Stephen King

Stephen King

Long Walk / Thinner

The Long Walk: In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple - maintain a steady pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings, and you're shot to death.
Thinner: Billy Halleck commits vehicular homicide when his lack of attention to driving results in the death of an old lady on the street. Overweigh Halleck is a lawyer with connections, though, and gets off with a slap on the wrist. After his trial, a gypsy curses him with a single word, "Thinner." Halleck begins to lose weight uncontrollably and must pursue the band of gypsies who are responsible for his dwindling condition.


Friday, December 26, 2014

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.
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