MovieChat Forums > The Stand (1994) Discussion > I actually felt bad for Lloyd

I actually felt bad for Lloyd

posted 9 years ago by zigomanis18
6 replies | jump to latest

Yes ok. Lloyd was a Criminal. No excuses for his actions.
But, it's obvious, there was some good in him. He was not bright at all, easily led, and longing for some sort of true friend and companion. He openly stated his life sucked and he could never trust anyone.

Flagg plays on this and gains Lloyd's unending Loyalty, even when Lloyd is aware that things are not going well. The fact that he is as loyal as he is actually to me says something good about his character....in a good way. Loyalty to the end is a fantastic human trait. I truly get the feeling that if someone from the Mother Abigail's group had beaten Flagg to the jail cell and
offered the same friendship and therefore saved him from starving he would have then been just as loyal to them as well....and therefore turned his life around.

He was not innocent of his crimes, but also a very lonely man looking to be noticed as something in life. I actually give him FAR more sympathy that Harold, who actually had the good side pulling for him..and willfully gave it away.

[–] TheRealRandyWatson 8 years ago

That's one of the things I love about this novel, the characters aren't black & white (unlike King's Under the Dome). For instance, Larry also has quite a few flaws but grows to be a better man.

But Lloyd is a great character, probably one of my favorite.

My father was a drunk, a gambler and a womanizer. I idolized him

[–] gary_overman 8 years ago

Lloyd's loyalty to Flagg has my grudging admiration as well. What is sad about it is that Flagg simply did not merit such loyalty. One thing that should be kept in mind is that there was also an element of fear involved as well. Remember that after Whitney had left him, Lloyd's thoughts were that he (Lloyd) still had enough confidence in Flagg's eventual victory that he did not want to take the chance of leaving. He knew what the price for disloyalty could be.

[–] GirlwonderReturns 8 years ago

Lloyd's loyalty to Flagg has my grudging admiration as well. What is sad about it is that Flagg simply did not merit such loyalty.

I don't know... Flagg did save his life, after all. I think when that happened, Lloyd pretty much sold his soul, because he wanted to live. He also mentions later, when Whitney tells him he and the others are leaving, that Flagg gave him responsibility and put him in charge, and no one had ever done that before. Also that he believed Flagg had somehow made him brighter (although I think it's possible that he was already brighter than he or anyone else thought and had just never been given the opportunity to flex his brain muscles). So in Lloyd's mind, he had very good reason to be loyal to Flagg.

The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.

[–] voni-87996 8 years ago

Yes, I liked Lloyd, too. He knew they were dancing to the devil's tune but he was loyal to the end.

[–] gary_overman 8 years ago

Even Tom was aware that not everyone who was in Las Vegas was a bad person. In his mind, they were not all that much different from the denizens of the Free Zone.

In fact, he liked almost everyone in Las Vegas. Dayna liked many of the Vegas folks as well, realizing like the book said, that they didn't have fangs or hooves. Just plain folks.

What both of them did feel, I think, much as Lloyd did, was an undercurrent of fear.

[–] standfan 8 years ago

Zig that's an astute observation. I think the answer to what you are saying is, yes - I think that there's a strong possibility that Lloyd would've turned things around.

However, I think that it would've required people around to support Lloyd, and for Lloyd to be honest about himself and what he felt was best for his life and how to live it. Staying in a jail cell and slowly dying gives perspective on things, however.

I think though that Lloyd at his heart was a follower, so I could see him going with a group of people who were supportive and provided leadership.