Roland Deschain
Roland Deschain is a male character who features in The Dark Tower series.
Contents |
Biography
Roland Deschain was a male human born as the son of Steven Deschain and Gabrielle Deschain in the land of Gilead.
Marten Broadcloak invited Roland into Gabrielle's bedchamber, displaying for Roland their affair. Furious, Roland challenged his mentor Cort to earn his guns and kill Marten. Cort accepts this challenge but reminds young Roland that if he fails he will be sent west to the wastelands. Roland does not back down from his challenge of Cort. He is allowed one weapon so he chooses his hawk, David. With this weapon choice, Roland triumphs above Cort and earns his guns at the unheard of age of fourteen. Upon earning his guns, Roland buys a prostitute as a right of manhood. Roland is rudely awakened by his father who tells him that he has forgotten his father's face. Roland replies that he has not and it was with him the entire time during his test against Cort. Steven then tells Roland that Marten was furious for passing this test and plans to kill him.
Steven sent Roland with his ka-tet Cuthbert and Alain east to the town of Hambry to keep him safe from Marten Broadcloak. In Hambry, Roland met a girl named Susan Delgado along the side of the road.
Marten Broadcloak invited Roland into Gabrielle's bedchamber, displaying for Roland their affair. Furious, Roland challenged his mentor Cort to earn his guns and kill Marten. Cort accepts this challenge but reminds young Roland that if he fails he will be sent west to the wastelands. Roland does not back down from his challenge of Cort. He was allowed one weapon so he chooses his hawk, David. With this weapon choice, Roland triumphs above Cort and earns his guns at the unheard of age of fourteen. Upon earning his guns, Roland buys a prostitute as a right of manhood. Roland is rudely awakened by his father who tells him that he has forgotten his father's face. Roland replies that he has not and it was with him the entire time during his test against Cort. Steven then tells Roland that Marten is furious for passing this test and plans to kill him.
Susan was coming from Rhea of the Cöos' house where she had been checked for her "honesty" as well as given a hypnotic suggestion to be triggered by losing her virginity, so that once Mayor Thorin takes her to bed on Reap night, she will cut off all her hair, and be less attractive to Mayor Thorin. Upon meeting Roland Susan falls in love with him and Roland with her. The love for Susan eventually clouds Roland's reasoning as he knows Susan has been promised to Mayor Thorin. Roland is told by Susan to make love to her which he does. Shortly after making love Susan goes to cut off her hair, but she is stopped by Roland - who at first mistook her actions to be an attempt at suicide, and he hurts her wrist taking the sharpened stone away from her, breaking the trance. Eventually, Roland, with Alain's help, hypnotizes Susan to find out why she tried to disfigure herself - under hypnosis she also makes the comment 'it is Pink.' Implying the presence of Maerlyn's Grapefruit - and that it may have other uses in addition to the known use of far-seeing and other traditional 'crystal ball' like powers. Roland makes love to Susan many times and eventually impregnates her. Rhea, in the meantime, has found out about this thanks to Maerlyn's Grapefruit and is furious. Mayor Thorin is murdered by Roy Depape who leaves Cuthbert's bird skull known as "the lookout" at the scene. Roland and his ka-tet are arrested and taken to jail for killing Mayor Thorin. Roland and his ka-tet manage to escape from jail with the help of Susan. Roland and his ka-tet set out for a battle against The Good Man. Roland tells Susan to hide with Sheemie in a hut in the Bad Grass and wait for his return, and if he does not return she is to take his guns to his father and tell him what happened. While waiting for Roland, Susan is discovered by the Big Coffin Hunters and is taken back to town by Clay Reynolds. Susan is held prisoner at Mayor Thorin's house. She is freed by Olive Thorin. Her attempt to escape is proven futile as she is captured once more. She is then taken through town and burned as a Charyou Tree. Her last words were "Roland, I love thee."
As a boy, Roland and Cuthbert overheard Hax the Cook talking with a soldier about poisoning children in Taunton (a town called Farson in the original draft) for the sake of "The Good Man". Roland and Cuthbert told their fathers thus leading to the hanging of Hax. This is also one of the first times Roland hears about The Good Man. During his visit to Hambry, Roland and his ka-tet discover that Mayor Hart Thorin and the town are allied with The Good Man. Hambry is giving their oil for John Farson's war machines. Whilst in Hambry Roland, Cuthbert, and Alain come across three men working for John Farson "The Good Man". The men are Roy Depape, Clay Reynolds, and Eldred Jonas otherwise known as the Big Coffin Hunters. Roland and his ka-tet defeat the Big Coffin Hunters and also take from them Maerlyn's Grapefruit. Through the Grapefruit, Roland discovered the Tower is certainly a physical reality, not a legend or a concept, and also witnessed Susan's death. During their return to Gilead, Roland's mind become trapped inside the Grapefruit and meets the Crimson King for the first time, from it he learns of their shared ancestry and is eventually saved from it by Sheemie. Roland became obsessed with the sphere in much the same way as Rhea of the Cöos and this obsession made him believe Rhea was after him and due to this he mistakenly kills his mother who tries to steal the sphere from Gilead. Roland awakens to find his mother dead and is then arrested for her murder. In prison, he asks Cuthbert and Alain that if he is to be hanged that they do it and no-one else, later being freed by Aileen Ritter. Upon his release, they find Abel Vannay murdered and then his murdered father. Rallying gunslinger apprentices they plan the defense of Gilead. He survives the fall of Gilead and had to flee with the few remaining others. It should be noted that the aforementioned events may be un-canon, as they contradict the events in The Wind Through the Keyhole. In The Wind Through the Keyhole, after killing his mother, Steven Deschain sends Roland and Jamie DeCurry to Debaria to hunt a skin-man who has been killing the residents. With the help of a young boy named Bill Streeter, the only surviving person of the skin-man's attacks, the duo gets the skin-man. He decides to venture to the Dark Tower after Sheemie is visited by one of the corporeal manifestations of the Beams. On his way there he, alongside his allies, destroys the Cult of Amoco. He is then betrayed by Randolph and later kills Alain after mistaking him for one of Farson's men. Afterward, at the Battle of Jericho Hill, all of the gunslingers except Roland and Aileen were killed. Not much is known as to what happened to John Farson after this battle
Overview
Personality and attributes
His mother used to sing the 'Baby-Bunting Rhyme' to him. He first heard the word 'chassit' at nap times but not at the bed because boys of the gun needed to handle the darkness on their own. We also know about the witnessing of the hanging of Hax, a cook who was an ally to Farson and was willing to poison the children of Taunton.
He was noted for being the final human descendant of Arthur Eld.
Roland and his friend, Cuthbert, turned Hax in after accidentally overhearing his conversation with a guard. He and his family spent a lot of time on vacation along the shores of Lake Soroni with his pet dog Ringo. When he was a little older he began to follow his father on short trips to Sheriff's Offices in neighboring cities and once all the way to the Downland Baronies.
Powers and abilities
Roland carries a pair of revolvers, sometimes referred to as 'the big guns' by other characters. They are described as long and heavy, with blued steel and sandalwood grips. These guns are a major sigil, as they are recognized throughout Mid-World and are used as an identifier of Roland.
Notes
- Roland Deschain was created by Stephen King where he featured in the setting of The Dark Tower series.
In other media
Films
- In The Dark Tower, Roland Deschain appeared in the setting of the 2017 live-action film where he was portrayed by actor Idris Elba.
Appearances
- The Gunslinger:
- The Dark Tower:
External Links
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