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Analyzing Stephen King Characters
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Matt
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Nov 30, 2017 07:44AM
I've never looked at Harold, or Nadine for that matter, as being part of the "dark side", but more as tragic victims of their circumstances. They very definitely had character flaws which made them easy targets for being manipulated and led down the wrong path. Harold wasn't able to let the past go and let his bitterness get the best of him. This is a very human reaction, though under the extraordinary circumstances made for a more extreme reaction than would have otherwise happened. However I can't blame Stu or Frannie for what happened. Love is love, and they were caught up in it. Yes, Fran wrote some things in her journal she shouldn't have, but it wasn't intended to hurt Harold but more as catharsis for her. Flagg is the one ultimately responsible for Harold's downfall. Harold should be viewed as a victim who unfortunately couldn't make the transition to hero, but certainly not a villain.
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I myself found Harold to be weak minded. He was far too clingy and deceptively vile.
Smarter in some ways, but ultimately not smart enough to see through Flagg and how he was using him.
Greg wrote: "Smarter in some ways, but ultimately not smart enough to see through Flagg and how he was using him."That’s because Harold was a self-centered, arrogant and egotistical sucker, which Flagg was able to manipulate to do his bidding. Thus, mimicking real life events that take place just about every day.
I thought King's portrayal of Harold was pretty well rounded. And I thought he came out of his shell a little to be a good guy for a while. I started rooting for Harold, and I thought Larry's admiration for Harold described the guy's accomplishments pretty well. Yeah, the old rule that "the ugly kid can't get the pretty girl" bothered me. But I guess it still applies, even though I find myself telling my daughter more and more, "You think that guy's hot? WoW!?!" Even though I was kind of expecting Harold's downfall, I still thought he was used and abused by Flagg. BTW, I felt the same way about Nadine. I liked her a lot at first too. It was all Flagg's fault.
Nick wrote: I still thought he was used and abused by Flagg. BTW, I felt the same way about Nadine. I liked her a lot at first too. It was all Flagg's fault. I will say that Flagg was the master of deception which he was able to use a person's weakness to his advantage. Nadine was smoking hot, which Flagg wanted for his own and he did get his way...
I have to agree with Kenneth on this one.
Ben wrote: "But Harold was smarter than all of them.Several times in the novel he made them all feel like idiots. Even Glen Bateman, who was a Sociologist."
True Harold was intelligent but he lacked one vital aspect which made him in a way less intelligent then Tom Cullen. Harold was incapable of human connectivity and empathy, he could discuss far roaming scientific and judicial points, but he couldn't or wouldn't connect with his fellow man. Harold looked down on everyone they in his eyes were all cretins and beneath his dignity. It was not until the end did he finally realize his failings and his folly.
Nadine was by description a very desirable woman, who was to uptight about her own sexuality to understand what was going on. Yes Flagg used her, but she used him as well he was her excuse to avoid physically committing to a relationship.
Yes Flagg used people but he only used them because he pandered to there vanity. Good example look at Lloyd, he got Lloyd to go along with him in the hopes of getting even with people who put him in jail. The Trashcan Man is the only one who as in my book the only one badly used by Flagg. But as we know this bit him in the butt at the end.
As Mother Abigail would say "everything works to gods plan".
With the mini series I thought that they really needed a different person to play Nadine.... maybe Fergie...she is really hot but not sure if she can act...
I would love to see them re-make the Mini series. Although the original was alright I would like to see them do a better job with this story.
I agree with the remake so now I have to come up with whom should play who...
Have fun with that, I wouldn't know half the names of the actors and actresses that are out there now. I would play Molly Ringwald as Larry's mother though.
Thats funny Mr Brooks... Emily Rose is my pick for Fran
Kenneth wrote: "Thats funny Mr Brooks... Emily Rose is my pick for Fran"Yes!!!!!
After the way she messed up the Fran character this is all she is worth of for a new mini series.
Ben wrote: "This probably increased his anger against Fran and Stu, since Fran had rejected him for 3 weeks; only to quickly opened her legs for Stu the first week they met (an would have been sooner, if Harold wasn't around)...leaving him still a virgin. ..."I'm bothered by this portion of your post. Fran rejected Harold because she was not attracted to him and simply didn't have that sort of feeling for him. To say she "opened her legs" to Stu in a week implies she did something wrong just by being attracted to another man.
