by Robin Furth
V:561, V:562, V:567–68, V:571, V:577
BORDER DWELLERS
Border Dwellers were the people who lived beyond TULL, just on the edges of the MOHAINE DESERT. Their partially submerged huts had low sod roofs and were designed to retain nighttime coolness. Dwellers burned devil grass for fuel, though they refused to look into the flames, which they believed contained beckoning devils. Their main crop was corn, though they occasionally grew peas. All of these meager crops had to be watered from deep hand-dug wells.
Many dwellers were either madmen or lepers, suffering from a disease known as the rot. The mad preacher SYLVIA PITTSTON was originally a Border Dweller.
I:12, I:15, I:44, II:32, III:42
INDIVIDUAL BORDER DWELLERS:
**BROWN: Roland met Brown the Border Dweller after his disastrous experience in the town of TULL and before his long and almost deadly journey into the MOHAINE DESERT. Although his long, strawberry-colored hair was ringleted and wild, Brown was neither a madman nor a rotter. He lived with his pet raven, ZOLTAN, and his thin, thirsty corn crop. In The Dark Tower he is mistakenly called a weed-eater.
In the 2003 version of The Gunslinger, we learn that Brown’s wife was MANNI and that he spent some time living with this sect. When Roland met him, Brown’s speech was still peppered with terms such as “thee” and “thou.” I:15–22, I:64–65, I:72, I:85, III:42, IV:570, IV:628, VI:283, VII:826 (mistakenly called a weed-eater)
PAPPA DOC: Pappa Doc brought beans to Brown. His name is very close to that of the Haitian despot Papa (Poppa) Doc Duvalier. I:16, I:18, I:20
ZOLTAN: Zoltan, the scrawny talking raven, was the rather sinister companion of Brown, the redheaded Border Dweller that Roland met in The Gunslinger. Zoltan’s favorite sayings were “Beans, beans, the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot” and “Screw you and the horse you rode in on.” He ate the eyes of Roland’s dead mule. Zoltan was also the name of a folksinger and guitarist that STEPHEN KING knew at the UNIVERSITY OF MAINE. I:16–22, I:64–65, I:72, I:85–86, III:42, IV:628, VI:283, VII:826
BOSCO BOB
See DEAN, EDDIE: EDDIE’S PAST ASSOCIATES: OFFICER BOSCONI
BRANDON
See GRAYS: GRAY HIGH COMMAND
BRANNI BOB
See MANNI
BRANNIGAN, SKIPPER
See DEAN, HENRY: HENRY DEAN’S KA-TET
BRASS
See WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE: CASSE ROI RUSSE: HUMANS: FEEMALO/FIMALO/FUMALO: FEEMALO
BRAUTIGAN, TED
See BREAKERS
BRAVE BILL
See MID-WORLD FOLKLORE
BRAWNY MAN
See CALLAHAN, FATHER DONALD FRANK: CALLAHAN’S HIDDEN HIGHWAYS ASSOCIATES
BREAKERS (BEAM BREAKERS)
The Breakers of THUNDERCLAP are both the prisoners and the servants of the CRIMSON KING. Imprisoned in the DEVAR-TOI, located in the poisoned land of END-WORLD, they use their psychic abilities to weaken the BEAMS, which hold the DARK TOWER in place. Although few (if any) of the Breakers willingly undertook the job of destroying the macroverse (most were tricked into accepting an offer-of-a-lifetime—an offer which really did turn out to be for a lifetime, since most of the MECHANICAL DOORS leading into Thunderclap are one-way only), almost none of them complain once they experience the diverse pleasures available beneath the Devar’s artificial sun.
“To break is divine,” or so we are told. The Devar’s 307 Breakers make use of their so-called wild talents in the STUDY, a room which looks like a richly endowed library in a nineteenth-century gentlemen’s club. They work in shifts of thirty-three individuals, each sitting in his or her accustomed place, seemingly reading magazines or contemplating pictures, while actually their minds are rising, reaching the Beams, searching out cracks and crevices, and expanding those fault lines as much as they possibly can. Although the damage done by this activity is almost incomprehensible, the act of Breaking is intensely pleasurable, both for the Breakers who are doing it and for the balcony guards who relax in the “good mind” vibe which rises from below.
Even if an individual doggedly ignores the moral (or perhaps I should say immoral) implications of Breaking, this act has another very human cost. To keep their skills at top form, the Breakers are regularly fed pills which contain a chemical culled from the brains of prepubescent twins, a chemical which causes “twin-telepathy” and which, once removed, leaves the culled child ROONT, or ruined. Although few Breakers know exactly what they are being fed, many have their suspicions but choose to ignore their consciences. Why worry when the accommodation is classy, the food is great, and the sim sex is almost as good as the real thing? As the Breaker saying goes, “Enjoy the cruise, turn on the fan, there’s nothing to lose, so work on your tan.”
