REPOST : 1978 The Stand Journal 7: Spiritual Tones

I am re-posting this.  CNN has an article on King and religion (HERE) in which I am quoted discussing children, Stephen King and faith.  


There are spoilers here. In particular, I am looking at the spiritual tones of Chapter 36 .

The Stand is an intensely spiritual novel. That is obvious just from the cover, which shows good and evil hacking it out. Later editions of the paperback have also included a horse and rider; reference the horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The 1978 edition walks you slowly toward the spiritual elements. The uncut version is quicker to the draw. King calls the book in his introduction a "long tale of dark Christianity."

King gave John Marks at Salon an interview in October of 2008. In that interview he discussed at some length the spiritual elements of The Stand. (HERE) 

Important to the discussion at hand, King says: "It's an effort to say, let's give God his due here. Too often, in novels that are speculative, God is a kind of kryptonite, and that's about all that it is, and it goes back to Dracula, where someone dumps a crucifix in Count Dracula's face, and he pulls away and runs back into his house. That's not religion. That's some kind of juju, like a talisman. I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to explore what that means to be able to rise above adversity by faith, because it's something most of us do every day."

TYPES -- Abagail and Moses:

Mother Abagail is a type of Moses. Typology in the -- theological sense -- explores connections between the Old and New Testament. Usually the study draws between old Testament characters/objects and the Messiah. Thus Noah, Moses, The Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, are all types of Christ. This is not exclusive, though. John the Baptist is a type of Elijah.

I am not reading the Moses theme into the book. It's there! First, it's in the text itself. Mother Abagail references the burning bush account in detail. Like Moses, she is humble and does not consider herself worthy of the task. But she is also smart enough to know that it would be unwise to argue with God.

If Mother Abagail will not argue or curse God, Frannie is not so timid! When told of the Stand, Fran bursts out with, "Killer God!. . . Millions, maybe billion -- dead in the plague. Millions more afterward. We don't even know if the children will live. Isn't He done yet? Does it just go on and on? He's no God, He's a demon, and you're His witch!" p.613

Abagail says about going to Colorado: "I've been told in a dream by the Lord God. I didn't want to listen. I"m an old woman, and all I want to do is die on this little piece of land. It's been my family's freehold for a hundred and twelve years, but I wasn't meant to die here any more than Moses was meant to go over into Canaan with the Children of Israel." p.337

Mother Abagail also heals Fran as a "sign" she is a true prophet. p.614.

Later in the novel she struggles with pride. King explains: "I always in my mind equated Mother Abagail with Moses."

By the way, Stu is later used as a "type" of Elijah as he relives the story. Elijah was fed by ravens -- Stu is fed by Kojak.

The Stand as Apocalyptic Literature:

King tells Salon: "Americans are apocalyptic by nature. The reason why is that we've always had so much, so we live in deadly fear that people are going to take it away from us." That's insightful! I agree wholeheartedly.

The Stand is Apocalyptic in nature because it is a story that deals with end time themes. It does not pretend to actually be a prophecy of any kind! It does not employ much symbolism, but is straightforward in its telling. No poetry or riddles! You have to go to The Dark Tower for that kind of stuff.

DREAMS:

"Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28

Several features of apocalyptic literature appear in the Stand. Dreams, for instance, are an important aspect. In The Stand, Dreams are used to direct the characters. Dreams are important to Joseph in the Old Testament, the book of Daniel and to Joseph, Jesus' step father. Revelation, Ezekiel and other prophetic books are not the result of a "dream" but "vision."

In The Stand, the dreams seem straightforward. But the symbolism is there! Mother Abagail's home represents safety, while the corn fields represent the unknown where evil lurks. So characters are called in from the dangerous corn to the safety of the home. Now, it's interesting that once they reach this safety, it turns out to only be a rally point -- the journey is only paused.

Biblical Imagery:

The plague is not just an "accident." Abagail sees the plague itself as the judgment of God. "God had brought down a harsh judgment on the human race. Some might argue with such a harsh judgment, but Mother Abagail was not among their number. He had done it once with water, and sometimes further along, he would do it with fire. Her place was not to judge God, although she wished He hadn't seen fit to set the cup before he lips that He had. But when it came to matters of judgment, she was satisfied with the answer God had given Moses from the burning bush when Moses had seen fit to question. Who are you? Mose asks, and God comes back from that bush just as pert as you like: I AM who I AM."p.317 .

In just this one passage we have the following references:

1. The plague as judgment.

2. The flood of Noah's day. (Water)

3. The final judgment. (Fire) These two references together are probably drawn from the theology set forth in 2 Peter. "long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire , being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:5-7

4. The cup. Jesus prayed that the 'cup" be taken from him. The cup being the cross, or his mission. Abagail sees her mission as a cup.

