Perfectly explained. The Walk is not about the winner at all - it’s about keeping your thumb on the pulse of society. About control. And the visual demonstration of said control.
The rules aren’t being changed. They’re simply telling you what is allowed and not allowed. Obviously there’s many instances and “What ifs” in this. RickJay just outlined the main rules…and most the things being suggested; the “loopholes”, wouldn’t work. If you read the story (and I strongly recommend it because it is seriously GOOD) you’d probably understand it a bit better.
But suffice to say, the ways of getting out of it are nil. The only thing this topic is asking is how would you survive the walk and how would conserve energy and what would you do to keep yourself walking, on the path, without trying to find ways out of it. Cause the minute you stop walking, or veer off the path, or do anything other than just keep walking, you’ll get warnings and then get shot to death.
The Long Walk is one of my favorite King stories- I consider it to be one of the finest he’s written.
One thing always bugged me, though- the winner is supposed to get anything he wants, right? Well, this a complete totalitarian state- it seems like giving ANYONE whatever they want is a bad idea, assuming you want to stay in power.
Anything I want? Okay, how about:
“I want the Major killed, painfully.”
“I want the Long Walk abolished.”
“I want all the money in Fort Knox.”
Isn’t it more likely that the winner is whisked away to some award ceremony… and then quietly, permanently, disappeared?
In that case, the only way to win is to not play the game. I could swear I heard that in a movie somewhere.
I have your answer (I think) and the answer to another huge question I’ve always heard asked (namely about the ending).
Here is what I think…
I’ve read the book many many many times and the end always boggled me, but there was always something niggling a bit in the back of my mind. So I read the whole thing again slowly and paid great attention to the end, and here’s what I came up with.
The last person doesn’t get any of that! It’s all a ruse.
Somewhere in the middle, when McVries is mad, he says to Ray that there isn’t a winner. That the “winner” just gets taken, at the end of the race, behind a building and shot too.
I think, at the end, when Ray wins, he remembers this. And when he sees the shadowy figure behind the building on the last page, he knows who it is immediately.
And I don’t think anyone can argue that the long walk takes it’s toll physically, mentally, emotionally and all other -allies. So by that time, after seeing 99 boys die, having his friend (in the race) give up by sitting down, having people die while grabbing him…he was gone. He wasn’t a person anymore, just a shell of a boy. His mind was gone, he didn’t care about anything anymore, and he just didn’t want to live.’
So…at the end, when he spies the shadow person behind the building, he knows who it is (the guy waiting to kill him too) and by this time, death would be a great release, nay a prize in itself.
This is why he starts walking to it…and even starts running at the end, cause he knows what’s waiting for him and can’t wait to get the bullet too (by that time). Death is looking mighty sweet.
All of this is just my theory, mind you. I don’t know the real meaning of the ending, but I’ve read the story a dozen times and this is the only thing that I could think of. It makes a lot of sense, though, if you’ve read the story and think about it. I think that’s what the ending means, how I just laid it out, for the most part.
And that also answers your question. Never, in any way, would they let someone in the long walk have that. Not even the winner. The winner just winds up being shot too.
Ah crap. I should have incased the last post in spoilers. I’m sorry, folks.
The Long Walk winners have families and friends. How’s it gonna be if someone wins and doesn’t get a prize? I think this is going to call for a lot more shootin’.
I always figured the prize must really be Anything You Want within reason, of course, and subject to the approval of the Major.
My guess is that Ray is typical of the winner. I could be wrong, of course, but I think the winner, by the end, doesn’t want anything at all. I think they’re utterly drained mentally and spiritually as well as physically, so most of them never ask for anything when they win. They’ve been hollowed out, and may be insane by the end. The government wins no matter what.
For myself, I’d echo what a lot of other posters have already said: sturdy, broken-in shoes with good ankle support; my own stash of lightweight, high-calorie food; my own stash of whatever drugs are OK to carry (meth seems like a good choice, given the circumstances); and books/music on an iPod.
I wouldn’t stand a chance.
Obviously, I’d never do something like this, but if I were somehow compelled to be in the Walk? The first thing I’d do is condition myself to remember that the other Walkers are, ultimately, my enemies. In context, they are all trying to kill me.