According to TED BRAUTIGAN, most of the Breakers are able to turn off guilt at will because they are morks (a term taken from the 1970s sitcom Mork & Mindy) and so don’t readily form deep attachments to other people. It’s not that morks are antisocial—in fact many of them are very sociable—it’s just that their “friendships” are based on convenience rather than emotional compatibility. For example, if you have a pack of cigarettes in your pocket, a mork who is jonesing for a smoke will suddenly be your greatest buddy. Although this emotional coldness is disturbing to contemplate, it serves a protective purpose. Most of the Breakers spent their KEYSTONE EARTH lives (and most of them are from Keystone Earth) as the butt of jokes. Their talents have forced them to be perennial outsiders, freaks, and they have always been treated (as DINKY EARNSHAW so aptly puts it) like “Carrie at the fuckin prom.” Hence, emotional distance from their fellow humans has been a matter of survival. It’s not surprising, then, that for most Breakers, existence in the Devar is preferable to life on ordinary Earth. (That is, once they get used to the eczema, acne, and multiple illnesses which come from inhabiting a poisoned land.)
In the final book of the Dark Tower series, Roland’s ka-tet arrives in Thunderclap and—with the help of a number of rebel Breakers—puts an end to the abominable practices of the Devar-Toi. Although they slaughter most of the Devar’s CAN-TOI, TAHEEN, and hume (or human) guards, they do not harm the Breakers themselves, but tell them to make their way to the CALLAS and beg the folken’s forgiveness. (Their only other option is to stay in the ruins of the Devar.) Needless to say, most of the mork Breakers are incensed at such a suggestion, claiming that they had no idea what they were really doing in the Study. Rather than taking responsibility for their past actions, they choose to blame Roland’s ka-tet as well as those Breakers who joined forces with the “enemy.”
We never find out what happens to the majority of Breakers, but those who aided our ka-tet in their time of need decide to go to CALLA BRYN STURGIS. Once there, they hope to pass through the UNFOUND DOOR and back to America-side. We can only hope that the Calla folken help them achieve their goal.
V:659–60, VI:16, VI:18, VI:110, VI:111, VI:114, VI:115, VI:245, VI:246, VI:255, VI:378, VII:58, VII:121, VII:148, VII:150, VII:152, VII:153, VII:178, VII:180, VII:187, VII:211, VII:212–13, VII:214 (indirect), VII:230, VII:232, VII:234, VII:235, VII:236–37, VII:238, VII:239, VII:241–45 (study), VII:251, VII:256, VII:262, VII:288–89 (rhyme), VII:291, VII:292, VII:293, VII:294, VII:295, VII:296, VII:307, VII:311, VII:312, VII:326–27, VII:332, VII:338, VII:343, VII:344, VII:349, VII:356–85 (Devar-Toi battle), VII:388–90, VII:391–93, VII:394–95 (accusing Roland), VII:399, VII:406, VII:407, VII:408, VII:411–14, VII:416, VII:505, VII:507, VII:510, VII:532, VII:563, VII:577, VII:595
INDIVIDUAL BREAKERS:
ADDICTS: Addiction of any kind is not tolerated in the DEVAR, since addiction can interfere with Breaking. Those Breakers who arrive at the Devar hooked on drugs or booze are quickly detoxed. However, those who can’t seem to give up their habits simply disappear. VII:211
BAJ: Like SEJ, gentle little Baj is a hydrocephalic savant. In other words, he is a person who has hydrocephalus (enlargement of the head due to water collecting in the brain) but who is
amazingly gifted. Baj has no arms, and so has no way to protect himself from the dangers of falling. During the DEVAR’s final battle, eleven-year-old DANI ROSTOV tries to save both Baj and Sej from choking to death in the smoke of DAMLI HOUSE. However, while she is pulling them on wagons, Baj tumbles out and falls on his head. He doesn’t survive. VII:212 (indirect), VII:375–76 (dies), VII:377
BANKERLY LOOKING BREAKER NUMBER ONE: See WORTHINGTON, FRED, listed below
BANKERLY LOOKING BREAKER NUMBER TWO: Despite holding our ka-tet personally responsible for destroying his life in the DEVAR-TOI, this morose, gray-haired gentleman has a certain amount of courage. Acting as a group spokesman, he confronts Roland with the ruination of the Breakers’ lives. Roland reminds him what terrible crimes he and the other Breakers have been committing and tells him that he and his friends should travel to the CALLAS and beg the folken’s forgiveness. VII:412
BRAUTIGAN, TED STEVENS: To STEPHEN KING’s CONSTANT READERS, the totally eventual Ted Brautigan is a familiar, well-loved character. We first met Ted in “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” the opening story of Hearts in Atlantis. In that tale, Ted was a powerful psychic who could pass his talent on to others when he touched them. Because of this unusual ability, he was pursued by the CAN-TOI (referred to in the context of the story as the LOW MEN) who wanted to force him to use his skill for evil ends. Trying to remain unseen, a fugitive Ted moved into a CONNECTICUT boardinghouse already occupied by a young boy named BOBBY GARFIELD and his young but bitter widowed mother, LIZ. Thanks to their shared love of books, Ted and Bobby became friends. Bobby agreed to work for Ted, ostensibly to read the paper to him each day, but actually to act as a spotter for the garishly dressed low men and for the lost-pet posters and strange, occult designs which they used to hunt for their prey.
