Quote from Chapter 11

I thought it was important when Ray was thinking to himself and said, "And it was not even the pain that was the worst. It was the death, the constant death, the stink of carrion that had settled into his nostrils" (260). I thinks that's what makes the Long Walk so bad. Even though their feet really hurt and they're tired, they can push through that, but having to watch their friends get shot is much worse. It messes up their minds and has a huge effect on them for the rest of the walk. I think even the one person who wins will still be scarred from having to watch 99 people get killed. Since the author usually just says "the guns roared again" when somebody is shot and he doesn't describe most of the deaths in detail, I think its easy to forget exactly what the kids have to watch happen over and over again, so this reminded me that physical pain isn't all that the walkers are going through.

Ray and Jan

As the book progresses, we are learning more about Ray's girlfriend back home, Jan. Although he thinks about her a lot during the Long Walk, it's hard for me to figure out how he actually feels about her. In the very beginning of the Walk, Ray passes a teenage girl holding a sign for him. He runs up to her and starts making out with her. He spends a fair amount of time feeling her up and even gets himself a warning. His actions would make it seem like he is not very serious about Jan. But he constantly revisits old memories with her and thinks about how much he misses her.

In chapter 6, Ray "thought about Jan. He needed her. I love you, Jan, he thought. He wasn't dumb, and he knew she had become more to him than she actually was. She had turned into a life-symbol. A shield against the sudden death that came from the halftrack" (207).

Sorry for the long quote but I felt as if it was fairly significant. Although he claims to love Jan, I don't think that's the case. I think he longs for simpler times and regrets volunteering for the Walk now that he realizes the harsh reality of it. And remembering times with Jan reminds him of life before the Walk and how much simpler things were. He describes her as a "life-symbol." I'm not sure what that means. But I think he loves the memories of her, especially in comparison to the current situation he is in now. And although he thinks about Jan more and more throughout the book, I don't believe he loves her.

Chapter 10 Question

It was clear a long time ago that Hank Olson wasn't going to be able to make it much further in the walk. He was often described as a robot, whose mind somehow forced him to keep going to avoid death, even though his body had given out. In chapter 10, Olson finally died in what I thought was the most gruesome death yet. He somehow forced himself to keep walking with his guts falling out after he had been shot in the stomach before he eventually died. 
Before Olson dies, he screams, "I DID IT WRONG!" (248). I was confused as to what he meant by this. Do you know what he was talking about when he said he did it wrong?

Chapter 8-9

Throughout the book, I've been confused as to why the kids in the Long Walk chose to sign up. They'd all seen the walk before on TV, so they know how grueling it is and how likely they are to be killed. When the kids talk about why they signed up to be in the walk, many of them say that they don't know why they're doing it and they can't think of a reason. Even Garraty claimed that he "sure didn't know what he was doing" being in the walk, he simply told Jan that he "had to" (211). 
In chapter 9, the prize is revealed to be that the winner gets anything his heart desires, so I'm sure some of the kids entered themselves in the walk in hopes of winning that. But with such poor odds of winning, it still seems strange to me that so many kids actually want to participate in the walk.
McVries claims that they all secretly want to die and that's the real reason that the kids sign up for the walk. He states, "We're all crazy or we wouldn't be here. I thought we'd thrashed that out a long time ago. We want to die, Ray, haven't you got that through your sick, thick head yet? Look at Olson. A skull on top of a stick. Tell me he dosen't want to die. You can't. Second place? Its bad enough that even one of us has got to get gypped out of what he really wants" (214). I'm not sure if he meant this literally or not, and while there's a possibility that he's right, I don't think I agree with him. I think there are definitely some contestants, like Scramm and Garraty, who do not want to die. Besides, if these kids truly wanted to die, why would they walk more than 100 miles before getting their ticket and getting shot? What did you make of McVries comment?

Chapter 7: Character Analysis of Scramm

In chapter 7 we are introduced to the high school dropout, Scramm. He is overly confident and even eager to continue walking, which I can't understand. He tells Ray, "I wanted to be in the Long Walk ever since I was old enough to want anything" (210). Scramm's enthusiasm is shocking and disturbing to me. What makes it harder to understand is that he volunteered to walk in spite of his pregnant wife at home. Maybe he hopes to win the Long Walk and use his reward to support his family. He tells the other guys about his plans after he wins, sending his son to college and building houses in Maine. When someone asks what he'll do if he doesn't win, he tells them that it won't happen and that he will definitely win. I'm not sure what to make of Scramm yet since we don't know much about him. However, I can conclude that he is an idiot for leaving his pregnant wife to volunteer for such a suicidal event. Although Ray volunteered too, he doesn't seem to have people relying on his return. Reading this book is giving me secondhand anxiety so I'm not sure how characters like Scramm could be so nonchalant about his possible (and likely) fate of being shot to death. I don't think Scramm will win and I don't even think he'll come close because the overly confident ones always end up seeing how wrong they were.