5. Moses and the burning bush.

The flood in Genesis 6-9 is a world wide event -- like the superflu. The idea of a "plague" -- sickness in this case -- comes from Moses' account in Exodus. There were 10 plagues, ending in the Angel of Death on Passover night. On that night, many died. The children of God were allowed to escape, only to face Pharaoh on new grounds.

PLAGUES:

In Revelation we are told that God gave the two witnesses the power to bring plagues down on the earth. There is also a plague of hail, described thusly: "From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible." Revelation 16:21

In terms of outlining the apocalypse (in Biblical terms), we would have to say that Mother Abagail is not a Tim Lahay pre-millenialist. That is, she does not think the children of God are raptured out before the tribulation. Here's how Abagail puts it: "I"m ready to go right now if You want me. They will be done, my Lord, but Abb's one tired shufflin old black woman. Thy will be done." p.323 She'd love to be taken out -- but she is ready -- like Christ in the Garden -- to endure suffering for the work of God.

A Very Real Devil!

"The devil isn't real -- the Bible's employment of such a character symbolizes the evil and sin inside of us." I had to go to a Bible University to learn that kind of garbage. The Bible never argues that the Devil is simply an idea -- he is a real being.

In The Stand, Nick suggests the idea that the Darkman isn't real. Abagail's thoughts run like this: "There wasn't really any Satan, that was their gospel. There was evil, and it probably came from original sin, but it was in all of us and getting it out was as impossible as getting and egg out of its shell without cracking it. yes, that had a good modern sound to it; the trouble with it was that it wasn't true. And if Nick was allowed to go on thinking that, the dark man would eat him for dinner."

Nice! I wish I could have gone to class with Mother Abagail, she would have served up that theology professor for her own dinner.

Abagail tells the five before hey leave to take their Stand, that the darkman "who is not a man at all but a supernatural being." p.614

Fire!

We should not overlook the use of fire as a symbol. . In The Stand, how does the end come for the wicked? Fire! The nuke in Las Vegas is set off by the finger of God himself! "Larry! The Hand of God!" . . . "and the thing in the sky did look like a hand" p.763 Expresses, possibly, the image of judgment coming from the finger of God. In Exodus Pharaoh's magicians declare that the plague is the "finger of God" and cannot be reproduced. (Ex. 8:19). Now get this, Jesus said that he drove out demons "by the finger of God." (Luke 11:20)

"And the righteous and unrighteous alike were consumed in that holy fire." 764 Compare to Jesus saying God causes the rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous, Matthew 5:45

Reverse Themes:

The Stand runs backward from typical end times theming as it nears the end.

In the Bible, localized plagues are warnings of a great world wide final judgment of fire. In the Stand, the plague is world wide, but the judgment of fire is localized.

Compare the Las Vegas scene to this: "They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them." Rev. 20:9 Now, here we have the wicked taking a "stand" against God. But fire comes from heaven and destroys them. So the journey is made by the wicked, who stand ready to attack the righteous.

Dark Themes:

In The Stand, what happens in America is supposed to be the prelude to a world wide conquest by Flagg. To accomplish his purposes, though, he needs a child. To get a child, Flagg has determined he must have a virgin. Of course, there is no immaculate conception here! . However, things do not go as Flagg planned! Not only does he lose his bride, his people get fried. But the expanded version makes it clear that this is not the end of the conflict. The darkman simply moves on, and the story continues.

Oh, and while noting dark themes -- how about the discussion of Flagg crucifying people! Yikes!

THE STAND

The idea of "The Stand" doesn't make sense to me! It is a plot turn that possibly doesn't work. Why must they go and "stand" when in the end God is going to send Trashcan man to bring ultimate doom?

Of course, Mother Abagail sees the need to "Stand" as an act of faith. Jesus spoke of the need to "stand" in his famous Olivet discourse when he discussed the signs of the end of the world. He said, "he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Matt. 24:13

Further, the manner in which Abagail sends them out is at least reminiscent of Jesus sending out the 12 into Israel.

Abagail's instructions:

1. The destination: "Go west"

2. The provision: No food, no water, not clothes.

3. The transportation: By foot.

4. The time: Immediately.

5. The warning: One will fall.

Compare to Jesus' instructions: "Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff -- " Matthew 10:9-10

"yes, with God's help you will stand." p.614

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" Eph. 6:13

1978 The Stand Journal 12

I like this picture.  Photo credit: http://www.freakingnews.com/Stephen-King-Books-Pictures--69-2.asp

Grover and Me:
I just finished the last tape of The Stand.  Yes, I listened to it.  It was read by Grover Gardner, and was fantastic.  At first Gardner seemed stiff, even dry, I found that I really liked him as the book progressed.  We became fast friends!

Gardner reads with a certain reserved energy.  Though he does not overpower the story, he is very engaged in what he is reading.  As one blogger commented, Gardner doesn't get in the way of the book!  He doesn't try to outperform the story. 

His voice is crisp, every word pronounced correctly, and well paced.  His inflections are always appropriate, but again, not distracting.  I think Gardner is quickly becoming one of my favorite readers!   

