Just finished it. My interpertation of the ending

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I am often disapointed with King's endings - as a lot of his fans are - however that's not a major issue with his writings. After all, if fiction wants to be true to real life, the endings need to be disapointing at times. You get my point...

My interpetation (Obvious Spoilers):

- Randall Flagg is a metaphor for Cristopher Colombus (hear me out)

The epilogue has a guy arriving to a group of "uncivilized" people, a.k.a local inuits of a certain continent. Flagg is that guy, and he is going to corrupt the minds of the indians with their capitalism and greed,

- The last scene with Frannie and Stu is an anti cold-war plea, made by King himself. (book writen in 1978)

let us stop the nuclear weapons from being made. Trashcan Man is am metaphor for communism.

Okay, so this is my view on it. I know, it may seem farfetched, but this was my analysis. After all, 1400 pages have to have some point to make.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

- Captain Trips is the Black Death a.k.a bubonic plague

In the end, we realize, it had ñothing to do with a punishment from a deity . It was a virus from a biological warfare (cold war again.)

( Conversation between Frannie, Stu and the doctor, upon Stu's arrival to Boulder.

 

[kingzeppelin]

I am often disapointed with King's endings - as a lot of his fans are - however that's not a major issue with his writings. After all, if fiction wants to be true to real life, the endings need to be disapointing at times. You get my point...

My interpetation (Obvious Spoilers):

- Randall Flagg is a metaphor for Cristopher Colombus (hear me out)

The epilogue has a guy arriving to a group of "uncivilized" people, a.k.a local inuits of a certain continent. Flagg is that guy, and he is going to corrupt the minds of the indians with their capitalism and greed,

- The last scene with Frannie and Stu is an anti cold-war plea, made by King himself. (book writen in 1978)

let us stop the nuclear weapons from being made. Trashcan Man is am metaphor for communism.

Okay, so this is my view on it. I know, it may seem farfetched, but this was my analysis. After all, 1400 pages have to have some point to make.

I'm afraid I didn't analyse The Stand for hidden meanings, I just thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
After all as SK himself has said "Sometimes a cigar is just a smoke and a story's just a story."

 

[skimom2]

I absolutely see the cold war and bioweapon angle-that's obvious. The rest… not so much. Eh. As Steinbeck said, people will get different things from a novel. As long as the story works for you on some level, it's done it's job.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I'm afraid I didn't analyse The Stand for hidden meanings, I just thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
After all SK himself has said "Sometimes a cigar is just a smoke and a story's just a story."

Definetly, however, I read a lot of literary fiction, therefore I do a lot of these, in my head, rarely posting them. I decided to do it on this one given it's the biggest book I've read so far.

 

[blunthead]

I am often disapointed with King's endings - as a lot of his fans are - however that's not a major issue with his writings. After all, if fiction wants to be true to real life, the endings need to be disapointing at times. You get my point...

My interpetation (Obvious Spoilers):

- Randall Flagg is a metaphor for Cristopher Colombus (hear me out)

The epilogue has a guy arriving to a group of "uncivilized" people, a.k.a local inuits of a certain continent. Flagg is that guy, and he is going to corrupt the minds of the indians with their capitalism and greed,

- The last scene with Frannie and Stu is an anti cold-war plea, made by King himself. (book writen in 1978)

let us stop the nuclear weapons from being made. Trashcan Man is am metaphor for communism.

Okay, so this is my view on it. I know, it may seem farfetched, but this was my analysis. After all, 1400 pages have to have some point to make.

I doubt that an author's goal ever is to create a disappointing finale, just a believable one; so, I don't get your point, in terms of that.

I don't read into Flagg any particular doctrine, capitalist or otherwise, other than pure evil, part of the definition of which is selfishness as well as all other negative mentality. Also, I don't know if Columbus himself was a capitalist, but perhaps I digress.

I think sK disagrees with nuclear proliferation, and that his inclusion in The Stand of the idea of the dangers of nuclear devices reflects this belief. But personally I don't think he was making any more of a specific political statement than that, at that point in the novel or in it anywhere else. One assumes an author consciously and otherwise includes parts of himself, including what he believes in, in his stories. I suppose it's not entirely inconceivable that someone else can discover every one of an author's motives; in fact, that idea must survive or there can be no jobs for critics, or whatever they prefer to be called. So, it's not impossible that you are correct in your analysis. But ultimately I kinda don't think so.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

Yeah, I agree with your perspective. In fact, I actually don't like people who read too much into fiction tales, however, this one was 1400 pages, and I had to do it. Like King said, regarding Under the Dome: "If you spend 1000 pages writing about something, it might as well have a finite, rational purpose."

 

[blunthead]

Yeah, I agree with your perspective. In fact, I actually don't like people who read too much into fiction tales, however, this one was 1400 pages, and I had to do it. Like King said, regarding Under the Dome: "If you spend 1000 pages writing about something, it might as well have a finite, rational purpose."

That was another point I'd intended to make per your original post, a response to...

...so this is my view on it. I know, it may seem farfetched, but this was my analysis. After all, 1400 pages have to have some point to make...

I understand a person choosing to find interesting objects within a story to personally relate to. The problem as I see it, though, is that there must be a limited amount of such objects present in any story, even the very best ones, and that fiction's goal is ultimately not to provide any individual individual benefits. A good story is for everyone, and so, consequently, cannot be entirely personal except to the author him/herself.

 

[doowopgirl]

I love the ending of The Stand. I just thought Flagg found a new group to indoctrinate to his ways. New minions if you will. As for Trashy, he always felt like just the right guy to find some of the bad stuff laying around.

