but she also comes with other characteristics that set her apart. It is no surprise that she is the one that helps birth the creature to end Roland, but she is also the only member of the Tet to survive the quest for the tower other than Roland.

But! The more important insight is that King uses Susannah’s different personalities to develop her character. Roland changes through the story to become more caring, Jake develops from a child into a slightly older child, Eddie goes from an addict to a recovering addict.

Suz, goes from two personalities to one, but then she merges, taking basically the best of both personalities. An evolution. Then when Mia invades and they birth Mordred, Susannah is finally ready to face the Dark Tower.

Ka is a wheel, may it do ya.

Long days and pleasant nights.

-T