Pacing The Conclusion:
The Stand ends with a bang. . . and then it keeps going.  I really like the way King ended the Stand.  He didn't simply tie things up with the bad guys demise -- he spent time (considerable time) letting us see the world after Flagg.  The conclusion (a good hundred pages, I think) includes Stu and Tom meeting back up, and Tom's nursing Stu back to health.  It is touching, and again, not rushed.  Even in the chopped version I was reading, King gives this section room to breath.  He doesn't feel in a hurry to end the book -- and the reader isn't anxious for it to end, either.

The long journey home for Tom and Stu is the highlight of the last chapters of The Stand.  But there is more even after they reach the Free Zone.  Will Stu and Fran stay?  What about Larry's child?  On that note, what about Fran's?  Will the super-flu knock out the next generation?  These are things King deals with nicely in the last pages of The Stand.

I have read many reviews of The Stand, and no one ever mentions how much space King gives his characters at the end of the novel.  Usually King spends considerable time building characters at the beginning of a book; but here he lets us live with them a little bit longer.  Further, I have heard many people say they do not like the way King ends his books.  Try the Stand!  I think it is brilliant.  Though the "plot" has been carried out, King still sees more story ahead.  And the reader can imagine a million stories that could come out of The Stand.  It is surprising no one has thought to do a TV series based on the world of The Stand. 

Nukes And Our Children
Stu and Fran discuss the issue of bringing children into this new world.  But it's not really a "new" world!  In fact, the "toys" (kings word) are left behind -- nukes.  Two things need to be destroyed: The nukes, and the plant that created the super-flu. 

Now it's interesting that nukes are seen as the problem, since the essentially saved the Free Zone's hide.  There is a hint of anti-war sentiment that flows throughout The Stand.  Not that good should roll over and refuse to fight, but simply a fear that by over-building our military complex, we might be forcing our children's hands.

God:
God turned out to be a pretty important character in The Stand.  When The Bomb actually goes off, it is unclear for a moment if God did it, or Flagg did it!  Flag was playing with a blue ball of fire when Trashy showed up with his toy.  It is that same ball of fire that strikes the bomb.  But later dialogue makes it clear that it was the work of God.

What kind of God do we encounter in The Stand?  At the mid point, Fran paints the picture of an evil God who would destroy so much of His creation.  But as the Stand progresses, we begin to see a purpose unfolding.

God's will is a major theme of The Stand.  God is portrayed as Sovereign; beyond our understanding, and able to tell the future.  God is shown as active in the affairs of men (he is not far off, unconcerned with us).  Now here's an interesting theological note: In the Stand, God is willing and ready to act.  He is completely capable of stopping evil.  He is not threatened by Flagg.  But before he will act, he requires that men also take their Stand.  He desires to use humans as much as possible in order to carry out His will.  Glen Bateman puts it together for us, saying "If there's a God, and I now believe these must be -- that's his will.  We're going to die and somehow all of this will end as a result of our dying."

God is not only presented as all powerful, but as Just.  Tom Cullen puts it pretty succinctly when he says, "It was the bad man killed Nick.  Tom knows.  But God fixed that bad man.  I saw it.  The hand of God came down out of the sky."  Now why did God kill the "bad man"?  Tom tells us!  "Fixed him for what he did to Nick and to the poor judge.  Laws yes."

Nods in other King works:

• Freemantle: Mother Abigail's last name is Freemantle.  In Duma Key the main character is named Edgar Freemantle.
• Hemmingford Home is also the setting for 1922.  It is the hometown of Ben from IT.  Hemmingford Home is also seen in The Last Rung Of The Ladder.
• In Wizard and Glass, Blane The Mono stops in the world of The Stand. 
• Night Surf sort of serves as a prologue to The Stand.
• The evil character Flagg appears in The Eyes of the Dragon and The Dark Tower.  If he is the Devil himself, then he is also in Needful Things.
• Wikipedia notes something really cool: "In the denouement, Stu and Tom happen upon an abandoned Plymouth Fury with the initials 'A.C.' engraved on the keychain. Arnie Cunningham was the owner of the 1958 Plymouth Fury in Christine. The car is found empty with no apparent driver."
• Wikipedia points out that radio signals from Arnette, Texas, are also heard in The Tommyknockers.
• And. . . "Charles Decker's teacher in Rage, Mrs. Jean Underwood, is said to be a relative of Larry Underwood."
• Finally, Wikipedia says that "Stuart Redman has a dream of a corn field with a creature with red eyes staring at him, this is a reference to "Children of the Corn".

1978 The Stand Journal 11: Dreams Of Charlie Manson and the Will of God

Dream On. . .

We already know that dreams play an important role in The Stand.  They are initially used to draw people to either Mother or The Dark Man.  Dreams continue to season the story.  One in particular stood out to me -- it's from Larry Underwood.

