Trips baby, Captain Trips... (The Stand - Stephen King)

Member Name: phoenixcage

Product:	The Stand - Stephen King
Date:	28/01/02 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent story, Very original, Very scary

Disadvantages: None really

Personally I have read 'The Stand 'around four times already, and it never ceases to amaze me – both in it’s plot structure and in it’s originality – quite definitely a classic and one that will be remembered as one of King’s greatest, maybe his all-time greatest, but I think The Dark Tower series is peaking that now. The thing about ‘The Stand’ that makes it such a great book is not the actual plot itself – but the very possibility of the plot. What is even more frightening is that King wrote this during the 70’s – today it is even more possibly with our technology…think about that for a while, eh?

‘The Stand ‘ is probably one of the greatest sociological studies ever done in the mind of a writer. King employees a rather ‘William Golding’ plot and gives us this microcosm in which to study – effectively emptying the entire world bar a few people and seeing how they fare.

The plot –
The government has created a virus – a very deadly virus to be exact – and in the words of Harold Lauder, a character in the book:

“…Then one day some bright spark said: ‘look what I made...it kills almost everybody isn’t it great?’”

This virus, soon to be known as ‘Captain Trips’ is just a beefed up version of the flu virus. What makes it so good in it’s killing success (around 99.4% susceptibility) is how it is what is called an ‘antigen shifting virus’, meaning that every time the body produces the correct antibodies to deal with it, it simply switches to a different protein coat and this way wears the body out, eventually killing it. It is because of this that almost everyone in the world is wiped out (we can presume it’s the world but King concentrated only on America) and only few left. These few that are left are even further diminished by what King c
alls ‘The aftershock’ – meaning that such things as murder, starvation, other sickness and drugs, accidental death, etc, wipe these people out – in a strictly Darwinian sense, he claims, it is ‘The unkindest cut of all.’

No-one is sure what makes these few people non-susceptible to the great flu, not even themselves, but soon they find themselves in an empty world…and with strange dreams….

What follows after the establishment of the flu and the success of it are the beginnings of a battle between Good and Evil for the world. Good – personified in Mother Abigail – and Evil – as presented by Randall Flagg, The Dark Man. Those who are weak in nature, or perhaps in the wrong place in the wrong time, dream about Randall Flagg and are called to join him in Las Vegas, those who are predominantly good in nature dream of Mother Abigail and are called to her. Flagg runs an almost militaristic gathering – but he has the trains running on time – crucifying those who sell drugs or oppose his authority in any way. He is a feared man and rules with an iron fist. Little is actually known about him, but King explains through the story and through characters that “His name is legion. Jesus threw him in a pigsty once. He can do magic and live in the wolves and crows….” He is in fact not a human at all but a demon and his mission is to destroy all good left in the world.

Mother Abigail is God’s representative on earth, she summons all the good in America and gathers them in a town called Boulder – but does not know why. It becomes clear to her towards the final chapters that a chosen few are to go to Las Vegas and confront Flagg…destroy him. Four are sent and one does not make it (as she tells prior to their leaving) the others are captured and taken to Flagg…The ending I will not spoil, but it is nothing like anyone would expect at all
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The essential crux of the entire novel is this quintessential battle between Good and Evil, though King brings it up-to-date in ‘The Stand’. Many other arguments are offered and perhaps created by the book and the occurrences in it – the most prominent being the possibility of ‘The Stand’ happening in today’s society, and it is indeed, I believe a great possibility…a rather frightening one, but to those who have read ‘The Stand’…seems like fun sometimes doesn’t it?

Characters –

Randall Flagg: ‘The Dark Man’, a demon who did not actually cause the great plague, but is merely lucky enough for it to occur for him to have his chance. Becomes the central force of evil in the novel…we’ve met him before from King, the most recent in ‘Wizard and Glass’.

Mother Abigail: The personification of good in the novel, gathers all that are considered good and leads them. Is 106 years old, the oldest in the novel (and perhaps the world) and all look to her for advice.

Stu Redman: A survivor of the flu, a silent man who has the authority of leading the ‘Boulder Free-Zone’ committee. One of the chosen to travel to Vegas for ‘The Dark Man’. Meets Frannie and becomes involved with her as boyfriend.

Larry Underwood: A man who is described as finding himself late in life. Is also one of the chosen to go to Vegas. Can be a good man, but has a bit of a selfish streak that is always his downfall.

Glen Bateman: A sociologist survivor of the flu. Also goes to Vegas with the rest for Flagg. A very intelligent man with a lot of useful information in setting up society again.

Ralph Brentner: Also one of the chosen for Vegas. A witty man who doesn’t seem to take much seriously but has a deep streak in him.

The Trashcan Man: A man just as mysterious as Flagg himself. Employed as
Flagg's somewhat military advisor, goes into the wilderness and comes back with all sorts of dangerous goodies for the Dark Man. The key character to the book, I believe…

Lloyd Henried: The Dark man’s right hand man. Found by Flagg starving in a Phoenix jail-cell and is totally faithful throughout the novel. Not really a bad man but still feels a debt to Flagg.

Nadine: Referred to as ‘The earths child’, she is a strange and quixotic young woman. Most noted for the strand of white in her hair, she is promised to the Dark Man and is to be his Bride.

Harold Lauder: Once a silly and bullied young man. Becomes a traitor to the Free zone when he serves the Dark Man. Is rewarded for his service by being killed though.

Nick Andros: A deaf-mute man; is originally the leader of the free Zone, along with Mother Abigail. Is killed toward the end of the novel by a bomb…who planted it though? You’ll find out…


‘The Stand’ is a book that once picked up, is very hard to put down. Combining King excellent prose (more so in this novel) and a story that is extremely scary and believable with a lot of twists and suspense it almost turns the pages itself. Minutes at the book turn into hours…and the entire book is captivated by an extract that King uses into it’s beginnings, from Bruce Springsteen:

“Outside the streets on fire,
In a real death-waltz.
Between what’s flesh and what’s fantasy.
And the poets down here don’t write nothing at all, they just sit back and let it all be.
But in the quick of the night
They reach for their moment
And try to make and honest stand.
But they wind up wounded,
Not even dead,
Tonight…in jungle-land.”

Read it and you’ll see…

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