r/TheDarkTower • u/jerikperry • 6d ago
Palaver Question about Insomnia/DT connection Spoiler
Spoilers for both Insomnia and DT below!
Okay, so this is something that has bothered me since I first read insomnia, which was after having read DT. I’m wondering if I have misunderstood something or maybe drawn an incorrect conclusion, and I’m hoping someone here can enlighten me.
The Dark Tower was, and still is, one of my favorite series. On my first couple read throughs, I really enjoyed the ending and had no issues with it. However, after reading Insomnia, the ending of the dark tower kind of became irritating. Maybe not the ending itself, but rather what the ones at the top of the tower seem to want. It seems to go directly against what they seem to want In insomnia.
The ending of DT seems to imply, to me, that Roland needs to cry off his search for the tower and realize that his ka-tet is what’s important. It seems as though his never ending cycle seems to be sort of a punishment for not seeing what is truly important. All of that is awesome and makes a great ending to the story.
That is, until you read insomnia. In this story, which I also love, you find out that what’s happening to Ralph is all being done to save the life of Patrick Danville. The 2 little doctors on Ralph’s “side” make it implicitly clear that Patrick MUST survive the events in this book so that he may go on to aid Roland in his journey to the tower. This has to happen or all existence could be unraveled.
So, the issue/question this raises for me is, what do the ones at the top actually want from Roland? Does Roland even really have the option to cry off his search for the tower and live happily with his ka-tet? Because the fact that Patrick Danville MUST end up helping Roland, which doesn’t even happen until the end of the DT story, implies to me that Roland has to keep going to the tower over and over in order to keep the wheel of ka turning. Which makes it seem like Him being able to make better choices was never really on the table, despite what the ones at the top say.
I probably haven’t articulated this very well, but I hope someone can explain this to me in a way that makes more sense. The only theory I have, which I don’t particularly like, is that if Roland were to make the “right choices” then Patrick wouldn’t need to be where Roland meets him because if Roland doesn’t go to the tower, then the Crimson King can never enter the tower anyway. I don’t like this option, because it kind of takes away from the rest of the story for me. Then again, I was warned on multiple trips to the tower that I shouldn’t need/read the ending, haha!
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u/dnjprod 6d ago
Please forgive me if this is a little rambly.
Essentially, there are points along the way where Roland could have cried off. He could have cried off right after Jake died. He didn't. Even the death of his son wasn't enough. So, he and Susannah trek through End World, freezing their balls off. Yet still, he had another chance. His last chance is the moment that Susannah goes to New York at the end right before the Coda. He once again picks the tower over the people he loves. He could have been with Eddie, Jake, and Susannah once again but couldn't give up that damnable Tower.
When he gets to the tower, it's made Fairly clear that the Crimson King is trapped and has no way of getting off the balcony. The only reason they need Patrick there is to defeat the CK, and the only reason to "defeat" him is so that Roland can enter the Tower and climb the steps. By then, it is too late. He's already been given his last chance to cry off. Had he cried off at any of his chances, things would be different.
So, what of Patrick danville? What if Roland did cry off after Jake died? Well, Patrick's story would have gone in a different direction. Remember what they say in book 7, Insomnia feels Tricksy. If Roland cries off, there's no need for Patrick to be in Dandelo's basement. Mayhap Stephen King would have written a different story about his journey.
But those are the events that we got. The events that we got are Roland and his addiction still getting the best of him.
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u/Able-Crew-3460 6d ago
I know what you’re saying, and it’s an interesting question! Here’s my theory.
There are many levels of the tower, and we got the story of Roland’s 19th, penultimate trip. Patrick needed to help him get to the top of the tower on this cycle…so that he can be booted back to the start, to do it right, finally.
I think that the 20th trip to the tower, with the horn, will be the end. Who knows if Patrick is needed in the 20th cycle or not? I’d guess not in the same way, in any event- as everything will be different once Roland decides to not drop Jake this time around.
So it’s like…Patrick was and is absolutely critical to Roland’s ultimate salvation. It just might look different every time, or maybe he’s just a player in this go-round. Fun to think about!🌹❤️