Larry dreams that he is at a gig -- a big concert.  Of course, it's the fulfillment of his dreams. 

the audience began to clap rhythmically and call for Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?  he looked down int he first row and felt a slapping dash of cold ice water fear.  Charles Manson was there, the X on his forehead healed to a white twisted scar, clapping and chanting.  And Richard Speck was there, looking up at Larry with cocky impudent eyes, and unfiltered cigarette jittering between his lips.  They were flanking the dark man.  Flagg was leading the chant.

Freaky!  I like those kind of cultural references.

The novel moves on without explaining the dream.  On the surface, it could be simply nothing more than Larry's fears.  He knows deep within himself that the dark man is the evil behind Manson and Speck and every other evil; he's the devil.  Charlie Manson and Richard Speck were no one's servants!  So for them to be flanking and serving someone else, that other person must be one bad dude!

I think the dream goes deeper than that.  Why is Larry dreaming about the dark man?  Because there are issues within himself that are unresolved.  He's scared.  Not so much of the dark man -- but of himself.  The dream occurs after Stu has taken his tumble and Larry and the others are headed toward Vegas to take their stand.  Will he?  Or will he chicken out?  He's scared to death that he might not have the courage to take his stand.

The Stand: God's Will?

There's a lot at the end of The Stand about the will of God.  Why must they "stand"?  In simple terms -- because that is God's will.  It is a brilliant answer, since it requires no further answers.  God has understanding we don't, and thus he can require of us what we do not understand.  His will doesn't have to make sense to us.  In the Bible -- that works quite well!  Abraham, take your son up on the mountain.  Makes no sense to us!  God is testing Abraham.  But does it work in a novel?  "Larry, take your stand, let the enemy destroy you."  And the reader asks. . . but why?  Why must Larry and the others take a stand?  The bad boys are going to implode, so why must some righteous die with them?

King gives an answers (beyond God's will).  The reason for The Stand is the refinement of each man.  It proves what they are made of.  Or more importantly, it proves without a doubt who they serve.  What would you die for?  Just as Abraham's willingness showed who he really was -- so these servants will be tried by fire. 

The test is not just a "proving" -- it's a "becoming."  They are not sold out to God's will when they leave the Free Zone.  It is only as they approach the dark man's lair that they begin to rely more wholly on God and take comfort in his will.  It is only in the test that they become what they are really meant to be.

Consider this passage -- as a pastor I find this incredibly insightful!

(Thinking?  Praying?)
It was all the same thing.  Whichever it had been, the old wound in himself had finally closed, leaving him at peace.  He had felt the two people that he had been all his life -- the real one and the ideal on -- merge into one living being.  His mother would have liked this Larry.  And Rita Blakemoor.  It was a Larry that Wayne Stukey never would have had to tell the facts of life to.  It was a Larry that even that long-ago oral hygienist might have liked.

I'm going to die.  If there's a God -- and I now believe there must be -- that's His will.  We're going to die and somehow all of this will end as a result of our dying.  (p.753)

The merging to two Larry's into one is very nice.  Most of us live with two people; the person we reveal and the person we really are.

Also, note the idea that their dying is somehow directly related to the dark man's end.  They must sacrifice in order to bring peace to the Free Zone (world). 

It brings up the rather complicated question (again) of Why? 
First question: Why must they die? 
Answer: It is God's will. 

Okay. . . but why is it God's will? 
Answer: God doesn't have to explain himself. 

But do you see -- the Author giving an answer beyond that frustrating response.  Part of Larry's inner healing is his death.  It is only when he faces head on his own death, and chooses not to bow down to the dark man -- that he becomes the man he so desperately wants to be.

1978 The Stand Journal 10

                     Picture: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Randallflagg7.jpg

After the death of mother Abigail the story moves to beautiful Las Vegas.  King does not give the dark side much time to revel in their own glory.  Stuff starts going bad quick!  Flagg, it turns out, is not such a good leader.

Results of fear in culture:
1. People in Vegas are very efficient.  More so than in the Free Zone.  They not only have the lights on, but they are preparing planes for combat.

2. Unhappiness.  Though productive, the Dark Man's people are ruled by fear, and thus very unhappy.  They do not build deep relationships.  This is brilliantly revealed from Tom's point of view.

3. Unable to maintain lasting loyalty.  Flagg, though he is able to draw people to himself, is unable to keep people from defecting.  This bit of info is unveiled through Lloyd.  Flagg does not inspire loyalty from those who know him best. 

Note also Flagg's inability to control or lead The Trashcan man.  Granted, perhaps now one could control ole Trashy, but Flagg doesn't even try.  This is the opposite of Mother Abigail, who inspired loyalty, love and acted as a shepherd of the people.  A moses type.

There are times the story starts to take turns that I am interested in, even though I know King is not going to follow them through.  The bombers preparing to wipe out the Free Zone is cool stuff!  Of course, the idea of an all out war between the two sides would have been an interesting direction.  However, King moves the story much like the Biblical Apocalypse -- at the great battle of Armageddon, evil turns out to be inept in the face of God. 

