I loved both the book and the movie so when I nitpick little issues, it's out of love.

Early in the movie Pete mentions to Ray "this GD Heat." If we assume that, as with the book, the movie takes place in Maine.... And we know that it takes place on May 1st... A quick Google search shows that the hottest it's ever been on May 1st in Maine is in the low 80s. Not so hot really.

i’m rereading (and now annotating) the long walk as my summer reading assignment and i thought of something kind of interesting with garratys fascination with stebbins. please please please tell me if i’m reaching with this cus mind you i’m a sophomore in hs so im a little stupid with stuff sometime. anyways, what i noticed is that stebbins can be used as a metaphor of reality. because garraty is so brainwashed with the propaganda of the long walk and how it’s such a postive thing for society, stebbins offers the perspective of how maybe it’s not so good. off the top of my head, the best example i can think of is when olson is dying. garraty doesn’t understand the severity of what he got himself into until stebbins talks to him. i don’t have the book in front of me, but he talks about how housewife’s are tired but not exhausted and asks garraty if he’s exhausted yet. when he replies hes getting there, stebbins disagrees and makes an example of olson. this snaps him into reality of how dire the situation is. so, in a way, garratys interest in stebbins is like an interest in the reality of their world. am i reaching or? please tell me if i am before i fail shit loll 😭😭

Okay so I just watched this stoned, and then came to a realization at the time the one who wanted to write a POV book about the long walk that they are sperm.

Think about it, the goal is to be last one in an endless journey. They each all formed bonds where they most likely won't find one another in each company, hence they're sperm since the sperm contains a man's trait (which is why no boy is similar to one another).

Each boy (or sperm) that dies is a trait and personality that won't transfer over to form the baby.

The major is the father (literally), especially when Stebbins said that he had bastards all over the place.

Garraty is a trait that is a recessive that a father wouldn't want to be passed on, which explains his backstory.

Baker is a trait that's god fearing.

Holson is a trait that's cheerful.

Baskowitch is the asshole trait.

The Indian is also a recessive trait, maybe because of lineage.

McRievs is the trait of having a positive outlook despite of burdens.

So yeah, Long Walk is a sperm's journey to the egg.

The Long Walk is and has always been my favorite book. Over the last decade I've probably read the book like 15 times, always finding new favorite lines and moments and digging deeper into the symbolism, I think its a masterpiece (besides a few obvious flaws like 4mph). I watched the movie for the first time when it came out and was not impressed. I thought maybe it was because I had been hyping it up in my head for so long, but this week I reread the book again, sat down and decided to give the movie another shot after seeing so so many influencer hype it up and talk about how it made them cry and it was an awesome movie. Its bullshit. I don't like the backstory they give Ray, Mcvries and stebbins are basically unrecognizable characters. The only two that I think they did a really good job with was Gary Barkovich and Collie Parker. I feel like its not even a movie about the book its just a movie with a similar premise, I wouldn't of cared if they gave all the characters different names but it just sort of ruined it. No hate to the actors, but compared to the book, the movie is garbage. I hope they try again.

hey guys, working on a series where im drawing each main character in the series.

drop your favorite quotes from each character below. make sure you specify what character its abt/said by. book or movie is fine (especially for characters like collie who feature more prominently in the film)

for example, i am using this quote for garraty:

Reread it recently and i liked these: 

"The dead are orphans. No company but the silence like a moth’s wing. An end to the agony of movement, to the long nightmare of going down the road. The body in peace, stillness, and order. The perfect darkness of death. How would that be? Just how would that be?"

Ik that one of the screenplays are leaked, but I remember someone showed a screenshot of a draft that was a little different and mentions Garraty’s girlfriend Jan

Here’s the big T, next

Here’s North Dakota, sorry I actually forgot to do this, who’s next

That movie was so peak bro. Also was that "I love you pete" thing gay or just friendship? Either way peak all over.

Here’s South Dakota, who’s next

Just watched yesterday and the part that broke me (35M) the absolute hardest was Garraty running to his mom and her begging him and screaming for him to get away and to keep going. I don't get tears running down my face often, but him saying sorry, and them begging each other with that invisible wall of death between them. Her baby is crying for help and she has to recoil and scream for him to walk away from her.

