72 pages 2 hours read

Stephen King

The Stand

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1978

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

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.

Related Titles

By Stephen King

Plot Summary

logo

Bag of Bones

Stephen King

Bag of Bones

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Billy Summers

Stephen King

Billy Summers

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Children of the Corn

Stephen King

Children of the Corn

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Different Seasons

Stephen King

Different Seasons

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Doctor Sleep

Stephen King

Doctor Sleep

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Dolores Claiborne

Stephen King

Dolores Claiborne

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Elevation

Stephen King

Elevation: A Novel

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

End of Watch

Stephen King

End of Watch

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Fairy Tale

Stephen King

Fairy Tale

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Finders Keepers

Stephen King

Finders Keepers

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Firestarter

Stephen King

Firestarter

Stephen King

Plot Summary

logo

From a Buick 8

Stephen King

From a Buick 8

Stephen King

Plot Summary

logo

Full Dark, No Stars

Stephen King

Full Dark, No Stars

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Gerald's Game

Stephen King

Gerald's Game

Stephen King

Study Guide

logo

Gwendy's Button Box

Stephen King, Richard Chizmar

Gwendy's Button Box

Stephen King, Richard Chizmar