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The Stand
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The Stand (1978) (edit title/settings)

by Stephen King (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Arguably the greatest horror novel ever written by the greatest horror novelist, THE STAND is a truly terrifying reading experience, and became a four-part mini-series that memorably brought to life the cast of characters and layers of story from the novel. It is an apocalyptic vision of the... read more

Summary edit see section history

Book I - Captain Trips

The novel is divided into three parts, or books. The first is titled "Captain Trips" and takes place over nineteen days, with the escape and spread of a human-made biological weapon, a superflu (influenza) virus known formally as "Project Blue" but most commonly as... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Book I - Captain Trips

The novel is divided into three parts, or books. The first is titled "Captain Trips" and takes place over nineteen days, with the escape and spread of a human-made biological weapon, a superflu (influenza) virus known formally as "Project Blue" but most commonly as "Captain Trips" (among some other colloquialisms). The epidemic leads directly to the death of an estimated 99.4% of the world's human population.

King outlines the total breakdown and destruction of society through widespread violence, the failure of martial law to contain the outbreak, and eventually the death of virtually the entire population. The human toll is also dealt with, as the few survivors must care for their families and friends, dealing with confusion and grief as their loved ones succumb to the flu.

The expanded edition opens with a prologue titled "The Circle Opens" that offers greater detail into the circumstances surrounding the development of the virus and the security breach that allowed its escape from the secret laboratory compound where it was created.

Book II - On the Border

Intertwining cross-country odysseys are undertaken by a small number of survivors, including:

* Stu's party:
o Stuart Redman, a factory worker from the fictional, tiny Arnette, Texas;
o Frances Goldsmith and Harold Lauder, a pregnant college student and an overweight high school outcast, respectively, both from Ogunquit, Maine;
o Glen Bateman, a quick-witted, pessimistic sociology professor from New Hampshire, and his dog, an Irish Setter named Kojak (or Big Steve, as he later reveals himself)— one of the very few dogs immune to the plague;
o Perion McCarthy and Mark Braddock, two lovers who are already a couple when they meet Stu's group;
o Dayna Jurgens, a hard-headed and determined woman from Xenia, Ohio;
o Susan Stern, a former student from Kent State University;
o Patty Kroger, a beautiful 15-year-old girl.

* Nick's party:
o Nick Andros, an insightful deaf-mute wanderer originally from fictional Caslin, Nebraska;
o Tom Cullen, a kind-hearted mentally retarded man from May, Oklahoma.
o Ralph Brentner, a jolly, easy-going farmer from Oklahoma;
o Dick Ellis, a former veterinarian in his early 50's;
o Gina McCone, a little girl;
o Olivia Walker, a sympathetic older woman;
o June Brinkmeyer, a redhead woman in her mid-20's.

* Larry's party:
o Larry Underwood, a disillusioned pop musician from New York City;
o Rita Blakemoor, a rich middle-aged woman from New York City;
o Nadine Cross, a virginal kindergarten teacher with a dark secret from New Hampshire;
o Leo "Joe" Rockway, a savage, amnesiac, and telepathic boy;
o Lucy Swann, a 24-year-old housewife from New Hampshire;
o Judge Farris, a man in his late seventies.

They are drawn together by both circumstances and their shared dreams of a 108-year-old black woman from Hemingford Home, Nebraska, whom they see as a refuge and a representation of good in the struggle of good versus evil. This woman, Abagail Freemantle (known as "Mother Abagail"), becomes the spiritual leader of this group of survivors, directing them to Boulder, Colorado, referred to as "the Free Zone" (officially "The Boulder Free Zone"), where they begin to reestablish a democratic society; much of this section of the book involves the struggles to create an orderly society more or less from scratch. Boulder is found to have considerably fewer plague victims than other cities due to a mass exodus following a false rumor in the early stages of the plague that the outbreak originated in the Boulder Air Test Center. While many corpses are present there, they number far fewer than any other major city in North America.

Meanwhile, another group of survivors includes

* Lloyd Henreid, a not-too-bright common thief and murderer;
* Donald Merwin Elbert, known as "the Trashcan Man", a schizophrenic pyromaniac;
* Whitney Horgan, an ex-Army cook and butcher;
* Julie Lawry, an unstable, oversexed teenager;
* "the Rat Man", a pirate-like hood;
* Barry Dorgan, a former detective of the Santa Monica Police Department;
* Jenny Engstrom, a nightclub dancer and later construction worker; and
* Hector "Heck" Drogan, a civilian who is executed for drug abuse by Flagg's punishment system.