The heart wants what the heart wants. By the same token, it does NOT want, what it doesn't want. That's not meanness or cruelty. It is what it is.
Kandice wrote: The heart wants what the heart wants. By the same token, it does NOT want, what it doesn't want. That's not meanness or cruelty. It is what it is. I agree, Fran is no way obligated to have any relationship with Harold, or anyone else she does not want to; none what so ever.
mrbooks wrote: "Have fun with that, I wouldn't know half the names of the actors and actresses that are out there now. Since I would like to see my fav..Emily Rose as Fran...I am playing Stu.... yea.... now that is totally cool...
Funny you mention Emily Rose, who I absolutely agree with, but I think Eric Balfour would be a terrific Eddie Dean and Lucas Bryant has been the Roland in my head since I saw the first episode of Haven.
Would love to see Timothy Olyphant have a crack at Roland, having just finished watching Deadwood for the first time.
Kandice wrote: "Funny you mention Emily Rose, who I absolutely agree with, but I think Eric Balfour would be a terrific Eddie Dean and Lucas Bryant has been the Roland in my head since I saw the first episode of H..."I would love to see all three again together as one...ever since haven the chemistry between them was awesome...
Plus Jason Lee as Nick Andros...
Greg wrote: "Would love to see Timothy Olyphant have a crack at Roland, having just finished watching Deadwood for the first time."I think he would be better as Harold..
A great Mother Abigail would be Nitchelle NicholsMorgan Freeman as Glen Bateman
Damian Lewis as Trashcan man
Donnie Wahberg as tom cullen
Let me guess Tom Cruse for Lloyd Henried ?
Nah... Tom cruise has to play the doctor that treats nick then dies...
That’s a better idea...Ray Booth... IT is...
Now all we need is to find an actress for Julie Lawery. Big mouth bad attitude and dresses like a well you get the picture LOL
Was thinking about the main actress from Transformer the original move, but not sure it has been so long since I've seen the movie.
The actress that comes to mind is Michelle Borth... total cool bad ass
How about Eliza Taylor with brown hair?
No I looked her up, she is not a Julie Lawery, She is more what I pictured as Sue Stern I can see her as Sue all day long.Or maybe Lucy Swann Larry's girlfriend in the Stand.
Liz Taylor a bit old for Julie Lawrey isn't she ?
A bit to old, Julie Lawry is suppose to be a teenager just barley graduated from High school.
OK I will buy off on that she can easily pass for a 19 year old .
Really, Ice T for Lloyd, Lloyd is a weak willed sniveling little worm who relies on other to get him through life. Would Ice T be willing to play a weak character? Just my opinion though.
Ben wrote: "I guess everyone who likes The Stand has their own actors/actresses in mind that they believe could pull off the performance or just look the part. When I sat down and thought about it, these selec..."This is an IQ test, right. Tonya Harding??? LOL. should be Anne Hathaway. Actually, Matt Damon could play Harold and do a good job. And Katie Holmes is a great choice for Nadine. I like Samuel L. as Randall Flagg and Jeff Goldbloom and Filicia and Miley. Tim McGraw or Blake Shelton for Larry and we should resurrect Sam The Lion (a younger Ben Johnson) as Stu or why not Denzel? Oh, and Jeremy Renner as Nick.
Ben wrote: "Hey Nick.Glad you caught the joke about "Tonya Harding" being "Fran".
No one would know her past except us old-timers. But I was only joking. I was also joking about "Robert Blake (Beretta)" being..."
Yeah, some pretty good choices. I knew you couldn't be serious about Blake, but Tonya is funnier. Daniel Whitney is a good choice too.
Everyone has some really interesting opinions on Harold. I agree with Nick that he’s a very well-rounded character. King did such a great job at making you feel for him at times (I think the image of him mowing the lawn while crying with grass stuck to his legs is one of the most vivid and amazing I’ve read by King), but that makes it sadder when you realize he’s not going to turn things around and he’s going to RFs side.I like what was said about how he was intelligent but lacked empathy (looking down on everyone else is not an attractive quality) and that bitterness is what let him be taken advantage of by RF. I think Nick is right, in a different world where RF wasn’t waiting to twist anyone’s weaknesses, he could have become a well-liked and appreciated member of the group after he grew up a little and matured enough to realize that it’s not his or Fran’s or Stu’s fault that Fran and Stu fell in love. He might have found love there at that point, as being more mature and being able to respect women’s choices would have made him more desirable to women than just being clever.