At the end of “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” Ted was betrayed by Bobby’s mother, Liz, who wanted to collect the low men’s reward money. The last distressing glimpse Bobby had of Ted was of him sitting in the backseat of a huge DeSoto, surrounded by low men. He was on his way back to END-WORLD and a job he despised. However, he agreed to Beam-Break, as long as the low men left Bobby and his other young friends alone.
When we meet up with Ted again in The Dark Tower, he is imprisoned once more in the DEVAR-TOI in End-World. We also learn that he has not kept his promise to his captors. Although he appears to Break willingly enough, he and two of his fellow inmates—DINKY EARNSHAW and STANLEY RUIZ (otherwise known as SHEEMIE)—are preparing for the arrival of Roland Deschain, the savior-gunslinger whose appearance he predicted at the end of “Low Men in Yellow Coats.”
In The Dark Tower, we find out that although Ted isn’t from KEYSTONE EARTH, he is much more than a run-of-the-mill Breaker. He is a facilitator, or a psychic whose special skill is his ability to increase the power of other psychics. This, we learn, is why the servants of the RED KING were so determined to bring Ted back to the Devar, and why he was not severely punished for his “little vacation” in Connecticut. While the other Breakers work shifts in the STUDY, Ted comes and goes as he pleases. But whenever he arrives, the number of darks generated by the Breakers increases exponentially. Much to his chagrin, Ted’s special skill has taken years off the Red King’s work, and by the time our tet arrives in THUNDERCLAP, only two of the BEAMS are still intact.
Like his twinner, FATHER CALLAHAN, Ted Stevens Brautigan becomes a temporary member of Roland’s ka-tet. He, Dinky, and Sheemie help our tet destroy the Devar and begin the healing of the Beams. Not only does Ted use his psychic abilities to help confuse both guards and Breakers during our tet’s attack, but he also employs his deadly mind-spear to kill the can-toi guard TRAMPAS. When we finally take leave of Ted in the twisting corridors beneath the FEDIC DOGAN, he, Dinky, FRED WORTHINGTON, and DANI ROSTOV are on their way to the CALLAS. From there they hope to pass through the UNFOUND DOOR to one of the MULTIPLE AMERICAS. VI:407, VI:408, VII:197–220, VII:233, VII:234, VII:238, VII:243–45, VII:247, VII:249, VII:261, VII:265–302 (twin of Pere Callahan), VII:304, VII:306, VII:307, VII:315, VII:318–24, VII:326, VII:327–36, VII:337–42, VII:349, VII:356–58, VI:359, VII:366, VII:370, VII:372, VII:374–75, VII:376–77, VII:380, VII:382, VII:384, VII:388–90, VII:391, VII:392, VII:393, VII:394, VII:400–401, VII:404–8, VII:409, VII:411–17, VII:532, VII:535, VII:536–37, VII:538, VII:539, VII:540–41, VII:560, VII:563, VII:802
TED BRAUTIGAN’S ASSOCIATES:
ATWOOD, TIM: Tim Atwood was Ted’s wealthy, childless uncle. He paid for Ted’s education, hoping that Ted would take over his furniture business. Needless to say, Ted didn’t. VII:273, VII:276
AUNT MOLLY: Ted’s Aunt Molly and UNCLE JIM lived in BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT. VII:415
DALE, MR.: A butcher. VII:277
DOCTOR NUMBER ONE (SAM): This doctor gave Ted a 4F when he tried to enlist as a soldier during the First World War. He was deeply disturbed by Ted’s psychic abilities. VII:274–75, VII:280
GUY: Doc Number One’s brother. VII:275
DOCTOR NUMBER TWO: This doctor consciously undermined Ted’s “proof” of his psychic ability. VII:274–75, VII:277, VII:280, VII:286
GARFIELD, BOBBY: Redheaded Bobby Garfield was Ted’s eleven-year-old CONNECTICUT friend, and the main character of the story “Low Men in Yellow Coats.” Despite the difference in hair color, he and JAKE CHAMBERS are practically identical twins. PIMLI PRENTISS, the Devar Master, and FINLI O’TEGO, his security chief, have both made it clear to Ted that if he tries to run away again, Bobby will be put to death. VI:407, VI:408, VII:197, VII:199, VII:207, VII:215 (indirect), VII:218, VII:234, VII:288, VII:298