They are drawn to Las Vegas, Nevada by Randall Flagg (known as "the Dark Man", "the Hardcase", "the Tall Man", and "the Walkin’ Dude"), an evil being with supernatural powers; he represents evil, the opposite influence of Mother Abagail. Flagg’s rule is tyrannical and brutal, using crucifixion, torture and other torments as punishment for those who are disloyal and disobedient. His group is able to quickly reorganize their society, restore power to Las Vegas, and rebuild the city as many technical professionals have migrated to the city. The book notes that at Las Vegas, Flagg's group is constantly working and has organized a strong but harsh structure while at the Free Zone, some survivors lounge idly and do not work as hard. Flagg's group also has started a schooling system and weapons program with survivor Carl Hough as a helicopter pilot and the Trashcan Man searching the country for weapons.

The Free Zone's democratic society is not without its problems. Mother Abagail, feeling that she has become prideful and sinned due to her pleasure at being a public figure, disappears into the desert on a journey of spiritual reconciliation. Meanwhile, Harold's bitterness over his unrequited love for Fran and Nadine's secret commitment to Flagg lead the two of them to detonate a dynamite bomb at a meeting of the Free Zone committee. The explosion, which kills several people (including Nick Andros), takes place at the same time that Mother Abagail is discovered, severely weakened by her time in the wilderness.

Book III - The Stand

The stage is now set for the final confrontation as the two camps become aware of one another, and each recognizes the other as a threat to its survival, leading to the "stand" of good against evil. There is no pitched battle, however. Instead, at Mother Abagail's dying behest, Stu, Larry, Ralph and Glen set off on foot towards Las Vegas on an expedition to confront Randall Flagg. Stu breaks his leg en route and drops out. He encourages the others to leave without him, telling them that God will provide for him. Glen's dog stays behind with Stu. Glen, Ralph, and Larry soon encounter Flagg's men, who take them prisoner. When Glen rejects an opportunity to be spared if he kneels and begs Flagg, he is shot by Lloyd Henreid, on Flagg's direct order. Flagg gathers his entire collective to witness the execution of the other two, but before it can take place, Trashcan Man arrives with a nuclear warhead and a giant glowing hand—"The Hand of God"—detonates the bomb, destroying Flagg's followers and the two remaining prisoners.

Stu, with the aid of Kojak and later Tom Cullen, survives injury, illness, and a harsh Rocky Mountain winter. The three of them arrive back in Boulder soon after the birth of Fran’s baby. Although the baby falls ill with the superflu, he is able to fight it off. In the end, Stu and Fran decide to return to Maine, and the original edition of the novel ends with the two of them questioning whether the human race can learn from its mistakes. The answer, given in the last line, is ambiguous: "I don’t know."

The expanded edition follows this with a brief coda called "The Circle Closes", which leaves a darker impression and fits in with King’s ongoing "wheel of ka" theme. Randall Flagg, using the alias "Russell Faraday", arrives on a beach and begins recruiting adherents among a preliterate, dark-skinned people.

Characters/People edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Under the California desert and subsidized by the taxpayers' money, someone had finally invented a chain letter that really worked.”
    Stephen King
  • “I never seen doctors look scared like that. I didn't much care for it.”
    Joe Bob Brentwood
  • “Something like this, if it only makes you a little bit psycho, you're way ahead.”
    Larry Underwood
  • “M-O-O-N, that spells DeeDee Packalotte...”
    Tom Cullen
  • “His skin was already going lobster red. He didn't feel it, although that night it would keep him awake in a kind of exaltation. There were bigger and better fires ahead. His eyes were soft and joyful and utterly crazy. They were the eyes of a man who has discovered the great axle of his destiny and laid his hands upon it.”
    Stephen King
  • “Baby can you dig your man?”
    Larry Underwood
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  • Show me a man or woman alone and I’ll show you a saint. Give me two and they’ll fall in love. Give me three and they’ll invent the charming thing we call “society.” Give me four and they’ll build a pyramid. Give me five and they’ll make one an outcast. Give me six and they’ll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they’ll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home.
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  • love is what moves the world, I’ve always thought ... it is the only thing which allows men and women to stand in a world where gravity always seems to want to pull them down ... bring them low ... and make them crawl
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  • dreams are the psyche’s way of taking a good dump every now and then.
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  • consider the Great Wall of China, if you will: one stone at a time, man. That’s all. One stone at a time. But I’ve read you can see that motherfucker from space without a telescope.
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  • The beauty of religious mania is that it has the power to explain everything.
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  • Religious mania is one of the few infallible ways of responding to the world’s vagaries, because it totally eliminates pure accident. To the true religious maniac, it’s all on purpose.
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  • Put not your trust in the princes of this world, for they will frig thee up and so shalt their governments, even unto the end of the earth.
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  • “The Lord is my shepherd,” he recited softly. “I shall not want for nothing. He makes me lie down in the green pastures. He greases up my head with oil. He gives me kung-fu in the face of my enemies. Amen.”
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  • Gentlemen, a regrettable incident has occurred. And when a regrettable incident occurs which involves any branch of the United States Military, we don’t question the roots of that incident but rather how the branches may best be pruned. The service is mother and father to us. And if you find your mother raped or your father beaten and robbed, before you call the police or begin an investigation, you cover their nakedness. Because you love them.
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Show all 16 quotes from this book

