This is the first Stephen King book that I have read, and it elicited the most changing reactions to any book that I can remember! As I was reading, I went from like to dislike, from boredom to fascination, from Oh this sounds interesting to Ok this is going nowhere, from Oh that was really good to Oh that’s just too repetitive, from That was scary to Oh that was so sad to Wow that was awesome!
Generally, people’s interpretation of this book seems to revolve around a somewhat autocratic view of corporate USA or just modern society in general. My reading is different. In the final analysis, I have come to identify The Long Walk with Life itself.
The story is about an annual walking contest called “The Long Walk” that participants or “Walkers” embark upon. There are some basic rules such as not straying from the path, maintaining a certain speed and sticking to a fixed food intake. Each infraction incurs a warning, to a maximum of three, after which the offender gets “ticketed”. The last man walking is the Winner and receives “The Prize”, which is anything he wants.
Amid all my vacillating reactions, and presented in the form of a national sport, as I read each chapter - headed, interestingly, by a quote from famous television game shows - the story slowly took on deeper levels of meaning.
When the story starts off, there is no clear concept of what is to come. As the boys begin to gather, all we know is that something big is about to start. Slowly, very slowly, we are introduced to the purpose of the gathering. And then the long walk starts. And continues. On and on and on… And we meet memorable characters like Raymond Garraty and the ever-loyal Peter McVries. We get to know of the sad past of Stebbins and see the tragic future of Hank Olson. We see the transformation from foul-mouthed bravado to madness and mayhem in Gary Barkovitch and Collie Parker. We bid farewell to Arthur Baker and Scramm and Mike. We feel the fear of dying, and see the horror of a nervous breakdown; we see some hide behind facades and some shine through with defiant dignity. And at all times we have the age-old question of “Why?” thrown at us…
And somewhere it clicked. This is what life is all about. When we start, at best, we only have a vague idea of what to expect, based upon stories that others have passed on. All we know for sure is that we need to be prepared for the road ahead, the rules to be followed, and the consequences for breaking those rules. Along the way we meet new people. Some we like, some we don’t; some always have a helping hand ready for us, and for some, we will some day be willing to die for. And if we can beat all odds, we will get exactly what we want. The simple fact is: we’re all in it. And we’re in it till we die. Against a constant reminder of our mortality, we may say it is all so trivial or we may wish we were insane just so we could bear the madness of it all. But ultimately it is up to us to decide if we want to buy our ticket at the start line, or keep walking even when half our stomach has been blown off and our entrails are hanging out. Oh, and yes, we do have the option of being a nameless member of The Crowd and cheer the heroes or just collect souvenirs including faeces from the roadside.
The narrative of an average life could get monotonous. Got up. Got dressed. Took the bus. Went to work. Came back home. Had dinner. Did the dishes. Watched TV. Went to bed. Got up. Got dressed… You get the picture! But in all this monotony, there are moments, big and small, which touch our lives and leave an impression for all time to come. Within this “pointlessness” we just have to find a point, a reason to live, and keep an eye on the Prize. It may all come to naught. But not trying just makes it worse.
On a final note, I have to highlight the section “The Importance of being Bachman”. This is the first Stephen King I have read, so I had no idea who Richard Bachman was, but once I finished the book, I read the prologue and it gave me a greater appreciation of the book and its driving theme.
This was a fantastic read, and I think I might give this book another read some day… like my life, there may be some points I have overlooked that bear revisiting.
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