Chapter 7

In chapter 7, the narrator talks a lot about Garraty's father and how he was taken away by the soldiers. I thought this was interesting because it was one of the first instances that the author revealed something about the society outside of the walk. The narrator revealed that when Garraty was a kid, the soldiers had come to his house and taken away his father. Its been 11 years since, and Garraty has still not seen his Dad. The author never exactly says what his father was taken for, but he alludes to it. It states that, "It would have been good living if Jim Garraty could have kept his politics to himself" (171). Additionally, it says that "Jim Garraty had not been much of a Long Walk booster" (171). I think this means that Garraty's father was speaking out against the Long Walk and was punished for it. It reveals that The Long Walk takes place in some sort of totalitarian society where people aren't allowed to speak their mind and say things against the Government without being punished. I'm wondering if Garraty will follow in his father's path and rebel against the Long Walk too later in the story.

Chapter 6

In this chapter, Ray reveals that the guys have only been walking for 20 hours or so. In this amount of time, they have walked 80 miles without sleeping or even taking a single break to rest (201). I know this is fiction but it shocked me that they had walked such a distance in this short amount of time and only 27 of the 100 guys have died.

I looked up how much the average, healthy person can walk in a day. According to About Health, a healthy person with no training should not exceed 7 miles in a day. The average person will start to get painful blisters after 10-12 miles.

I also looked into what happens if you don't sleep for a day. Everday Health claims that after 24 hours, people really start to suffer from lack of sleep. Their judgement is affected, memory is impaired, bad decision making, and poor coordination. In addition, people become more emotional, can't pay attention, and have impaired hearing. The guys are all starting to show symptoms of lack of sleep. Some manage to sleep (sort of) while walking, but it isn't enough to sustain a human for long. Ray mentions feeling distant from the other guys and at one point he doesn't realize where he is and worries that he got lost from the group.

The remaining guys in the walk are growing dangerously tired and I am interested to see what happens next. But the combination of excessive walking and no sleep seems like fatal combo that won't end well.

Chapter 6

What I find interesting about this book so far is that this is
just a walk.
What I mean by this is that these boys are merely walking a long distance without stopping. I fins it facinating that Stephen King can take the idea of a walk and twist it into a creepy distopian realm.
But what I also mean by this is that because this is such a simple thing, it allows you to get into the boys' minds. It brings up thought and feelings and stories that you wouldn't have known otherwise.
For example, in chapter 6 he talks about his dad. For a whole page and a half he thinks about his father and his life.
This walk has allowed him the ability to look into his mind and think of things to pass the time. I think it's cool that we, as readers, are able to see that.



(Also, I found this really cool picture online that's a map of the Long Walk and the different towns they pass by. You should check it out!)

Quotes Confusion

Does anyone else notice the quotes at the top of each chapter?
Most of them are from TV shows or different books...Do you understand how they come into play? At first I thought that the quotes might foreshadow what will happen in the next chapter, but I think I was wrong.
Looking back on chapter 2, for instance, the quote at the top of the page is,
"Now you have the money, Ellen, and that's yours to keep, Unless, of course, you'd like to trade it in for what's behind the curtain..."
This one I understood because the chapter was about all of the boys gambling and potentially giving up their lives for this walk. But I was looking at the other quotes and they didn't fit in the chapter.
For instance, in chapter 6 the quote is,
"And now our contestants are in the isolation booths!"
Do any of you guys understand this one? Did anyone else notice these quotes?

Chapter 5-6

It seems like some of the guys in the walk are unaware of the consequences of their actions. In chapter 5, Rank started swinging at Barkovitch even though he knew it was against the rules and it would get him warnings. Rank ultimately got himself killed because he was picking a fight and didn't stop after acquiring 3 warnings (106). I would think that since he knew fighting was against the rules, he would never do something like that. 
In chapter 6, McVries did something similar. He started screaming at the major and raising his fists at the soldiers and swearing at them, allowing himself to get 3 warnings (136-137). If Garraty hadn't gone back to talk some sense into him he would have been killed too. These kids know that they're going to be shot if they get too many warnings so I'm suprised to see that they would still break the rules knowing they might get themselves killed because of it. I was especially suprised to see McVries flip out like he did because he had always seemed focused and determined before the incident. I think it shows the toll that the walk is taking on them both mentally and physically.

Chapter 5

Although I believe that Barkovitch is undoubtedly the most annoying character, I also believe he is a good strategist. He antagonizes other guys in the walk, in hopes of eliminating some of the competition. He insults the other guys and is the only one who picks fights. He says plenty of spiteful comments with some colorful language which make the other guys tempted to fight him. He tries to get Rank to fight him saying, "Come on, you sonofabitch! I'll dance on your goddam grave! Come on, Dumbo, pick you feet up! Don't make it too easy for me" (188). Rank is agitated but doesn't fight Barkovitch until he calls his mother a phrase I probably shouldn't post on the blog...

Rank goes to punch Barkovitch but this is against the rules and causes Rank his life. He was violently killed by the guards after he tried to punch Barkovitch. It was all part of his devious plan. As a result, all of the guys despise him and accuse him of being a murderer. Even though Barkovitch has a decent number of haters, I have to give him props for luring the other competitors into his traps to help his chances of winning.

