History Headscratchers / TheDarkTower

* Roland is a descendant of Arthur Eld, that is, KingArthur. But KingArthur only had one child. So Roland's ancestor is the original Mordred! That could actually explain a few things.

** More specifically, it's invoking the KingArthur legend, particularly given the barrels of Roland's guns are said to have been forged from Excalibur itself. Excalibur, too, was thrown away into a pool of water by Sir Bedevere, the last of Arthur's Round Table after the battle against Mordred, where it disappeared and is presumably waiting for Arthur's return someday. He, too, had some doubts about getting rid of it and had to be commanded by Arthur to do so. If you look at the imagery that King chooses for Susannah disposing of the gun, it's more or less the same.

* Why is there no mention of Roland (or any other gunslinger or that matter) carrying a backup weapon that doesn't rely on limited ammunition? Even archers like Legolas in ''TheLordOfTheRings'' carried a blade for close quarter combat and unlike [[BottomlessMagazines in the films]], there was a good reason for it. Samurai archers were also swordsmen just like regular samurai. Although he and his kin are called "gunslingers", not "sword and gun slingers", Roland should have had at least a good sword (albeit one that might be easily concealed for those instances when he has to visit our world). Roland did have to learn unarmed combat as part of his training, and even afterwards, they didn't get guns right away (Cuthbert using a slingshot, for example). Did Stephen King just want to avoid fantasy tropes such as swords?

* Why is there no mention of Roland (or any other gunslinger or that matter) carrying a backup weapon that doesn't rely on limited ammunition? Even archers like Legolas in ''TheLordOfTheRings'' carried a blade for close quarter combat and unlike [[BottomlessMagazines in the films]], there was a good reason for it. Samurai archers were also swordsmen just like regular samurai. Although he and his kin are called "gunslingers", not "sword and gun slingers", Roland should have had at least a good sword (albeit one that might be easily concealed for those instances when he has to visit our world). Roland did have to learn unarmed combat as part of his training, so presumably, so this, if anything should have been a part of his regular weapons retinue.

* Roland understands the language of Jake, Eddie, and Susannah when he draws them from New York. They can also understand him perfectly, with the exception of colloquialisms and pop culture references on either side. But then, he has problems pronouncing words like aspirin ("astin"), tuna fish ("tooter fish"), and magazine ("magda-seen). It was established that his written language is different and probably has different vowel and consonant sounds. So given the differences seen so far, why isn't Roland perceived by the others (or them perceived by him), to be speaking with horrendous accents. In fact, everyone in Midworld seems to be understandable to the New Yorkers. "Thankee sai" is close enough to English. Is this actually a corruption of English spoken?

* Roland understands the language of Jake, Eddie, and Susannah when he draws them from New York. They can also understand him perfectly, with the exception of colloquialisms and pop culture references on either side. But then, he has problems pronouncing words like aspirin ("astin"), tuna fish ("tooter fish"), and magazine ("magda-seen). It was established that his written language is different and probably has different vowel and consonant sounds. So given the differences seen so far, why isn't Roland perceived by the others (or them perceived by him), to be speaking with horrendous accents.

* Roland understands the language of Jake, Eddie, and Susannah when he draws them from New York. They can also understand him perfectly. But then, he has problems pronouncing words like aspirin ("astin") and magazine ("magda-seen). It was established that his written language is different and probably has different vowel and consonant sounds. So why isn't he speaking with an accent that the other three would find exotic. Is there some universal translator device acting somehow?

** This makes one wonder what would happen if an apprentice unintentionally kills Cort during the test. Will this reflect badly (as Cort would have taught restraint), or will he become a gunsligner, nonethless. Albeit one who has the death of his mentor as an albatross. On the other hand, I suspect there are referees that would keep the apprentice from [[FinishHim dealing a deathblow intentionally]], but what if a blow that he would have withstood at one time kills him now that he's older and slower?

* Who is actually in charge in Gilead? Is there a King somewhere? Roland's father seems more like one of the top (if not ''the top'' Gunslinger, but it's always seemed to me that there's some sort of monarchy system here.

** To a large degree, this series is about addiction. "You're a Tower junkie, Roland." Even when he doesn't need to enter the Tower, even when his quest to save it is supposedly completed, ''he enters the Tower anyway,'' because he's addicted to the romance of it. Remember the Beast that Walter warned Roland of, the creature at the top of the Tower, whom Stephen King apparently forgot all about? "He darkles. He tincts," Walter said. Roland hears these same words right before his memories reset, only describing himself. ''Roland is the Beast.'' Roland has to beat his Tower addiction. Until he does, he goes on.

** When he finds the path of the beam, it's implied he was always aware of it. But the quest to catch the Man in Black sidetracked following it, and later, the pull to draw the three takes him subconciously down the beach. He was taking a break after the adventures on the beach to heal and train his new apprentices. After the battle with Shardik essentially gives his apprentice their "trial" to become gunslingers, Roland is satisfied enough to actually persue the path of the beam.

* In relation to the errors mentioned above, it -is- a big part of the book that reality itself was crumbling like a big...crumbly thing.

* How the FUCK can Randall Flagg be killed by a regular spider thing.He survived a NUKE at the end of TheStand.He's also powerful wizard and has a quasi immortality and can reincarnate.I think a thousands of years old wizard like him would be able to defend himself from weak Mordred.