![]() In the beginning of the novel, Roland is crossing the mostly-abandoned desert when he comes across a farmer named Brown and his raven, Zoltan. Each chapter chronicles Roland’s hunt for the Man in Black and his ultimate quest for the tower, and introduces the many characters he meets along the way. ![]() The novel is broken down into five major chapters, with each chapter being comprised of multiple, numbered sections. In fact, most people that Roland encounters are either diseased, insane, or seem to be under some sort of spell. ![]() The only things that seem to be certain are that time doesn’t move in an orderly manner, cities and regions have been demolished by wars, and the world seems devoid of civilized life. Further adding to this sense of disorientation is the fact that little is known about Roland, including his age, motives, or goals. It’s never made clear whether the story takes place in the past, present, or future, or whether it’s happening in an alternate universe or some sort of afterlife. This, combined with the fact that Roland is a western gunslinger from a King Arthurian-type feudal society, creates a distorted sense of time and place. ![]() While the multiple references to iconic popular culture-such as characters singing The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” and innumerous allusions to Christianity and religious language-offera sense of familiarity, the setting is apost-apocalyptic desert that resembles the Old West. The Gunslinger takes place in a world like our own but not. ![]()
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