Questions about characters

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Rarebit

Active Member
Sep 9, 2015
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As I was reading the story, I would take note of certain characteristics of various characters that seemed to have some deeper meaning. But having finished the story, I wonder whether those were just details added to make the characters seem more alive, with no deeper meaning than their face value.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar?

At the top of my list in The Stand is Joe's upturned green eyes. What was the significance of those strange-looking eyes?
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
As I was reading the story, I would take note of certain characteristics of various characters that seemed to have some deeper meaning. But having finished the story, I wonder whether those were just details added to make the characters seem more alive, with no deeper meaning than their face value.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar?

At the top of my list in The Stand is Joe's upturned green eyes. What was the significance of those strange-looking eyes?
...his characters almost always have depth and seem to live amongst the pages...plus, those with green eyes are thought to have something magical about them-and Joe certainly did...
 

Owenk

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2014
351
2,060
62
Not strictly about characters, but twice now (so far) Stephen King has mentioned putting a chicken's head under its wing and this sending them instantly to sleep. Does this work? I guess I could try an experiment next time I go to my motehr and father in law's house (they keep chickens) but I just wondered if there are any chicken keepers here who might comment?
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
2,906
6,242
62
I've never seen that particular trick work, but they hood falcons to calm then down and I've seen people with parakeets and such drape the cages to make them go to sleep, so . . .

Incidentally . . . have you ever paid close attention to large flocks of birds around dusk? I'm not down with the epithet "birdbrain." I think some birds are pretty smart. But some other birds act every day as if there isn't going to be another one.

Birds.

Go figure.
 

Out of Order

Sign of the Times
Feb 9, 2011
29,007
162,154
New Hampster
Not strictly about characters, but twice now (so far) Stephen King has mentioned putting a chicken's head under its wing and this sending them instantly to sleep. Does this work? I guess I could try an experiment next time I go to my motehr and father in law's house (they keep chickens) but I just wondered if there are any chicken keepers here who might comment?

I have better luck putting my chicken to sleep with a glass of warm milk, a comfy pillow and a nice bedtime story.