4. Means of control.  Flagg uses raw fear to keep things well oiled an running smoothly.  The most feared punishment is crucifixion.  This method of controlling subjects was used by many ancient societies, most notably Rome. 

In the end, a fear based people results in a dysfunctional society (just as on a micro-level this happens in a family which is built on fear instead of love).  This is illustrated through the fate of Flagg's bride, Nadine. Closest to him, she is drawn to him, but does not love him.


So why is Flagg unable to build a functional society?  Is it simply that he is a poor leader?  I'm not sure.  I think King is taking some shots at Communism and other Police State societies that gain power through fear.

A final thought: Those thinking about defecting tell Lloyd that they are headed to South America.  I believe in the extended version, Flagg reappears on a beach. . . maybe -- South America ?

1978 The Stand Journal 9: Welcome Edgar Allan Poe To The World Of The Stand!

King's love for Edgar Allan Poe can be spotted in a lot of his work (follow the tag at the end of this post for more).  The theme of revenge in Dolan's Cadllic is quite reminiscent of “The Cask of Amontillado."  King honored Poe's short story The Tell Tale Heart with his short story The Old Dudes Ticker.

Note these similarities between the Cask of Amontillado and Dolan's Cadillac:

1. Both are stories of revenge.
2. Both use the idea of being buried alive. Dolan in his car, Fortunato is buried in the wall.
3. Both are told in the first person.
4. Both Dolan and Fortunato die very slowly.
5. Both Fortunato and Dolan have similiar pleas:

Poe writes:  “For the love of God, Montresor!”  "Yes”, I said, “for the love of God!”
King writes:  “For the love of God!” he shrieked. “For the love of God, Robinson!”  “Yes,” I said, smiling. “For the love of God.”


Welcome Edgar Allan Poe To THE STAND:

In the scenes when The Judge is making his way toward Las Vegas, he encounters some a crow.  The lines about the crow are direct references to Poe's The Raven.

Here's some snapshots from The Stand, chapter 51,

Tap tap tap on the window . . .
Tap tap Tap like the raven that had flown in to roost on the bust of Pallas.
Will I get any idea what chinks there might be in the dark man's armor?  Nevermore.
Will I get back safe?
nevermore.
tap, tape, tap. 

• Like The Raven, the judge is very lonely.  The lonely man in the Raven is filled with sorrow for his lost Lenore.  The judge misses The Freezone.  In fact, he is so lonely, he compares himself to Cain, outcast by God.
• The lonely man in The Raven distracts his mind with books.  As the Judge rests, he occupies his mind by reading.
• The lonely man is interrupted by a "tapping."  As cited above, the King section of The Stand is blocked by "tapping" both at the beginning and the end of the section.
• Both men are interrupted by a bird: A Raven / A Crow.  Crows in King's work represent omens.
• The raven perched on the bust of Pallas.  That is the goddess of wisdom in Greek mythology.  King writes: "Tap tap tap like the raven that had flown in to roost on the bust of Pallas."  (p.629, pb)
• When the lonely man asks the name of the Raven, it answers "Nevermore."  The same line repeated several times to The Judge.
• The lonely man understands that the bird does not speak for wisdom, but has been taught "by some unhappy master."  Likewise, The Crow is not a crow, but the Dark Man!
• My mom noted that the meter of this section matches Poe's as well.

Read The Raven here: http://www.heise.de/ix/raven/Literature/Lore/TheRaven.html

1978 The Stand Journal 8: Autobiographical Touches

The Stand is not only a very spiritual book, at moments it is quite autobiographical. We don't meet King directly, as we did in the Dark Tower, but there is a family mention.

In chapter 40 of The Stand, we are once again taken deep inside the thoughts of Mother Abagail. As she sits on a screened porch, she thinks of a traveling salesman who had come through Hemingford Home in 1936 or ‘37.

"Why, he had been the sweetest talking fellow she had ever met in her life; he could have charmed the birdies right down from the trees." p.400

Why does this traveling salesman matter? Well, because. . .

1. HIS NAME: His name is "Mr. Donald King." Stephen King’s father’s name was Donald King. Is he deliberately making a connection?

2. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS: King is careful to draw the readers attention to the name. "She had never seen him again, but she had never forgotten his name, either." p.400 It's like he's pointing.

3. OCCUPATION: Donald King was a vacuum cleaner salesman. And hey. . . guess what the salesman in the Stand is? Yep – a vacuum cleaner salesman.

In one page King mentioned several times that the salesman was a sweet talker. I am not quite sure the relation, but it makes me wonder if his father was known to be a charmer.

4. RESULT: So what was the end result of Mr. Donald King? Does Stephen King tell us? In a way. He does it through the good prophet -- Mother Abagail: "She just bet he had gone on to break some white lady’s heart." p.400 (639 uncut edition)

1978 The Stand Journal 6: The Shining

The Shining is much more about Danny Torrance and his gift than it is about Jack. Danny has a gift -- he is able to "Shine." Dick Hallorann also has the gift of Shining. And, know who else "Shines" in the Stephen King universe? Mother Abagail also shines.

