The Dark Tower

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence.

The Dark Tower not only provides the title of the novel, but also that of the series as a whole. The Tower exists at the center of Roland’s universe in a literal and figurative sense. As the nexus point for the Beams that hold the world together and as a physical manifestation of Gan, the creator god of Mid-World, it is a symbol of ultimate meaning. However, it also holds deeply personal significance as the final destination for Roland’s quest, drawing him closer with a force that is sometimes gravitational, sometimes magical, and always deeply personal. For a man like Roland, whose life is littered with so many regrets, the quest for the Tower is a symbolic journey of atonement. Only by reaching the Tower can he add purpose and meaning to his life. If he does not reach the Tower, then much that he has done—including the moral compromises he has made—will have been in vain.

In the novel, the Tower is revealed to Roland slowly. He sees it in his dreams and then glimpses it through the descriptions of others.