Also, Kandice, thank you for what you said- no one is entitled to another’s attraction and it can’t be created to be given anyway- it either is or isn’t, and people’s choices should be respected. The fact Harold might be bitter because he’s a virgin might be true for the character but it should be irrelevant to him if he can be mature, so it’s just one more thing RF was able to take advantage of, and he did, by allowing him to be with Nadine in some ways and luring him in with that.
Nick, I like the idea of Jeremy Renner as Nick Andros. He’d be great!
I believe Harold's inability to turn things around started with Fran and Stu.Sure, you can say Harold should have "grown up", but his parents practically ignored him and focused their attention on his older sister, "Amy"...who ended up dying from the plague along with them. So Harold was ignored, and never raised. And being raised plays a huge part in "growing up" And Harold never had much of an upbringing to know how to grow up.
People seem to have more sympathy for Carrie White than Harold Lauder, even though both were the same age and ill-advised in life under different circumstances. Carrie White was never raised either, but Carrie White possessed telekinetic powers to exact revenge upon her enemies, while Harold used his genius against his own.
If a persons choice (male/female) is to be respected, then they should be immediately forthcoming and admit that they fell in love with someone they just met five minutes ago. And they should not increase the pain by starting a Diary that belittles the rejected individual who has done absolutely no harm to them whatsoever.
I would say everyone either has a sense of a moral compass regardless of the environmental we are raised in. Harold should have known better from right and wrong; to kill or not to kill. Harold has no excuse at all rejection or not. Fran had no obligation to Harold. And when Stu came along it was love at first site, which does happen in fiction and in real life.... Fan didn’t owe Harold anything; so Harold needed to pull up his big boy pants on and move on rather then seeking revenge...
Ben wrote: "And they should not increase the pain by starting a Diary that belittles the rejected individual who has done absolutely no harm to them whatsoever. ..."
I'm pretty certain Frannie didn't begin her diary with any thoughts of Harold. It was none of his business and when people snoop, they deserve what they get.
After happening upon Stu and Fran having sex beneath the pale moonlight, Harold pretty much knew what to expect even before he opened Fran's Diary. So much so that he almost didn't want to read it...and had to steal himself after deciding he would. But Fran's Diary entries of him paled in comparison to witnessing the actual sex act itself. All Fran's Diary did was make him realize just how much he disgusted her all along.Apparently, King wrote Harolds' character in more than just one perspective/dimension since I am not the only one who thinks the way that I do. Only with the population of this board have I hit a brick wall with Harold. But that's okay. Everyone has their own opinion.
Harold's situation with Fran reminds me of something my younger brother once went through back in High School...and how he eventually got revenge on her. But I won't get into that. Mostly, Old Harold reminds me of the way Forrest Gump got rejected by Jenny over and over again; continually passed over for one man after another...until she finally showed up on his doorstep years later; sick, infected and dying from Hiv/Aid's. And only then was she ready to be his girlfriend.
Yup. The heart certainly knows what it wants alright.
Everyone do have their own opinion... Harold at first felt vilified because of Fran and Stu, but this was false logic and he finally realized this when he was finally done in by Flagg. Therefore, his final liberation was that he wanted forgiveness for his acts he perpetrated against his mates.
You want an even more complex relationship, how about Carrie and Tommy. Tommy is the guy who should feel about Carrie the way Frannie does about Harold... but he doesn't; he's actually starting to "love" her when he's conked on the head. (BTW: thought that was a bit of a cop-out by Old Stevie. It would be nice to take it one step further, see his reaction to the prank and Carrie's reaction to his reaction.)
Ben wrote: "I believe Harold's inability to turn things around started with Fran and Stu.Sure, you can say Harold should have "grown up", but his parents practically ignored him and focused their attention on..."
Most people feel sorry for Carrie White, because she was brought up in a highly or should I say an overly religious household, certain important information was withheld from her.
They were raised and taught in different times. What was considered normal when Carrie went to school was quite different from when Harold went to school. Carrie didn't have sex education in school that was something taught at home an dear old mother was not going to tell her all about that.
Harold was taught all about relationships in school. Harold had an un-natural fascination with Fran, and has had ever since he was a little boy. if the super flu hadn't come along I am sure we would have read about a certain person from Ogunquit Main being put on a list of predators. He strike me as a Ted Bundy type.