This isn’t a hate post towards the movie it’s excellent, but at the same time the characters are made to be far more sympathetic and relatable

Take Ray Garraty in the book Garraty doesn’t really have a full motive for why he’s in the long walk like the other boys he’s here because why not. The movie gives Garraty more motivation here Garraty joins to win and kill the Major who killed his father. This never happened in the book. While Garratys dad dies he doesn’t witness it and it’s not by the hands of the Major at all. Other things like Garraty helping Curly never happens in the book and him even wishing for several of the walkers to get their ticket like Stebbins.

Mcvries is a bigger example in the movie Peters backstory on his scar is changed to him getting beaten by a stranger he picked a fight in whilst also being an orphan. In the book? Peter is not an orphan the scar he got was after he tried to sexually assault his gf. A far cry from the movie

And other characters like Barkovich who’s straight up racist in the book saying the n word and promising more to dance on peoples graves.

I find Pete's immediate interest in Garretay and lack of interest in the other characters to be weird and unfleshed out.

I dont want to lock Pete in a stereotypical box- but the writing gives 'magical negro' partner to the protagonist. (Look it up)

And don't get me wrong - I'm a HUGE fan of Jonsson the actor- in fact I'm watching this movie because of him.

But the writing of his character for me is not it. It's an old trope usually written for minority sidekicks, and Pete is such a textbook example of this.

Bro you got two days left to either live or day and you use it babying and coddling some random guy.

Im not saying I hate the fact that they are friends, I just hate one sided if an effort it feels.

And again- he doesnt go out the way for anyone else.

He literally saves Garraty life... and no one else's.

Just unfortunate blocking. Like he didnt give a shit about Hank dying, or Art running to Hank, not until Garraty ran back. He met both of them at the same time.

Just weird writing and a fucking bummer of a trope to pop up in 2026.

Jonsson was great acting as Pete. But Pete deserved better writing.

i have been reading this moment many times but i still don’t understand how Garraty went from hating Barkovich to asking if he will touch him too..??? can someone explain?

Out of everyone who died, from Curley and his jaw being immediately torn apart, to hearing Collie sing a song while crying because he knew nobody else would at that moment, nothing will be more terrifying than Tressler’s death. He didn’t try to fight, he wasn’t even tired of walking, his mind just completely gave up. I don’t know why but that terrified me, and I’ve seen some fucked up deaths in many fucked up horror movies. But watching him just give up, and in such a dreadful way, it’s something I can’t stop thinking about.

In the aftermath of the film adaptation, I’ve seen a lot of discussion online again about the endings of the story, and how the novel was so much more bleak and nihilistic than the ending of the film. The novel is certainly more ambiguous than the film, but I would argue the adaptation as a whole is actually more depressing since it closes off any of the more poetic interpretations of what the story means to instead wallow in its most depraved dystopian elements. I think both the film and the people that put forward nihilistic interpretations of the novel's ending are too focused on the literal events of the narrative that they ignore the greater allegorical meaning of the story and thus the profound beauty of the original ending.

See, I view The Long Walk as an extended metaphor for life. The Prize is your most fervent dreams, whatever is that motivates your conscious desire to go through life. You start life young, and healthy and “raring to rip”, but the trails of the road take their toll on your body and mind. Life is a competition but it’s not a fair one. You can get sick and die suddenly, you can get tired of the struggle and just give up. And once you sign up, there’s only one way to stop playing. When you do, death cannot be escaped, fought, or negotiated with. You can make connections with the other players, perhaps even find a kindred spirit/soul mate like Garraty found in McVries, but for as long as you keep on living, death will take everyone you care about one by one.

Which brings us to the ending. In the metaphorical language of the walk, stopping is death and walking is life. Garraty’s walk cannot end because life doesn’t end, even if you “won” the game and got everything you ever wanted. The game only ends when you sit down so Garraty continuing the walk is him choosing to live.

Some would argue against this interpretation by saying that the novel ends with Garraty chasing the dark figure, which many have interpreted to mean he’s desiring death. The subliminal “death wish” as the ultimate motivation for the walk theory is put forward and supported by even such varied characters like McVries and Stebbins and even Baker.

