Ka-tet: The Heart of King's World

Avid King readers have encountered the terms “Ka” and “Tet” in many of his works.  Even occasional readers may have seen these terms in some of his works.  However, this concept of “Ka” and “Tet” has deep roots in many King stories.  In order to help all King fans, even just the movie watchers, understand this concept, this article will explain its meaning and how to find it in King works.

What is a Ka-tet?

These terms are defined in The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands as Roland tries to explain the purpose of the quest to Eddie and Susannah Dean, better known as “The Prisoner” and “The Lady of the Shadows” (61). 

•          Ka is defined as “destiny.” However, Roland states that it is “much more complex in High Speech.”
•          Tet is defined as “a group of people with the same interests and goals.”
•          Roland identifies Ka-tet as “the place where many lives are joined by fate.”.

The Complete Stephen King Universe states, “ka-tet means a great many things, one of which is family” (16).  It continues to explain the group of people are “usually without blood relationships” and are bound together by “duty, obligation, love, and common objectives” (17).  It is important to note that enemies can also be a part of a ka-tet as their destiny is to “destroy each other” (17).

Examples of Ka-tets in King’s work

The most memorable Ka-tet in a King work is the one in the Dark Tower series.  Roland, the last gunslinger, leads his Ka-tet in pursuit of the “man in black” and in their journey to the Dark Tower itself.  Some members of Roland’s Ka-tet are Eddie Dean aka The Prisoner, Susannah Dean aka The Lady in the Shadows and Jake Chambers aka the boy at the Way Station or ‘Bama.  (These references are from the first three books in the Dark Tower series.)

However, the Dark Tower series is not the only King works that contain this unique dynamic of a group with the same destiny.  Stephen King’s IT (1986) contains a very strong Ka-tet.  The Loser’s Club, which is composed of the seven friends that battle the evil entity living in the sewers of Derry, is a Ka-tet that lasted for over thirty years. Another Ka-tet in this story is the two opposing forces, the Loser’s Club versus the evil entity.

The final story that I will discuss in relation to the concept of a Ka-tet is The Stand (1978).  This novel contains a complex structure of the Ka-tet concept.  The first Ka-tet is the group that is drawn to Mother Abigail Freemantle.  This group consisted of Stu Redman, Glen Bateman, Frannie Goldsmith, Nick Andros and the rest of the gang that created the “Free Boulder” zone.  The second Ka-tet is the group that was drawn by the Walking Dude, also known as Randall Flagg, to Las Vegas.  This group consisted of Lloyd Henreid, Trashcan Man, Barry Dorgan and the others who considered their leader to be Flagg.  The third Ka-tet is the enemy dynamic that forces the people of the “Free Boulder” zone against Randall Flagg and, by association, the people of the new Las Vegas.

I would argue that other Ka-tets exist within this story as well.  The Campion family could be a considered a Ka-tet.  Their family group left the base with a goal of escaping the virus that had been released.  Ultimately, they were the reason that the Captain Trip’s virus spread across America. Another Ka-tet could be identified as the military itself.  The various divisions of this particular group include “Project Blue” personnel, the group working to create the virus, and the military personnel, the ones who tried to contain it after the virus escaped and anarchy started to break out across America.

It is impossible to write about every example of a Ka-tet without composing an entire book on the subject.  However, being able to identify King’s use of Ka-tet in his work will help the reader, including you, see how he interweaves these characters as people and as those pursuing a similar destiny.  I can just about guarantee that you will look beyond the story to identify the Ka-tet in the next King work that you read. Happy reading, King’s “Constant Readers!”