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The Stand
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Symbols & Motifs
Black and Red
The motif of black and red appears in a variety of contexts in The Stand but always in association with the dark man and his various servants. When Flagg first appears in front of Lloyd’s jail cell, he presents Lloyd with a jet pendant that has a red flaw at its center. The flaw disturbs Lloyd because it appears to change shape. Sometimes it looks like a key and sometimes like an eye. Though all of Flagg’s minions wear jet pendants, only two contain a red flaw. These he gives to Lloyd and Trashman to mark their special status as his highest-ranking followers.
The colors of red and black are associated with the dark man’s non-human servants as well. The crow who pecks at the judge’s windowsill has black eyes rimmed with red. The wolves who appear to Trashman in a dream have red eyes. Aside from the connection to Flagg himself, red and black represent evil in general. The paint on The Kid’s deuce coupe is red and black, indicating The Kid’s own demonic nature.
The Stand uses red specifically in connection with a variety of evil forces. The most important is the all-seeing red Eye that Flagg sends out to find information he seeks. Both Lloyd and Trash feel unease with the red flaw in their pendants because this may be the means by which the Eye can keep tabs on their behavior. Abagail sees the red Eye in her dreams of the dark man. Glen senses the Eye, and Kojak literally sees it and barks at it.
The Battle for Progeny
In the new world shaping up after the plague, offspring become paramount. Several female survivors are pregnant when the plague hits, but few have babies that survive after birth. Only a child of two immune parents stands a chance. Throughout the story, Frannie feels anxiety about the fate of her unborn child. When her son arrives and proves able to fight off the plague with his own immune system, this represents a turning point in the fortunes of the Boulder colony. It offers hope.
Even though Flagg intends to wipe out the Free Zone using superior weaponry, he seems concerned about founding a dynasty based on his own bloodline. He has been cultivating a connection with Nadine for years and demands that she remain a virgin until their wedding night. Presumably, this is so he can ensure that her first-born is genetically his offspring.
Aside from his own hubris, Flagg’s concern with progeny represents a tactical advantage. His army needs the strength that sheer numbers can provide. He can’t hope to overrun the earth with his followers unless those followers produce plague-immune babies for his son and heir to rule in times to come.
The greatest blow to Flagg’s plan is the loss of his unborn son. Rather than remaining an inert incubator throughout her pregnancy, Nadine finally reasserts her own free will and taunts Flagg into killing her. Caught up in his rage, Flagg fails to realize that by killing Nadine, he is also murdering the symbol of his absolute triumph—a son to continue his life’s work of destruction.
Animal Helpers
The warring factions in The Stand use animals as emissaries and servants to further their respective agendas. The plague has selectively wiped out entire species of animals. While horses and dogs are dead, cats and cattle survive. The surviving animals are seen as either evil or good, depending on which side they obey. Flagg retains dominion over wolves, crows, and weasels. He has a large number of weasels threaten Abagail on her late-night walk home with a bag of chickens. These prove to be specters because she can banish them with a wave of her hand, but they offer a psychological threat, nonetheless.
Flagg sends a crow to frighten the judge in his motel room. Even after the old man tries to blast the bird with a shotgun, others track his movements and give that information to the dark man. When The Kid endangers Trashman, a pack of wolves descends from out of nowhere to pin The Kid inside his car and allow Trash to escape. The wolves then guide Trash through the tunnel that he fears to enter alone.
The Free Zone committee has a single important ally from the animal world. Kojak, the Irish Setter, follows Glen from New England to Colorado. When Stu, Glen, Ralph, and Larry begin their trek to Las Vegas, Kojak accompanies them and drives off the all-seeing Eye as it spies on them during the night. After Stu breaks his leg, Kojak remains with him. He brings Stu dead rabbits for food and fetches small logs for firewood. The importance of progeny recurs in terms of animals as well as humans when someone finds a female Irish Setter puppy still alive. Presumably, she will become a mate for Kojak and help rebuild the ranks of man’s best friend.
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By Stephen King
