Louie Parizeau

Louis Parizeau
The Stand
Stephen King
Sci-Fi
Challenge
862

1.      Now in the book, the "good side" has been working on a government they can use. Also, many people have to work on cleaning up the bodies of people who have died from the disease to get them out of the town. The community also has meeting every week, where everyone talks about the important things that recently happened in the community. The meetings were moved to a different auditorium, the Munzinger Auditorium, because the population of the community grew too big to fit into the old auditorium. With more than 1,000 people, everything is becoming more advanced. The power is going to come back on soon, and an address book is being made including everyone in the community. But as the community grows, there are smaller problems throught the book. Frannie is in the middle of a pregnancy, and she has been very worried that the baby will die if it isn't immune to the disease. But she went to the new hospital, and they said she would do fine. But she still has worries. An earlier pregnancy, from a lady named Mrs. Wentworth, had twins who died within days of birth. Frannie also has been having dreams of the Dark Man who wants to kill the baby. Also, Tom Cullen (the character who is mentally disabled), has just been sent off as a spy to pretend he is a individual who meets up with the Dark Side. Nick and Larry can put Tom in a "trace" where he will do anything they say. None of them now why this happens. So they told Tom to travel at night to the Dark Man and his community, and when the moon is full, to return. A few others have to do this, and they are doing this because the community is trying to find out how advanced the Dark Mans side is.
2.      So far in this book, I really like it. King really pulls you into the book with the book's intensity due to all of the problems. There is always something going on in the book. Also, I always want to keep reading because I think that something big will happen soon, where the Dark Man's side and the good side meet up. I wonder if they will fight or something. The characters are all interesting and different from each other too. This makes it interesting because each part of the books new and different because all the different characters come into the plot.
3.      One theme in this book is teamwork. Everybody in the community has to work together to make the community grow. The community could easily fall apart if somebody starts a revolt, but everyone decides to work together. Everyone works on a job, like cleaning up dead people or fixing the electricity. Also everyone goes to the meetings.
4.      My favorite character in the book is Tom Cullen. I think he is very willing and flexible, partially do to his mental disablities. When he had to leave to go to travel to the "Dark" side, while he was in a trace, he still had an expression on his face showing that he didn't want to do this but it was important so he would. Also, he is a very interesting character. His house is filled with stuffed animals, and his yard is full of fake flamingos. He is also interesting because of the trace he goes into, usually at random intervals. So overall I like Tom because he is interesting and willing to do things for others.
5.      My least favorite character is Harold Lauder. He is a very concealing, evil, and sad minded character. Harold hasn't told anyone yet, but he and Nadine, his girlfriend, plan to go to the "Dark"side because they think that is where they belong. He is evil because earlier in the book, he wanted to kill Stu, but didn't have the chance because right before he was going to kill Stu, three other people arrived at the scene. Stu didn't know he was going to kill him, but many characters, including Stu, find that Harold is very suspicious. Lastly, he is sad minded because he  always has a sad vibe to him, and never seems happy. I think that this is because he doesn't thing he belongs in this community, but that he belongs in the "Dark" community. So overall I don't like Harold because he is always has a sad, evil vibe to him.
6.      I predict that soon in The Stand the two sides of the book will meet and there will be a big conflict. Right now in the book, there have been many hints in the book that the "Dark" side is stronger and more populated than the "Good" side. So I think the conflict in this book will be the "Good" side trying to get away from the "Dark" side. When the two sides meet, I don't think it will be a fight with guns and swords, because that isn't the "vibe" that the books give off. There hasn't been any of those kinds of fights now, so I don't think there will be in the future. A more short term prediction I have is that Harold and Nadine, his girlfriend, will run off to the "Dark Side". I think this because they have been secretly talking about doing this since they met. Also, they are both somewhat rejected by the community in ways, and I thin that this will persuade them to leave.