GARFIELD, LIZ: Bobby’s young but bitter mother. She never forgave Bobby’s dad for dying of a heart attack at age thirty-six. She turned Ted in to the LOW MEN for the reward money they offered. VII:218
GERBER, CAROL: Carol Gerber was BOBBY GARFIELD’s friend/girlfriend in “Low Men in Yellow Coats,” the first story in Hearts in Atlantis. Carol also appears in “Why We’re in Vietnam,” “Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling,” and the book’s title story. Like Bobby, Carol would have been killed by the LOW MEN had Ted attempted to escape from the DEVAR-TOI. VII:234, VII:298
MOTHER: VII:298
KIDS PLAYING KICK-THE-CAN: These kids in AKRON, OHIO, witnessed the first throw of Ted’s deadly mind-spear. VII:277, VII:278
MUGGER: Directly after attacking Ted, this fleeing mugger dropped dead. The reason? Ted had arrowed a thought in his direction. This event changed Ted’s life and made him fear his psychic ability. VII:277–78, VII:279, VII:376
SERGEANT AT ARMS: This sergeant at arms threw Ted out of a First World War recruiting station. VII:275–76
SOUTH AMERICAN SEABEES: Listed separately
SULLIVAN, JOHN (SULLY JOHN): Sully John was friends with both BOBBY GARFIELD and CAROL GERBER. He and Carol became a couple after Bobby left town, but Carol later abandoned the relationship. In the story “Why We’re in Vietnam,” found in STEPHEN KING’s novel Hearts in Atlantis, we learn that Sully John had one of his testicles shot off in VIETNAM. VI:407, VII:288, VII:298
UNCLE JIM: Ted’s AUNT MOLLY and Uncle Jim lived in BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT. VII:415
DICK: We never learn Dick’s last name, even though he arrived at the DEVAR on the same day as TED BRAUTIGAN. Dick died six months after entering THUNDERCLAP. HUMMA O’TEGO insisted he died of pneumonia, but Ted thinks he committed suicide. VII:283 (not yet named), VII:286–90
EARNSHAW, DINKY: CONSTANT READERS know Dinky Earnshaw (born Richard Earnshaw) from “Everything’s Eventual,” the autobiographical tale he narrated in STEPHEN KING’s book of the same name. At the time “Everything’s Eventual” was written, Dinky worked for a POSITRONICS subsidiary as a psychic assassin. His method of attack was a personalized letter (either posted or sent via computer) which contained strange shapes and designs, the meanings of which not even Dinky seemed to know. Dinky’s death-magic was incredibly powerful, and his employers rewarded him well for his services. Dinky’s only problem was that h
e wasn’t a full mork. When he began to admit to himself what he was doing—and when he started to learn about the people he was employed to kill—he decided to cut and run. Dinky sent one final personalized death letter (this time to his control, the sinister MR. SHARPTON) before trying to retire in obscurity. However, to the WARRIORS OF THE SCARLET EYE, psychics stand out like blazing fires. He was recaptured and sent to the DEVAR-TOI, where his skills were used to help destroy the BEAMS.
Like many of the other Breakers, Dinky is a precog. However, since the future is always a multi-forked path, Dinky cannot always tell which particular future will manifest. Despite this uncertainty, he joins forces with TED BRAUTIGAN, SHEEMIE RUIZ, and Roland’s ka-tet to end the horrors of the Devar. After the future of the Beams is assured, he, Ted, FRED WORTHINGTON, and DANI ROSTOV set off for CALLA BRYN STURGIS. Once there, they hope to pass through the UNFOUND DOOR to one of the MULTIPLE AMERICAS. VII:197–220, VII:228, VII:231–32, VII:247, VII:267–70, VII:271, VII:272, VII:273, VII:276, VII:279, VII:285, VII:288, VII:290, VII:291, VII:292, VII:293, VII:296, VII:300, VII:318–36, VII:337–42, VII:356–57, VII:359–61, VII:363, VII:364–65, VII:371, VII:374, VII:375–77, VII:380, VII:384, VII:388–90, VII:392, VII:395, VII:396, VII:397–99, VII:400–401, VII:405–8, VII:409, VII:411–17, VII:532, VII:535, VII:536–37, VII:538, VII:539, VII:540 (indirect), VII:541 (indirect), VII:560, VII:561, VII:563, VII:802