"I started having dreams two years before this plague ever fell. I've always dreamed, and sometimes my dreams have come true. Prophecy is the gift of God and everyone has a smidge of it. My own grandmother used to call it the shining lamp of God, sometimes just the shine." (p. 377, paperback)

1978 The Stand Journal 5

The journal entries have spoilers. these are not reviews, they are my thoughts as I read the books. I am assuming you have also read the books.

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Undiscovered Country: Chapter 35

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I thought I knew the Stand pretty well. Cover to cover. And this most recent reading hasn't landed many surprises.

. Often I have been most captivated by how King writes. For instance, Larry watches Nadine ride off on a motorcycle. But King describes the movement in terms of sound. It was very fluid and natural. But if I had been writing the scene, I would have only connected visually -- his watching the bike ride further and further away. King accomplishes what he needs completely by sound.

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You can't really blame me for having skimmed it the first few times, the chapter is massive. It seems with large chapters, sometimes I start skipping and dipping -- as if it is simply a course to complete.

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I met someone today I had forgotten all about. In fact, he is so far out of my thoughts I can't remember what happens to him. It's a kid named Joe. I know nothing! It's a delight to discover a character you had previously breezed by.

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Joe is a boy who has regressed in his development since the plague. He trusts Nadine and at least at the novel's current point, he poses a minor threat to Larry Underwood.

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Tone, War Of The Worlds:

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The tone of this chapter reminds me very much of H.G. Well's: War of the Worlds. Actually, it reminds me of the 1938 radio drama by Orson Wells! Just the tone. A man wanders across a destroyed earth and begins to meet other survivors. Honestly, it has very much the same feeling.

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This is just to prove what happens when you start reading into things -- the name of the town they come to is Wells. I kid you not! Come on, H.G., Orson and now the name of the town! M-O-O-N, that spells Wells.

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Heady

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I love the way King can get inside a characters head. As Larry travels, he is on Herold and Fran's heels. Larry develops a respect for Herold, his boldness, his ingenuity. He imagines Herold to be a common sense farmer. Of course, he's off by a mile!

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"Lovesick or no, Milky Way freak or not, Larry had gained a lot of respect for Herold, almost a liking in advance. He had already developed his own mental picture of Harold. Probably in his mid-thirties, a farmer maybe, tall and suntanned, skinny, not too bright in the book mental sense, maybe, but plenty canny. He grinned. Building up a mental picture of someone you had never seen was a fool's game, because they were never the way you had imagined."

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These are the kind of details that didn't get snipped out of the Stand, 1978. King resisted the urge to chop up character development, and instead took his cuts in big lumps. Wise, in my opinion.

1978 The Stand Journal 4: Random notes to the Lincoln Tunnel

Wow, this book is great! These are random notes thus far.

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1. Lloyd trapped in the prison. He's captured a rat for dinner. The character development of Lloyd -- via a bunny -- is fantastic.

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2. The walking dude has been introduced. His scenes are some of the few where King backs up and shows the larger landscape. In the complete edition, he added several overview scenes. They were, in some cases, heart breaking, but brilliant as they opened the movie up. Again, much like Lucas did when he re-vamped Star Wars.

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3. The Stand has some of the most annoying characters in King history. Herold is one of them for sure. Greasy, icky and beyond simply socially awkward. Add to that the irritating, pill popping Rita. These characters are paired with "normies" who are quite likable. The pairing is brilliant from a literary point of view because it gives the book needed tension.

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4. This book also has some of the best characters you'll ever encounter. Nick, for one, is a wonderful addition to the story.

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5. The Stand also gives us the very emotionally unstable -- unstable nothin'! this dude is all out off his rocker -- Trashcan Man! Again, the background story is great. It's scary how easily King puts us inside the head of a crazy man.

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6. Larry's long trip through the Lincoln tunnel is wonderful -- and very scary. It is one of the best scenes King has ever given us.

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7. There aren't many "couples" in this book. By that, I mean, people who started out with a spouse -- even if they are knocked off by Captain Trips. Frannie, Larry, Stu, Lloyd, Trashcan and Nick are all single. Stu was married, but his wife died before the novel began. For both Frannie and Larry, the important relationship is a parent; Franny her Father, Larry his mother. But, at least for major characters, there is no loss of a spouse as a result of Super Flu.

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8. There also are not a lot of children filling the landscape thus far. In the unabridged edition, a child falls down a well. I do not think that is in the 1978 edition. But for the most part, children are absent.

1978 The Stand Journal 3: Audio edition

picture: Sharon holds volume 1-2 of The Stand.

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My wife bought me the Stand on audio tape, read by Grover Gardner. I'm really enjoying it! She had the tapes sent directly to a company that converts tapes to CD. They also put them on MP3 for me.

