The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger | Themes

The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Themes

Revenge

Initially it seems that revenge is the motivating force behind the gunslinger's twelve-year pursuit of the man in black. Early in the story, the reader is not given much information why the gunslinger has this need for revenge. Only the gunslinger's strong feelings of retaliation, anger and unwavering pursuit are described. As the book continues, connections are made between the past and the present which more clearly explain the relationship that the gunslinger has with the man in black and why he feels the need for vengeance.

The man in black is somehow responsible for the end of the gunslinger's world and the death of the people the gunslinger loves. The man in black is directly connected with Marten, the enchanter who betrayed Roland's father by manipulating and controlling his mother. At first, it seems that Marten is the man in black, but later it is revealed that he is...
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