The Long Walk
by Stephen King
Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
With Freeport finally near, Garraty’s hope of seeing Jan keeps him moving, but the chapter turns that hope into a new danger. Stebbins deliberately destabilizes Garraty, and Garraty’s physical decline becomes unmistakable when he loses his shoes and walks on swollen feet. When Garraty finally reaches Jan and his mother, McVries prevents him from rushing into the crowd and getting killed, turning Garraty’s long-awaited homecoming into a painful lesson that even love cannot release him from the Walk.
Summary
At daybreak, Garraty wakes into dense fog and steady pain, learning from McVries that six more boys have died since Barkovitch and only twenty-six walkers remain. The field is now close to Freeport, and Garraty is energized by the thought of seeing Jan. McVries, however, tells Garraty that Stebbins now looks like the likely winner because almost nothing seems able to wear him down.
As the fog turns to rain, Garraty drifts back looking for Baker but ends up beside Stebbins. Stebbins uses the moment to unsettle Garraty, mocking Garraty’s chances, questioning whether Jan will even be able to reach the front, and turning the conversation into a cruel attack on Garraty’s feelings about Jan, his mother, and his own masculinity. Garraty becomes furious and ashamed, but Stebbins stays calm and confident, leaving Garraty rattled as Freeport draws closer.
Garraty then finds Baker, who seems half-dreaming and near collapse. When Garraty’s shoe heel comes off, Garraty removes both shoes and continues barefoot in soaked, torn socks, sinking into despair at how damaged his body has become. Baker speaks quietly about the good memories he keeps revisiting and admits that he fears death, especially the possibility of losing memory and identity in whatever comes after. News spreads that Klingerman, near the front, may have appendicitis, and soon Klingerman begins screaming continuously while still walking.
Once the walkers enter Freeport, Garraty becomes consumed with finding Jan and his mother in the crowd. McVries warns Garraty not to let Stebbins’s taunts make him reckless, but Garraty is already unraveling. At Woolman’s, Garraty finally sees Jan and his mother packed into the crowd and bursts toward them, nearly running into the spectators. McVries grabs Garraty and holds him back through multiple warnings, trying to stop Garraty from getting shot. Garraty manages to touch Jan’s hand and his mother’s hand, but McVries forces him to keep moving before Garraty can surrender himself to them. As Jan and his mother vanish behind the crowd, Garraty leaves Freeport shattered, knowing McVries has saved his life at the cost of the reunion he had been living for.
Who Appears
- Ray GarratyNear home and emotionally fraying, he loses his shoes and nearly dies trying to reach Jan and his mother.
- Peter McVriesWarns Garraty about Stebbins, then physically restrains Garraty from a fatal rush into the crowd.
- StebbinsCold, strong walker who cruelly needles Garraty about Jan, his mother, and his weakness.
- Arthur BakerExhausted and resigned, he reflects on cherished memories and fears death and oblivion.
- JanGarraty’s girlfriend; waits in Freeport, reaches for him, then urges him to keep going.
- Mrs. GarratyGarraty’s mother, present with Jan in Freeport for a brief, painful reunion.
- KlingermanWalker near the front whose suspected appendicitis leaves him screaming while he continues onward.
- Collie ParkerStill hanging on, he shouts complaints and trade-offs with McVries as Freeport approaches.