The Stand

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.