The Stand Summary
5 min read ⌚
We all know that Stephen King can be a bit on the controversies side, and that’s why we indulge in his work.
Once more, he managed to twist our perception by presenting the big picture, which we must interpret.
Many experts debate the ambiguous nature of this novel, and we refrain from any comments and leave the judgment to you.
Who Should Read “The Stand”? And Why?
Novels like these, make you question the entire existence not just some superficial aspects of foreign affairs. We as a society must rise to the occasion and prevent the ignorant leaders from destroying our homes.
“The Stand” in reality signifies the battle we as a group must face, in order to preserve something far greater than personal interests and agenda.
Take notes!
Stephen King Biography
Stephen King is an American born novelist, whose work has been subjected to both criticism and praise all around the world.
She is married to Tabitha King – also a novelist and an activist.
Plot
The Stand by Stephen King is an original novel that is composed of part futuristic and part post-apocalyptic storyline. The society is literally on the verge of collapse due to the release of biological substances that contaminate the community.
The weapon annihilates a significant chunk of the population, because of influenza contained in the virus. Although the book showcases some unpleasant turn of events, the growing popularity stands to reason why there were several releases with some modifications to the book regarding the dates.
The author mainly wanted to express the danger of developing weapons of mass destructions that both the Eastern and Western Hemisphere are producing. Depending on the version of the book, the story period ranges from 1980 to 1995, but in all honesty, the date doesn’t entirely reflect any drastic changes.
The First Section
Stephen structures the book so that each of the three sections has a different story to tell. Let’s dive right into the first one. Well, it takes place from 16th of June to 4th of July, in a US Army base, where the virus is released by mistake.
The infection is also known under the name of Project Blue. Upon releasing the virus, Charles Campion is forced to flee with his wife and child and drive to Texas. The army tries to locate him, because of the severity of the situation, and all infected must be held into quarantine.
His whereabouts don’t remain a secret for an extended period, and the army manages to find him! He is notified about the virus, and they express grave concerns that if he continues roaming around the country, he’ll infect others.
Nonetheless, the army fails to put him into quarantine in time, and he spreads the disease before passing away. The epidemic spreads like crazy, and a staggering 99.4% of the population dies within the next couple of days.
Society cracks, panic runs rampant everywhere, and the martial law collapse under pressure as well. King successfully managed to give a rundown on this process, and how it affects the community. People die from two things: Violence and Project Blue – it seems like there’s no stopping anything.
The Second Section
The second part crops up from July 5 to September 6 and tells a story about a 108-year-old woman Abagail Freemantle. “Mother Abagail,” as other members of the group frequently call her, is a spiritual leader or a guru whose efforts lead the other individuals to Colorado, where they try to begin from scratch once more.
They name this area – the New Society or The Free Zone. Nonetheless, Mother Abigail is challenged by her greatest adversary Randall Flagg. Flagg does believe that ends justify the means, and he utilizes torture and suffering to keep his subjects loyal to him.
Same as any other dictator, he is paranoid and uses his supernatural abilities to keep things under his control by enforcing strict rules. He takes charge in taking over Las Vegas, to rebuild the city and form an army.
Mother Abigail dreads Flagg’s intentions, and prior to leaving on a spiritual quest, she sends spies into the newly formed territory. Flagg on the other end, plants a bomb in the Free Zone, trying to annihilate the rest of the “non-obedient” citizens.
Although Abagail Freemantle returns just in time to save them from the explosion, few of them, die!
The Third Section
The final part of the novel takes place from September 7 to January 10 and explains the rising tensions between the Free Zone and Las Vegas army group. Mother Abigail dispatches her loyal members to face Flagg’s people.
In the meantime, Abigail dies, and the rest of the group must confront Flagg single-handedly. On the way over to Vegas, Stu (one of the members of Free Zone) breaks his leg, and the others are compelled to embark on this dangerous journey without him.
She couldn’t be on his wavelength all the time. That’s all. When you could recognize that and deal with it, you were on your way to an adult relationship.
Flagg’s loyal admirers arrest Glen, Brentner, and Underwood. Glen is executed instantaneously because of his stubbornness and unwillingness to submit to Flagg’s sovereign rule. The other two, are about to be killed.
At the heat of the moment, Trashcan Man arrives, carrying a nuclear warhead. Flagg accidentally detonates the bomb, killing every soul in Las Vegas and razing the city to the ground.
In the meantime, Frances Goldsmith is worried about the birth of her baby. If the newborn catches the Superflu, that will signal the end of humanity and everything will be lost. Stu returns to Free Zone, helped by the only spy who survived the blast.
The baby Peter successfully manages to resist the devastating effects of Superfly. Frances and Stu wonder whether new civilization will rise from the ashes, and are the humans capable of creating a conscious society.
Love didn’t grow very well in a place where there was only fear
The Stand Epilogue
Not every edition of the novel has the same epilogue. For instance, in the early editions, Randall Flagg is dead after the explosion, but in some later version, he miraculously managed to survive the detonation.
Although presumed dead by the Free Zone members, he finds himself stranded on a deserted island, suffering from amnesia.
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“The Stand PDF Quotes”
That wasn't any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery. Click To Tweet No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become. No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out the other side. Click To Tweet People who try hard to do the right thing always seem mad. Click To Tweet The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want for anything. He makes me lie down in the green pastures. He greases up my head with oil. He gives me kung-fu in the face of my enemies. Click To Tweet He smiles a lot. But I think there might be worms inside him making him smile. Click To Tweet
Our Critical Review
Do we dare to add any remarks to this masterpiece? Absolutely not, because it would be profoundly ignorant of us to question Stephen King’s way of expression.
We were thrilled and sucked into the storyline from the very beginning! Therefore we give the green-light and hope for the best.
Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.
