A WALK TO REMEMBER
Sparks
wrote the manuscripts for A Walk to Remember, his third novel, in
the summer of 1999. He wrote it in North Carolina, which is the setting of the
novel. Like his first published novel The Notebook, the
prologue to A Walk to Remember was written last.[The
title A Walk to Remember was taken from one of the tail end
pages of the novel: "In every way, a walk to remember."The novel is
written in first-person, and its narrator is a seventeen-year-old boy, living
in the 1950s.
The
novel was inspired by Sparks' sister, Danielle Sparks Lewis, who later
died of cancer in June 2000. Although the story is largely fictional, certain
parts were based on real experiences.For example, his sister, just like Jamie,
was never popular at school and always wore an ugly sweater. And just like
Jamie, she always carried the Bible around with her everywhere she went. And
just like Landon and Jamie, never in a thousand years did anyone think someone
would ever deeply fall head-over-heels for her. His sister's husband proposed
marriage to her despite her sickness. After her death, Sparks said in
the eulogy: "...I suppose I wrote this novel not only so that you
could get to know my sister, but so that you would know what a wonderful thing
it was that her husband once did for her."
The
story starts with a prologue from Landon Carter at age 57. The remainder of the
story takes place when Landon is a 17-year-old high school senior. Landon
lives in the small, religious town of Beaufort, North Carolina. His father
is a genial, charismatic congressman.
Landon's father is not around very much, as he
lives in Washington, D.C. Landon is more reclusive,
which causes some tension in their relationship. Landon's father pressures him
into running for class president. His
best friend, Eric Hunter, who is the most popular boy in school, helps him and,
to his surprise, Landon wins the election. As student body president, Landon
is required to attend the school dance with a date. He asks many girls,
but none are available. That night, he looks through his yearbook, trying to
find an acceptable date. Since nobody else seems to be available, Landon
reluctantly asks Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of Hegbert Sullivan, the Beaufort
church minister, who accepts his invitation. While Jamie is very
religious and carries a Bible with her wherever she goes, Landon (one of the
popular students) is reluctant to go to the dance with someone like her. When
Landon is threatened by Lew, Jamie comes to Landon's aid, to his
appreciation. At the end of the night, he admits she was the best date possible.
A few days later, Jamie asks Landon to participate
in the school's production of The Christmas Angel. While Landon is
not very enthusiastic about participating, he agrees to it anyway. Jamie, on
the other hand, could not be happier about her new castmate. Landon knows that
if his friends learn about his role in the play, he will be teased relentlessly. One
day at rehearsal, Jamie asks if Landon will walk her home, after which it
becomes routine. A couple of days later, Eric mocks the couple during
their walk home and Landon becomes truly embarrassed to be with Jamie. Meanwhile,
Landon continues to learn about all the people and organizations Jamie spends
her time helping, including an orphanage. Landon and Jamie visit the orphanage
one day to discuss a possible showing of The Christmas Angel, but
their proposal is quickly rejected by Mr. Jenkins. When Jamie and Landon
were waiting to meet Mr. Jenkins, she tells Landon that all she wants in the
future is to get married in a church full of people and to have her father walk
her down the aisle. While Landon thinks this is a strange wish, he accepts
it. In truth, he is beginning to enjoy his time with her.
One day, while they are walking home, Landon yells
at Jamie and he tells her that he is not friends with her. The next day at
the first show of The Christmas Angel, Jamie enters the stage
dressed as the angel, making Landon simply utter his line, "You're
beautiful", meaning it for the first time. Following that, Jamie asks
Landon if he would go around town and retrieve the jars containing money
collected for the orphans' Christmas presents. When Landon collects the
jars, there is only $55.73, but when he gives the money to Jamie, there is $247. Jamie
buys gifts for the orphanage, and Landon and Jamie spend Christmas Eve there. Jamie's
Christmas gift to Landon is her deceased mother's Bible. As they get in the car
to go home, Landon realizes his true feelings for her. "All I could do is
wonder how I'd ever fallen in love with a girl like Jamie Sullivan".He
invites her to his house for Christmas dinner. The next day Landon visits Jamie
at her house, where they share their first kiss on her porch. Afterward, Landon
asks Hegbert if they can go to Flavin's, a local restaurant, on New Year's Eve.
While Hegbert initially refuses, after Landon declares his love for Jamie, Hegbert
allows it.
On New Year's Jamie and Landon go to dinner, where
they share their first dance. A couple of weeks later, Landon tells Jamie
that he is in love with her. To his surprise, Jamie replies by insisting
that he cannot be. In response, Landon demands an explanation, and
Jamie reveals that she is dying of leukemia.
The following Sunday, Hegbert announces to his
congregation that his daughter is dying.Jamie
does not return to school the following Monday and that it is eventually
learned that she is too ill and will never return to school. While they are
having dinner at Landon's house, Jamie tells Landon, "I love you,
too", for the first time. A couple of weeks later, Eric and Margaret visit
Jamie's house, where they apologize for ever being rude to her. Eric gives
Jamie the $400 that he collected for the orphanage. Jamie refuses to stay at
the hospital because she wants to die at home. In turn, Landon's father helps
to provide Jamie the best equipment and doctors so she can spend the rest of
her life at home. This gesture helps to mend the gap between father and son.
One day, while sitting next to Jamie while she sleeps, Landon comes up with an
idea. He runs to the church to find Hegbert and asks him for permission to
marry Jamie. While Hegbert is reluctant, his refusal to deny Landon's
request is seen by Landon as approval. Landon runs back to Jamie's side
and asks, "Will you marry me?"
Landon and Jamie are married in a church full of
people. Although she is weak and in a wheelchair, she insists on walking down
the aisle so that her father could give her away which was part of her dream. Landon
remembers thinking "It was...the most difficult walk anyone ever had to
make. In every way, a walk to remember".When they reach the front of the
church, Hegbert says, "I can no more give Jamie away than I can give away
my heart. But what I can do is let another share in the joy that she has always
given me". Hegbert has had to experience so much pain in his life,
first losing his wife, now knowing his only child will soon be gone, too. The
book ends with Landon 40 years later at age 57. He still loves Jamie and wears
her ring. He finishes the story by saying, "I now believe, by the way,
that miracles can happen."
Sparks is
a modern master of fateful love stories and road-not-taken fables written in
uncluttered prose. A Walk to Remember is perfect
autumn fiction, when thoughts turn to changes and life's journeys, both mapped
and unmapped.
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