 

[Walter Oobleck]

I dunno...I think Columbus is a tad 12-year-old-ish. Current issue of Popular Mechanics they have an article, "Crowdfunding Gets Weird"...'bout these things where strangers are giving strangers money for strange things at an alarming rate, and that might not be a good thing. Flagg is a kind of Roland, hey? Gets set back, bewildered again, and has to start fresh and swiftly gets into the swing of things, no? Or Columbus, sure. Kickstarter rules crowdfunding...money, as the song goes. Esther the Wonder Pig. So on so forth and scoobie doobie do.

 

[blunthead]

I dunno...I think Columbus is a tad 12-year-old-ish. Current issue of Popular Mechanics they have an article, "Crowdfunding Gets Weird"...'bout these things where strangers are giving strangers money for strange things at an alarming rate, and that might not be a good thing. Flagg is a kind of Roland, hey? Gets set back, bewildered again, and has to start fresh and swiftly gets into the swing of things, no? Or Columbus, sure. Kickstarter rules crowdfunding...money, as the song goes. Esther the Wonder Pig. So on so forth and scoobie doobie do.

Fascinating.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

I dunno...I think Columbus is a tad 12-year-old-ish. Current issue of Popular Mechanics they have an article, "Crowdfunding Gets Weird"...'bout these things where strangers are giving strangers money for strange things at an alarming rate, and that might not be a good thing. Flagg is a kind of Roland, hey? Gets set back, bewildered again, and has to start fresh and swiftly gets into the swing of things, no? Or Columbus, sure. Kickstarter rules crowdfunding...money, as the song goes. Esther the Wonder Pig. So on so forth and scoobie doobie do.

Gosh, how astute. Too bad the book's 40 yrs old....

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

That was another point I'd intended to make per your original post, a response to...

...so this is my view on it. I know, it may seem farfetched, but this was my analysis. After all, 1400 pages have to have some point to make...

I understand a person choosing to find interesting objects within a story to personally relate to. The problem as I see it, though, is that there must be a limited amount of such objects present in any story, even the very best ones, and that fiction's goal is ultimately not to provide any individual individual benefits. A good story is for everyone, and so, consequently, cannot be entirely personal except to the author him/herself.

Again, in King's own words: he writes, mainly, to please himself. Then, just after, he tries to please the readers ego.

Egotistical? Maybe, but tha's why he's so successeful

 

[Walter Oobleck]

Gosh, how astute. Too bad the book's 40 yrs old....

The Bible is thousands of years old but Cain is still killing Abel and as long as man remains free he searches for someone to worship...there is always and forever the eternal recurrence of evil to stand in and be worshiped...whether with money, strangers giving money to strangers for strange ideas...or gain...or kinship...or whatever. Greg Stillsons...Leland Gaunts...Tommyknockers...Mr Greys...who wants a hot dog? The reason Flagg is sent?...delivered?...by the tentative Hand of God...is why? Because there are so many in Muncie, Indiana waiting to buy into the Amway Plan? Why Columbus? Why not go back even further, to the beginning of time?

 

[not_nadine]

big spoiler sorry I deleted it... \

 

[blunthead]

big spoiler sorry I deleted it... \

Chicken.

 

[blunthead]

Again, in King's own words: he writes, mainly, to please himself. Then, just after, he tries to please the readers ego.

Egotistical? Maybe, but tha's why he's so successeful

Is it because yer so clever that yer so hard for me to follow?

 

[Ragan]

I don't read into Flagg any particular doctrine, capitalist or otherwise, other than pure evil, part of the definition of which is selfishness as well as all other negative mentality. Also, I don't know if Columbus himself was a capitalist, but perhaps I digress.

One of the things that always struck me was Flagg's introduction. He's wearing all these buttons and carrying all of these tracts, everything from communism to evangelism. He doesn't have a viewpoint, he doesn't have a philosophy he's working toward. But he will use them laughingly whenever he wants. He switches faces at will.

As far as villains go, Flagg could be a capitalist. Or a socialist. Or an anarchist. Or a general in the Salvation Army. Whatever suits him. And you could read any of that into him, and it would fit the face he wears.

That is what makes him so scary.

-----

Sometimes I steer clear of overdoing literary analysis, because so often it is a matter of people reading things that aren't there, putting words in the author's mouth. The Stand is not one of those cases, because every time I have read it I found some new, profound observation in it. It is a book full of symbolism and meaning.

It is very clear, though, that concerns over nuclear proliferation and the future implications of throwaway weapons were behind a lot of the book. Along with questions about the place of technology in the modern world.

 

[Mr Larry Underwood]

Is it because yer so clever that yer so hard for me to follow?

Not everyone is a native english speaker, yer know.
And why the anti-intellectualism?

 

[skimom2]

I dunno...I think Columbus is a tad 12-year-old-ish. Current issue of Popular Mechanics they have an article, "Crowdfunding Gets Weird"...'bout these things where strangers are giving strangers money for strange things at an alarming rate, and that might not be a good thing. Flagg is a kind of Roland, hey? Gets set back, bewildered again, and has to start fresh and swiftly gets into the swing of things, no? Or Columbus, sure. Kickstarter rules crowdfunding...money, as the song goes. Esther the Wonder Pig. So on so forth and scoobie doobie do.

I LOVE your equating Flagg's repeated regenerations to Roland's! Id never thought of that, but you're absolutely right. My brilliant friend, Walter