First Sentence edit see section history

"Sally."

Glossary edit see section history

  • Laws Yes: Tom Cullen's go to phrase.
  • M-O-O-N: Tom Cullen's other go to phrase, which spells anything (much like ROLAIDS.)
  • Captain Trips: The super-flu. A nickname for Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. No one is certain how the disease got this name, but it appears to originate in L.A.
  • Tube Neck: Another nickname for Captain Trips. So-called because of swelling of the neck.
  • Cibola: A mythical Seven Cities of Gold sought by Spanish Conquistadors in the American Southwest.
  • Nyarlathotep: A fictional demi-god written by H.P. Lovecraft.
  • Tharn: "Paralyzed with fear". A word Stu picked up from a book he was reading about rabbits.
  • Project Blue: The super-flu bioweapons program, housed at Blue Base in the Mojave desert.
  • The Shop: Stephen King's fictional top-secret special-ops agency.

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Armageddon: This book deals with the end of the world.
  • Good Vs Evil: This entire book is long on the motif of good vs evil.

Errata edit see section history

In the final chapters Larry said he opened for "Arrowsmith" once, when it should be Aerosmith. I don't think this is an error. King has always had a way of changing details slightly from the real world. Not always, but sometimes.

In the uncut edition, it says in two paragraphs of the same chapter that theTrashcan Man started lighting fires in first or second grade, then that he started in the fifth grade.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 139 of 194 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 12 of 99 in NPR's Top 100 Killer Thriller. (community list)
This is book 143 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (December 2011). (authoritative list)
This is book 25 of 99 in National Public Radio's Top 100 Science Fiction and Fantasy. (authoritative list)
This is book 7 of 9 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels In 1990. (authoritative list)
This is book 145 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2011). (authoritative list)
This book is in 100 Fantabulous Book Challenge. (community list)
This book is in Big Fat Books. (community list)
This is book 161 of 213 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
This is book 132 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
This is book 72 of 97 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
This is book 29 of 98 in Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: Reader's List. (authoritative list)
This is book 8 of 24 in Dark Tower Universe. (universe)
This is book 67 of 121 in Whitcoulls Top 100 (2012). (authoritative list)
This is book 53 of 82 in BBC "Big Read" Top 100 Novels. (authoritative list)
This is book 53 of 200 in BBC 'Big Read' Top 200 Novels, 2003. (authoritative list)

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Stephen King (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Grover Gardner (Narrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Doubleday
Country: United States
Publication Date: November 1978
ISBN: 0385121687
Page Count: 823

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PZ4.K5227 St
  • Dewey: 813.54

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

For mature teens or adults. Contains graphic violence, explicit sexual content, strong language, and frightening scenes.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

  • Wikipedia: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Movie Connections edit see section history

  • The Stand (1994) (IMDb): The miniseries closely parallels the events of King's post apocalyptic novel by the same name. A superflu devastates the United States, leaving only a few survivors. These survivors gravitate towards either the side of good or evil, driven mainly by very vivid dreams in the aftermath of the plague. The climax is a final showdown between good and evil in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • The Stand (IMDb): 2012

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Conqueror Worms
  • Swan Song
  • Freaks' amour
  • Don't Fear the Reaper
  • Gone
  • False Dawn
  • Chrysalids
  • On the Beach
  • World War Z
  • Dead Sea
  • The Andromeda Strain
  • Under the Dome
  • The Black Death
  • The Black Death
  • The Eleventh Plague

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Unlocking the Meaning of Lost
  • Complete Stephen King Universe
  • Danse Macabre

Books That Influenced This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Lord of the Rings
  • Watership Down
  • Earth Abides

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Eyes of the Dragon
  • Swan Song
  • The Dark Tower

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