The Stand is not only a very spiritual book, at moments it is quite autobiographical. We don't meet King directly, as we did in the Dark Tower, but there is a family mention.
In chapter 40 of The Stand, we are once again taken deep inside the thoughts of Mother Abagail. As she sits on a screened porch, she thinks of a traveling salesman who had come through Hemingford Home in 1936 or ‘37.
"Why, he had been the sweetest talking fellow she had ever met in her life; he could have charmed the birdies right down from the trees." p.400
Why does this traveling salesman matter? Well, because. . .
1. HIS NAME: His name is "Mr. Donald King." Stephen King’s father’s name was Donald King. Is he deliberately making a connection?
2. PARTICULAR EMPHASIS: King is careful to draw the readers attention to the name. "She had never seen him again, but she had never forgotten his name, either." p.400 It's like he's pointing.
3. OCCUPATION: Donald King was a vacuum cleaner salesman. And hey. . . guess what the salesman in the Stand is? Yep – a vacuum cleaner salesman.
In one page King mentioned several times that the salesman was a sweet talker. I am not quite sure the relation, but it makes me wonder if his father was known to be a charmer.
4. RESULT: So what was the end result of Mr. Donald King? Does Stephen King tell us? In a way. He does it through the good prophet -- Mother Abagail: "She just bet he had gone on to break some white lady’s heart." p.400 (639 uncut edition)
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