Barkovitch seems to become a more important character as the book progresses and I am interested to see what other trouble he will cause and what fate he will end up enduring. I'm betting that he definitely won't win the long walk but I think more will be revealed about him (maybe his past/personal life?) and his death will be very dramatic.

Chapter 5

I think its weird that Garraty dosen't like when people cheer for him in the Long Walk. On page 103, the narrator says, "He wondered if the sign was for Go-Go Garraty, "Maine's Own." Somehow he hoped not. Somehow the idea was a little repulsive." Then again, on page 116, it states, "Garraty was alarmed to hear his own name called out." I would think that the cheering would give him motivation to keep walking, so I'm not really sure why he's so disgusted by it. It also says on page 116, that "The thought of a million people from all over the state rooting for him and laying bets on him . . . was a little scary." I can understand why he wouldn't want people betting on him, but I'd think that having people on the side of the road cheering for you is a big advantage. I think it would push him to walk as long as he can so he could impress all the people he knew wanted him to win. Why do you think Garraty hates people supporting him and rooting for him to win the walk so much?

Chapter 3-4

I know that Jean already sort of touched upon the creepiness of this book, but I wanted to elaborate a bit on it. Jean had said,  "They were calm and casual about the whole event. I'm not sure if they all are actually afraid and are internationalist their feelings or if they really aren't scared. " I had posted a comment to this post but I have more to say.

I think these events during the Long Walk and their calm nature is due to this willpower that they all have. They all have this underlying feeling of faith and will to win this "great prize". All of them grew up in this society learning about this event and watching walkers go by their hometowns. They learned to look up to the winners and congradulate them. They got to see what accomplishments they got because they won this walk. 

I believe it is the drive that they have to win these games, and be looked up to and praised that gets them through the walk, even if it comes off solem and creepy.

Chapter 3

What really strikes me about this book is that the Long Walk is this horrible, scary event but it considered so casual in the eyes of the walkers. These 100 walkers are well aware that 99 of them will be brutally killed while the 1 remaining will be in poor health and probably insane. In spite of this, they all seem to be very calm and casual about the whole event. I'm not sure if they all are actually afraid and are internalizing their feelings or if they really aren't scared.

In chapter 3, McVries and Garraty are walking and talking when McVries offers Garraty a cigarette. He politely declines and then they both talk about smoking and how they don't like it (166). It shocks me that they can have these casual conversations like they are two people chatting outside a restaurant. But that is not the case whatsoever, they are both involved in this competition where their lives are greatly at risk. The fact that McVries is smoking is also shocking. If I had to be on this long walk I would be trying to conserve all my energy and not waste my endurance by smoking.

Chapters 3-4

I find it interesting that the author chooses to reveal so little about the society in “The Long Walk.” Generally, in other dystopian novels, such as the Hunger Games, the author describes the society in great detail and explains how it is run. As I got further into the novel, I kept expecting the author to reveal why these 100 kids were forced to embark on the annual Long Walk and why people were not alarmed that children were being shot and killed during it. Even through chapter 4, not much has been said about life outside of the Long Walk.

Additionally, during chapters 3 and 4 it seemed to me that Garraty was losing some of the drive he had at the beginning of the walk. He seemed to start dozing off frequently and he allowed to himself to get 2 warnings within 10 minutes. As he was dozing off, he seemed to be constantly thinking about love and girls. On numerous occasions, he thinks back about the girl who he kissed on the sidelines, and another girl on the sidelines who was cheering for him. He also thought about Jan, his girlfriend,on one occasion. Him and many of the other boys also had a long conversation about whether they believed in true love or not. I was kind of surprised that during a time where he knew he could killed if he slowed down and didn’t focus, he was constantly thinking about love and the girls on the sidelines. These thoughts seemed to cause him to become unfocused from the walk at certain times.

The Beginning Parts

I thought Ray Garraty(?) was kind of sassy at first. Maybe he was just nervous and had his average boy feelings. It seemed a bit odd that his mother only give him cookies in the beginning. But I don;t think they can carry much with them. You can tell he's the one who is going to eventually think that this ritual is not right, and come to the conclusion that it needs to stop. He looks back every time  someone gets their ticket, and eventually does not want Stebbins to get shot.

Chapters 1-2 Post

I just finished the first two chapters and I am very fascinated with the book so far. It seems very Hunger Game-ish but in a more casual manner. I find it very odd how this brutal competition is watched by onlookers like it's going to see the fireworks. When Garraty is marching with the others he mentions that they are passing houses and "Families sat out on their front lawns, smiling, waving, drinking Coca-Colas" (150). (Excuse the page number because my book is in a collection with other books) The contestants who fail to keep up with the others are brutally killed yet there are these people watching from the sidelines, having a grand ole time. I just don't understand how something so disturbing and scary to think about can be considered casual for the rest of society. Especially that part where Curley is killed, the first of the 100 competitors killed, and the scene is described in gruesome detail. He is shot and his "pimply head disappeared in a hammersmash of blood and brains and flying skull fragments" (154). This scene made me wonder what this society is like and how can something like this be considered normal or acceptable?

The Squid Squad