***Spoilers***
In chapter 18, Stebbins passes out and dies. Ray becomes the winner of the walk. I found it somewhat disturbing and inhumane how the crowd reacted joyously at the death of Stebbins. I also found it interesting that Ray recalls a hand touching his should, congratulatory, then he "somehow finds the strength to run" (322). And that's the last line of the book. It doesn't hint as to where he goes or why he does it. I'm not sure why he would run away since he won. He had ran just as the Major was approaching him, "ready to grant first wish, every wish, any wish, death wish. The Prize" (321). Ray fought so hard throughout the walk in hopes of seeing his girlfriend and mother again and we don't even get to find out if he does. We don't know if he dies, where he ran off to, if he gets his wish, etc. The ending really frustrates me. I hate how it's so vague and leaves a lot to the imagination. I would've preferred closure and specific details. What did you think of the ending? What do you think happened to Ray?
I didn't like the ending either. First of all, I was confused as to why Stebbins died. He had no warnings and he seemed like he was still in great shape and could walk a lot longer. Then he just collapsed out of nowhere.
ReplyDeleteI also didn't like that there was no resolution. Garraty never said what he was going to do with the prize when he won, so I would have liked to know what he wished for. Also, I would have liked to see the aftermath of his win, like how his Mom and Jan reacted, how he was treated by others, and how it effected him.
Lastly, I didn't like that the author never revealed who the dark figure was. I didn't understand what the author meant when he said "And it was time to get started. There was still so far to walk" (370). I can't think of any reason that Garraty would keep walking when he didn't have to. I tried researching the ending online to see what other people made of it, and a lot of people said that they thought the dark figure was death. I'm not sure if that's right or not, but I think its definitely a possibility. Garraty was just about to give up, he's clearly about to die and at the time Stebbins was killed he was hallucinating. Maybe Garraty died before he could claim his prize and that;s why the story ended so abruptly.
I think that at the end Ray passed out. I don't think he died.
ReplyDeleteBut I also think that the reason why he ends so strong is because he lost McVires. I think he was trying to win for him. In his honor, if you will.
In his mind, if McVires couldn't win for himself, then he would have to win for him. I think he didn't want to disapoint him.
But I agree with you guys, the ending had no closure and was very sudden. But, then again, this is a Stephen King book and he is known for disturbing his readers.
Overall, I liked the book, and even the ending. Afterall, it is called The Long Walk, and once the walk ended, the book ended.
I think it would have made sense if Garraty passed out, but that doesn't explain who the dark figure was. If he was just passing out, I can't think of anybody that would give him the motivation to run away. Also, Garraty says, "He knew that figure. If he could get a little closer he could make out the features" (370). Garraty had almost died on two occasions in the book, so this is how he could have "known" the figure if it really was death. I think if it is giving him the "strength to run" it has to be something/someone bad and that's the only thing I can think of that would make sense (370).
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