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We used: Thick And Mystic Media to professionally transfer the material. http://www.audiomover.com/ They did great! The sound quality is superb (these tapes were pretty old, and there are absolutely no sound issues thus far). Each chapter serves as a separate track.

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If you want it on CD, you have to actually buy the audio tapes and then transfer them. However, Ms. Mod at stephenking.com answers the legal question of transferring your tapes to CD as follows: "That shouldn't be an issue because it's for your own use but it's the people who are making multiple copies and selling them which is clearly violating copyright laws that we have a problem with." http://www.stephenking.com/forums/showthread.php/15950-The-Stand-on-CD

It appears that when this was originally recorded, unabridged recordings were not sold in mainstream book stores. It was more popular to abridge recordings for mass sale. So the unabridged books were primarily for libraries -- catering to the blind.

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So far, the book is fantastic. I've read this edition once before, but it was years ago.

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Details:

• The audio tapes are broken into two volumes.
• The first volume has 11 hour and half cassettes. It originally sold for $88.00. (2163-A)
• The second volume has 12 hour and half cassettes. It originally sold for $96.00. (2163-B)
• Both volumes say "collector's edition." I do not know why.
• The recording was done by books on tape.
• The reader is Grover Gardner. I like his reading very much. He has recorded a lot of books -- some of them absolutely massive! Like Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. He also recorded The Dark Half.

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1978 The Stand Journal 2: Year Of The Stand

1978 was a long time ago in a Galaxy very far away. I was five years old. I distantly remember that strange era that made up the seventies. They were awkward, and tense, and everything was pretty uncool. Our hair, our clothes (my mom made me a polyester suit I wore to school, it was itchy) and even our TV was a little nutty. Come on, a show about the California Highway Patrol. . . every week!

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The Stand has been given several makeovers. First when King updated the work in 1990. Later it was given a nice new look with the mini-series, and most recently it has been updated with the comic books. But I want to go back -- way back to 1978 when the Stand was originally released. Of course, that is not exactly the year King was writing the Stand in. It is the year people began reading.

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On Star Trek if you want to time warp, you have to sling-shot around the sun. Here, you just have to scroll down! So come on, let's go back to 1978.

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1978. . .

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Norman Rockwell died that year and Charlie Chaplain's remains were stolen. Jimmy Carter was president, and inflation was on the rise big time! There was a coal strike that was not helping the situation. Carter did authorize the minting of the Susan B. Anthony dollar. That went over well. The Federal debt was only 776.6 billion. That's all! We almost could have written a check! A stamp cost 0.13 cents. This dreary sense of America is palpable in the Stand.

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Ford was advertising it's new car, stating "Tomorrow's idea from Ford is here!" Ford Fairmont Futura. $4,267. AVON was marketing TEMPO to black women.
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In 1978 there was no Internet, debit cards, kindle, DVD's, mini-van or AIDS. There were also no cellphones. In fact, if you needed to make a call on the run, you dived in to a phone booth. Remember those? Superman's favorite changing room! And most phones still required you spin a dial.

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Politics:

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Dianne Feinstein, now a senator from California, succeeded murdered George Moscone as mayor of San Francisco. Jerry Brown was governor of California -- the first time. The Los Angeles strangler was on the loose (later known as the Hillside Strangler).

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And then there was Jimmy Carter. Sure, I know what you're thinking: He's not in The Stand -- right? Wrong! He is in The Stand. Well, not by name, but it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to spot him. He's playing the role of President, so it sorta makes it easy to find Waldo here.
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Carter was a peanut farmer and governor of the state of Georgia. He was known for his big smile (grin) and Christian virtues. This is from chapter 16, when the president decides to reign in the military.

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"You know who that was on the phone."

"It was really him, then?"

"The old Georgia Giant himself. I've been relieved. The clod-hopper releved me, Len. Of course, I knew it was coming. But it still hurts. Hurts like hell. It hurts coming fromt that grinning sack" p.116, paperback.

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That's chapter 22, page 166 in the revised. And in this version there is no "Georgia Giant" hint offered up, he is simply called "The President." Why? Because Jimmy wasn't in office when the Stand was rewritten. By the way, notice that just between thsoe two scenes, the revised edition gave 40 pages of extra build up.

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Religion:

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Of interest to me, that was the year of three Popes! In august, Pope Paul 6 died and was replaced by 65-year old John Paul 1. But he died on September 28, after only 34 days in office. John Paul 2 became pope on September 28, 1978.

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Religion was actually in a pretty crazy state that year. It was also the year of the Jones Town deaths. Followers of Jim Jones drank the kool-aid, giving their lives to Jones after the murder of a Congressman and reporters. It is interesting that The Stand is released amist such religious chaos. Flagg is a Jim Jones type, who's followers (like Jones') will all meet a tragic end. Nukes -- kool-aid, what's the real difference?