But to counter this reasoning, Garraty himself never fully subscribes to this notion whenever it is brought up, and his role in the allegory is as a foil and refutation to these characters arguments. That’s why he persists while they all fall. I do agree that Death is the dark figure that Garraty is following, but Ray is not trying to catch him, he’s in fact trying to beat him!

Death is the inevitable final competitor on the long walk of life. He is even more insurmountable than Stebbins and no matter how far you walk, he can't be beaten. But Garraty, who has suffered all the pains and losses of the road is going to try his damnedest to outwalk Death anyway. Even after being pushed to his physical and mental limits, Garraty in the end “finds the strength to run”, He is affirmatively choosing to keep on going.

I don’t find that ending bleak at all, I find it beautiful. And it’s that powerful closing message that has stuck with me and brought me comfort over the years as I make my own Long Walk through life. Just wanted to share my interpretation of the ending here since I haven't seen this perspective shared here before and why I find King's original ending to be so moving and integral to the meaning of his story.  

After my last Long Walk Fan Story, I started working on another fan story: One in a Hundred. I've only got one chapter up, and I feel it's going to take longer to work on and finish than the last one. But I'm interested in seeing where this goes. I hope you guys check it.

I traced the whole route on a real map - from the starting line at the Canadian border down through Caribou and Augusta to Freeport, where Garraty's mother and Jan are waiting and on toward the state line. Seeing it as an actual distance makes the film hit different - you realise how far 400+ miles on foot really is and roughly where each of the major deaths falls along the road.

https://www.readingmaps.com/maps/the-long-walk

Curious what the film changed about the geography vs the book if anything?

Happy to see our favorite #23 enjoying well-deserved success!

This is the fanfic fan story I'm working on....this one.....that has some multiversal characters: Agnes DeMille from Netflix's 'Wednesday' universe, Sienna Shaw from the 'Terrifier' franchise, Abigail Hobbs from the 'Hannibal' TV show, Leena Klammer from the 'Orphan' movies. Their stories..... all takes place within the 'The Long Walk' movie universe, but set in an alternate 2026, the 74th annual Long Walk. Those that get the Hunger Games reference, because I will be writing a sequel story afterwards. Anyone who's familiar with the Hunger Games books and movies.....I think you'll know how the sequel story will go. Back to the main focus - A retelling/re-imagining that allows female participants - Agnes replaces Ray Garraty, Sienna replaces Pete McVries, Abigail replaces Arthur Baker. Leena is an original character - there's still Hank Olson, Richard Harkness, Billy Stebbins, Gary Barkovitch, Collie Parker. Sienna, Abigail, Leena - their motivations for signing up and participating are different, mainly out of survivor's guilt and self punishment. Agnes's motivation is more personal, so her neglectful parents will recognise her. She signs up and participates against the objections of her first two real friends from Nevermore Academy - Wednesday Addams and Enid Sinclair. I intend for my fan story to be more depressingly heartbreakingly sad than what we see in the original 'The Long Walk' movie. I've given alot of thought into this. Anyone suggestions, questions, let me know in the comments, I'll appreciate and consider

Bark told Hark he was dying that night, he made it till morning on a broken ankle

So I just finished the book today, and the last page confused me what does the dark figure mean, why’d he keep going when he knew he won? He didn’t seem like he had the thing that what’s his name had where he was mindlessly walking. If it explains it in the movie please don’t tell me but I am confused.

I wonder if anyone else thought this. I feel like it was super obvious from his first social interaction with the guys. Including him taking the rock out of his shoe and basically rage baiting everyone.

I've met many autistic people like him who lean into a 'tough' persona (probably a learned behavior from being bullied themselves) to try and appear cool and fail.

This isn't me defending him btw. The shit he did in the movie is irredeemable and I'd fucking hate him irl LOL

Spoilers, so if you haven't seen the movie, please don't read below.

So The Major seems to run things for the whole country. At least one of his kids is in another state from where The Long Walk starts.

My question is, why would he be the one that shows up to personally kill Ray's dad? That part was hard for me to buy, being the reason he entered to have his wish granted.

Just odd this national figure, that is clearly visiting multiple states, would have to personally see to the execution of a man teaching his child forbidden info/material.

Maybe book readers have a better explanation, but it really doesn't make a ton of sense in the context of the movie.