The thought crossed my mind earlier that there is a pretty good possibility that Susan Delgado was fridged. It had never occurred to me before, but the thought hit me recently, most likely as a delayed result of reading all the comics again.
For those unfamiliar, "fridged" is a term used to refer to a character death (specifically a female) that was unnecessarily cruel, cheap, done for shock value, and usually just done so that the main hero can avenge her. Comic writer, Gail Simone pointed this out in an essay a few years back and even made a whole list of characters to show the disproportionate treatment women got.
At face value, yes, Susan was fridged. Her death spurred Roland to go to the tower and being burned at the stake is a rather bad way to go (to say the least). The fact that she was with child definitely doesn't help matters. It was certainly a tragic end, but given the history of the Mejis, human sacrifice still hadn't been completely phased out.
At the same time the line's rather blurred. I mean, what sort of story would begin with the couple living happily ever after? Also important to note is the fact that everybody Roland knew died. It wasn't just Susan, but his whole first ka-tet that met a grim fate. This was a pretty important element in Roland's behavior. He remained distant because death seemed to follow him around like those storm clouds in old cartoons.
As the comic points out, characters met ends far more gruesome than Susan did. Look at Charles in the latest series of Dark Tower comics I reviewed. I would agree with the narrator that he got it a lot worse than she did.
Character deaths are common, especially in epics like this. Sooner or later a female character is going to meet a tragic end. It doesn't mean that the writer has issues with women, it just means that the story just happened to unfold that way.
I remember, back when King was early in the series, I think he had just finished The Wastelands, someone sent him a letter asking how it was going to end. King responded that he really didn't know. He's said on more than one occasion that he doesn't really plan his books out, choosing instead to just let things happen as his imagination sees it. As such, it was just a part of natural character development as opposed to adding something just for shock value.
There's also the fact that the more I think about it, the less I buy this whole "fridging" thing. It's a rant for another site, I don't want to go too far off topic, but let's just say that the more I think about it the less I agree with it.
I'm surprised the topic hasn't come up before to be honest. Especially in comic circles, nowadays, they freak out if Lois Lane gets a papercut.
Ultimately, I have to lean towards yes. Despite my qualms with the general movement, Susan's death does seem to meet the basic criteria. I wouldn't go so far as to say her death was cheap though. It was a pretty powerful scene and Roland made sure never to forget the sacrifice she made, nor did he forget her final words as she passed on to the next world.
What do you guys think? Could the story still have worked without Susan's tragic end? What if she hadn't died and Roland didn't go on his quest for the tower. Would the multiverse fall or would Ka find another reason for him to make his odyssey? It's true, Farson was still around so he could go on the grounds of trying to alter his actions, but it was Susan's death, more than anything that he wanted to negate; it makes you wonder what alternatives there were.
For those unfamiliar, "fridged" is a term used to refer to a character death (specifically a female) that was unnecessarily cruel, cheap, done for shock value, and usually just done so that the main hero can avenge her. Comic writer, Gail Simone pointed this out in an essay a few years back and even made a whole list of characters to show the disproportionate treatment women got.
At face value, yes, Susan was fridged. Her death spurred Roland to go to the tower and being burned at the stake is a rather bad way to go (to say the least). The fact that she was with child definitely doesn't help matters. It was certainly a tragic end, but given the history of the Mejis, human sacrifice still hadn't been completely phased out.
At the same time the line's rather blurred. I mean, what sort of story would begin with the couple living happily ever after? Also important to note is the fact that everybody Roland knew died. It wasn't just Susan, but his whole first ka-tet that met a grim fate. This was a pretty important element in Roland's behavior. He remained distant because death seemed to follow him around like those storm clouds in old cartoons.
As the comic points out, characters met ends far more gruesome than Susan did. Look at Charles in the latest series of Dark Tower comics I reviewed. I would agree with the narrator that he got it a lot worse than she did.
Character deaths are common, especially in epics like this. Sooner or later a female character is going to meet a tragic end. It doesn't mean that the writer has issues with women, it just means that the story just happened to unfold that way.
I remember, back when King was early in the series, I think he had just finished The Wastelands, someone sent him a letter asking how it was going to end. King responded that he really didn't know. He's said on more than one occasion that he doesn't really plan his books out, choosing instead to just let things happen as his imagination sees it. As such, it was just a part of natural character development as opposed to adding something just for shock value.
There's also the fact that the more I think about it, the less I buy this whole "fridging" thing. It's a rant for another site, I don't want to go too far off topic, but let's just say that the more I think about it the less I agree with it.
I'm surprised the topic hasn't come up before to be honest. Especially in comic circles, nowadays, they freak out if Lois Lane gets a papercut.
Ultimately, I have to lean towards yes. Despite my qualms with the general movement, Susan's death does seem to meet the basic criteria. I wouldn't go so far as to say her death was cheap though. It was a pretty powerful scene and Roland made sure never to forget the sacrifice she made, nor did he forget her final words as she passed on to the next world.
What do you guys think? Could the story still have worked without Susan's tragic end? What if she hadn't died and Roland didn't go on his quest for the tower. Would the multiverse fall or would Ka find another reason for him to make his odyssey? It's true, Farson was still around so he could go on the grounds of trying to alter his actions, but it was Susan's death, more than anything that he wanted to negate; it makes you wonder what alternatives there were.
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