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The Stand is a deeply spiritual novel. From the dreams, to Mother Abigail to the devil himself -- it is the stroy of good verses evil. Of course, the 1978 hardcover sported a drawing of good and evil hacking it out. And what is Flagg in the end? Just another Jim Jones! Or, reverse it; what was Jim Jones? Posessed by Flagg.

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Movies:

At the movies, you could see:

Jaws 2,

Animal House,

the Wiz,

Superman,

Halloween,

Grease,

Invasion of the Body Snatchers,

Heaven Can Wait,

and of course: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Hey, that was a good movie! By the way, there is a remake of Killer Tomatoes coming out this year -- I think.

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Top it off with a viewing of Capicorn One, starring OJ Simpson. Capicorn One played on the nations doubt of government, suggesting even the space program was a hoax. A similar mistrust of government is expressed in The Stand -- but much better executed.

1978 The Stand Journal 1: Edited Version

I'm reading through the Stand at a breakneck pace. Really. Thanks to books on tape. The version I'm reading is the 1978 trimmed down version. Fans, of course, tend to prefer to uncut edition. In fact, the 1990 version was my introduction to Stephen King.

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I am finding that the story moves very quickly in this version. It is not as dry as I remembered it being. I'm enjoying it a lot! The original was a favorite of King fans from the beginning. Of course, no one knew Doubleday's dirty little secret, did they? 400 pages had been chopped out!

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Which edition?

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In her 1990 rant against the un-cut version of The Stand, Ann Carter gave a rather scathing review of the updates. She make an energetic argument for the book as is! In fact, she says that the 1978 version shows what a good editor King is. That said, I find I like both novels for what they are! One doesn't have to be "better" than the other.

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King once pointed out that when someone says a movie "ruined" the book, that person is out of their mind (my words). A movie cannot really destroy or mess up a book, because even after the movie is watched -- the book is still there on the shelf. The story can be read again and again. That holds true when a book is updated or revised. You can still go buy the original edition of The Stand for pretty cheap. In fact, you can get book club editions of it for about $5. So if you prefer the original, it's still there!

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I like The Stand 1978 for the speed at which King moves the story. It is nicely edited. He did not do a hack-job on his own book. If you want to see King hacked up, listen to the abridged version of Thinner on audio tape! That's what happens when King's work falls into the hands of the choppers. However, King himself shows respect for his story, and he gives it a very nice tummy tuck.

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What The Stand uncut gives us is depth. When Lucas remade the original Star Wars films, he not only added scenes, he opened up existing scenes. For instance, on cloud city windows were added that showed all kinds of things happening outside. The same happens in The Stand. The picture is opened up and we are given a wider view of America and the characters that inhabit the world of The Stand.

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What Exactly Was Cut?

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In her complaining about the new edition, Ann Carter actually gave a pretty good explanation of what was cut from the original edition of The Stand. The list below is compiled from quotes by Carter:

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1. Scenes have been added. The 1990 story begins with a security guard at the germ warfare lab running for safety with his wife and child, hoping to escape the deadly virus that has gotten away from its creators. The 1978 story begins with his death. The new version adds an unpleasant confrontation between Fran and her mother among other story stoppers.
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2. Scenes also have been expanded, putting in dialogue, action, description and recollection that don`t add much to the story, but do a great job of slowing it down. Trash Can Man`s trek across the country is enlarged. A scene in which Stu reminisces has him telling of a pre-flu meeting with someone he could swear was the supposedly late Jim Morrison of the Doors.

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http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-05-27/features/9001100780_1_las-vegas-stephen-king-boulder

Brian Schwartz writes at his blog, "Much of what was added improved the book. It added depth to the characters – particularly to the man known as “The Trashcan Man.” http://brianbookreviews.blogspot.com/2010/06/stand-by-stephen-king.html

King told Time Magazine:
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Why The Stand was edited:

It sort of nagged me a lot that those pages had been cut. Doubleday had a physically limiting factor in those days because they used a glue binding instead of a cloth binding, and the way it was explained to me was that they had so much of a thickness they could do before the glue just fell apart. And that meant issuing a book in two volumes, and they didn't want to do that. So my editor came to me and said, "We have to cut this book by 400 pages. And that's the reason why. It doesn't have anything to do with quality."

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How The Stand Was Rewritten:

I actually sat down and wrote the book again. I had the manuscript on one side of an IBM Selectric typewriter and I had the pages of a book that I had torn out of the binding on the other side. And I started at the beginning and I updated the dates and wrote new material. But when I think about it, I think to myself, "Jesus, that was a lot of work."

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When Robert Bloch died, the only thing that anybody really remembered about him was that he wrote Psycho, which became the famous Alfred Hitchcock movie. And whenever I'm introduced, I'm the guy that wrote The Stand. When my name comes up in the blogs these days, it's usually in relation to H1N1: "He was the guy who thought about the flu!"

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http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934180_1934196_1935980,00.html