Stephen King/Richard Bachman – The Long Walk
Testing His Will to Survive, a Boy Embarks on the Walk of His Life
100 boys, hundreds of miles, one winner: the annual “long walk,” which begins in north Maine, seems simple, at first glance. But, with King’s characteristic disturbing plot twists, the “long walk” is deadly. While it breaks boys down to their most basic instincts and strips them bare of fruitless fantasies, the long walk also forces each boy, each emerging man, to face the meaning and value of his own life.
Stephen King, writing as Richard Bachman, stays true to his pseudonym by including dark elements and a degree of pessimism. Yet, The Long Walk follows the style of King’s less fantastical works, like Misery and Gerald’s Game. The challenge in The Long Walk is not to survive a supernatural event, but to survive one’s mind. The most frightening aspect of King’s books, especially The Long Walk, is its realism. The challenges the protagonist, Ray Garraty, and the other “long walkers” face in keeping sane are wholly realistic. The line between sanity and insanity appears to be fragile and shaky, and King knows exactly how to toe that line.
A New Society and New Rules: The Makings of the U.S. in The Long Walk
The Long Walk takes place in the near future, though within a much different society. With hints from King placed throughout the book, The Long Walk is set in a post-World War II United States, one shaped by a German victory. A dictator-like character known only as “The Major” runs the long walk, and his squadrons keep each person – and walker – in check. For Ray Garraty, the squadrons represent the disappearance of his father, who was taken by soldiers after talking out against the current regime.
As society is strictly and mercilessly controlled, so is the long walk. After undergoing physical and mental examinations, 100 boys are chosen by lottery to participate in the walk. Additionally, 100 boys are chosen as alternates. Governed by rules and “hints,” the long walkers start their journey at mile one. They must not walk below 4 mph, or break any other rules; doing so will earn them one warning. After three warnings, a walker receives their ticket, a disturbing and tragic prize.
Friendship, Survival, Mortality and Death
For Ray Garraty, the long walk tests his strengths and highlights his weaknesses. He and a few of his fellow walkers bond, calling themselves the “three Musketeers.” But, as is inevitable, while friendships are formed and Garraty begins to value his fellow walkers, each must succumb to tickets until only one is standing.
The challenge of each walker is to come to terms with his will to survive, his own mortality and his certain death. What each walker begins to realize, despite his predetermined strategies and conceptions about the walk, is that the challenge is against his own mind and body. The Long Walk becomes a frank look at the value of life and death, when it can be both hoped for and dreaded.
King, Stephen/Bachman, Richard
The Long Walk
Signet Books/Penguin Press
1999
9780451196712
The Long Walk
|
What do you think about this article?
More in Reading & Literature
Latest Articles