The Drawing of the Three

“‘Did-a-chick?’ the monstrosity enquired in its plaintive Won’t you help me? Can’t you see I am desperate? voice, and Roland saw the stumps of the first and second fingers of his right hand disappearing into the creature’s jagged beak.”

Elements of the absurd add to the sudden horror of the moment the “lobstrosity” bites off Roland’s fingers. The juxtaposition of the creature’s childlike, humanoid speech and its snapping, jagged beak makes it even more terrifying and shows King’s skilled use of contrast.

“‘Three. This is the number of your fate.’

‘Three?’

‘Yes, three is mystic. Three stands at the heart of the mantra.’”

Enigmatic and evocative statements like these help create intrigue and build suspense. The opening lines of Part 1 immediately establish the importance of three companions; what Roland doesn’t yet know is that he himself is the third who completes the fellowship.

“In the service of duty there was never any acceptable reason for denial.”

Roland must immediately get to work when he awakens after the lobstrosity attack. He may be weak from blood loss and pain, but he knows he must keep moving in order to survive and continue his quest. The reminder he gives himself reflects his training as a gunslinger and his relentless nature.