What sort of resources do I have? Do I have the ability to research the other Walkers? If I do, I’m going to train my ass off physically, but I’m also going to spend every extra minute I have analyzing every other person in that competition, but especially the ones that seem like serious opponents. Ultimately, most of the suggestions in this thread have been about ways to make yourself walk as long as possible, but that’s not really the game, is it? It’s not even about walking as long as you can. It’s just about walking longer than anyone else.
So with that in mind, I’d plan the mental game at least as carefully as the physical one. Just yowling at people, like Barkovich in the book, won’t do you any good - that just unites everyone against you and makes your job harder. Look at each person and ask what will make him stop walking? Then do it.
Also steroids and HGH.
Well, probably the same kind of state that would host a Battle Royale. I haven’t read the book myself, but I’m told it describes the society in more depth than the movie does.
Another entertaining but absurd fictional premise. I don’t want to hijack the thread and I understand that King was writing an entertaining story and a fable or allegory, not a realistic look at a possible future, but I find the premise of The Long Walk and Battle Royale completely unbelievable.
The only way to be sure of winning is not to play.
Most entered the race because they all thought they’d win the giant prize. Each one would have the will and strength to beat the other 99. Never mind the other 99 wanted to win just as bad.
Some other questions I’ve always wondered about:
How was Stebbins the “white rabbit”. Was he somehow genetically bred for the race? Being the Major’s son and all?
How did Stebbins die? He just seemed to fall and get a broken neck. Huh?
There was one who had a wife. When the other walkers find out, they can’t believe how stupid he was to enter the race (I think he gets singled out earlier for some other stupid decisions. Wrong shoes, maybe?), but later when he starts getting sick they make a pact to help out his widow with part of the prize.
Which probably isn’t much of a stretch for this government. IIRC, Garrity’s father had been “taken away” some years earlier for grumbling too much about the Major.
The first thing I would look for is a lightweight but dependable bullet-proof vest. Secondly, methamphetamine, which is reputed to help people avoid sleep. Thirdly, what Cheesesteak mentioned, a gun with plenty of ammo. Fourthly, an alarm clock to wake me up from the bad dream where I find myself trapped in a Stephen King novel.
Said by the 'puter in the film “War Games”
To answer your questions,
[spoiler] I think he believed that he was the only one who really had a reason to win. He wanted the world to know the Major was his father. By having a reason to win, the Walk would go as far as Stebbins did. (Or so he thought)
He literally walked himself to death. There were a couple other Walkers near the end that died before they were shot.
[/spoiler]
Sgt Schwartz
Oh, that’s right! I forgot about him. Thank you for the correction.
You do realize that all the other walkers could train for the event, wear the best shoes, use speed, etc. too? Trying to “plan to win” is part of the logical fallacy that suckers constestants in in the first place.
The Long Walk is a 99% sure way of committing suicide. The only way any rational person could take part in it is if they’d decided they would rather be dead than not get their wish. By the time you get down to the last five or so people, all the particpants who weren’t willing to give it their utmost are already dead. Four of the last five will basicly walk themselves to death. The winner will be on the brink of death, perhaps crippled for life.
Walking Thread Zombie Alert
I JUST read this book because I stumbled upon this thread, somehow… and I have to say, goddamn. I don’t know what I’d do.
I might actually considering amputating my feet beforehand, and getting some super-duper army-grade prosthetics that let you sprint and walk with ease, something that distributes the weight of my body straight into my leg bones, getting rid of my actual feet that seem to be problematic for everyone.
I’ve also heard of pills that narcoleptics take or something that is guaranteed not to let them fall asleep. I might also consider taking meth with me, but that’s kinda scary.
Anyway, thanks to you all I just finished this fantastic book and now I’m starting on The Running Man 
Sorry if this is an unnecessary revival, I don’t mean to cause any trouble, but I didn’t think my response warranted it’s own thread.
Since this thread has already been revived, I’ll add my own question:
What do you think of the advice to not wear sneakers? The novel is emphatic about this in the hints given the Walkers prior to event. The hint states:
I always wondered about this advice, because it seemed to me that a good pair of running shoes would do better than a pair of boots.
The shoes don’t have to last for months, after all, just a few days. I think I’d take my chances with a good pair of New Balance 993 running shoes.