Who was your favorite or most memorable character?
My favorite was Stu, followed closely by Nick and then Tom.
Harold was certainly the most complex character in the book, and Julie Lawry was the least sympathetic (after Flagg). She had almost no redeeming qualities whatever.
Fran was whiny but I didn't think she was a bad person.
I liked Nick and Glen the best - just as people and for their bravery and Glen for his sense of humor. Nick was a wise and stabilizing influence on everyone.
However, my favorite characters in terms of how they developed are easily Harold and Larry. They were also on opposite paths when the story began, and each took opposite directions in the wake of the plague. Both had the opportunity to begin anew and make the right decisions.
Harold to me was obsessively evil about all of what he felt was wrong about the world and how it treated him. Instead of allowing the better parts of himself to blossom, he chose to continue to hate and resent.
Larry was failing at both being a musician, and being a decent to others. He drove out east in an attempt to escape, and in the wake of the plague he struggled both with Rita, and then had difficulties with Nadine and Joe. But he crossed over and became a leader and a decent man.
Nick was definitely my favorite character in the book. He was so good, yet still human, and also probably the brightest character in the story aside from maybe Glen and Harold despite the troubles he had early in his childhood. I actually threw the book and cried when Nick died. Tom Cullen, of course, was a favorite too; who could not love Tom? I also loved Larry's evolution from "you ain't no nice guy" to a true mensch at the end, and I have to give a shout out to Ralph - I loved Ralph. Pragmatic, humble guy with a big heart.
I will agree that Harold was the most complex character, and I did have some sympathy for him despite the terrible things he did, because he was cruelly manipulated by Flagg. I had some sympathy for Lloyd also... talk about a guy between a rock and a hard place. Even when Flagg first found him in the prison he almost wanted him to go away... I think that tells us that Lloyd wasn't all bad. He just wasn't very bright. His survival instinct trumped all else in the end, and once he allowed Flagg to rescue him, he had no way out. (Loved Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd in the miniseries, BTW, even though he looked totally different than I pictured Lloyd. Ferrer is an actor who can be menacing and sympathetic at the same time and that served the character well, IMO.)
The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.
I actually threw the book and cried when Nick died.
That was a fairly common reaction, but what happened to Nick was also Pure Stephen King. There are a number of King's characters who 'bought it' in the end of other storiesI actually threw the book and cried when Nick died.
I'm glad someone else had this reaction. I remember being completely furious with Stephen King and putting the book down for three days when Nick was killed. My way of getting back at him, I suppose. I finished the book, though, so I guess he won in the end.
I love Larry, Nick and Harold the best.
shareLooking back over this old thread, I have to say that Stu is still my favorite character. King made him too perfect, however, and I wish that he had a few warts--character-wise, I mean to say.
Any other thoughts here?
Stu has warts - he told Harold to relax - he wasn’t trying to cut in on him and Fran… and then does just that.
Tom and Nick.
Randall Flagg was pretty fun too.
From memory, Nick was my favourite. I admit, I also shed a few tears over him.
share❤️️Stu was my favorite in the Miniseries.
Larry was my favorite in the book. He started out, such a messed up human being. He turned out to be a decent guy. I often think that he could have gone either way... Colorado or Las Vegas...good/bad.
In the end Larry stood strong.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Whoever they got to play him did a bang-up job!
shareGlenn followed by Nick.
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