A golden flame rises from cupped stone hands against an orange sunset and dark clouds.

Original artwork, not a still

The Stand ‧ 1978

Stephen King

And the righteous and unrighteous alike were consumed in that holy fire.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker describes a sacred blaze that made no distinction between the virtuous and the wicked; everyone fell to it alike. The phrase 'holy fire' sets divine judgment beside indiscriminate destruction, leaving a sombre sense that righteousness offered no protection.

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