A WALK TO REMEMBER

Author: Nicholas Sparks

Director: Adam ShankmanLiterature is a big word. You can come up with different
meanings explaining its definition. But for me it depends on the person if he or she should
consider a thing literature. A writing could be considered literature if it is inspired from real
life experience or has a significant meaning to the writer. The reader could consider it
literature if it affects him/her or somehow gives them a chance to reflect it to the real life.

Literature is something that reflects the society. It is a creation that sends the readers into
another world.

Author’s Background
As a child, Nicholas Sparks lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska,
finally settling in Fair Oaks, California at the age of eight. His father was a professor, his
mother a homemaker, then optometrist’s assistant. He lived in Fair Oaks through high school,
graduate valedictorian in 1984, and received a full track scholarship to the University of
Notre Dame.

His younger sister inspired the story. The character Jamie Sullivan for him is his sister for
they are very much alike in many ways, her characteristics, personality, attitude and traits.
Just like the character in the story, she had the same misfortune of having an illness that led
her to her early death. He said that the story is not only about her sister, but also about the
amazing things that her husband did for her.

Setting
The story took place in the real life city of Beaufort, North Carolina. A small town with
churches, mostly Baptist, in every corner and almost every people in the town are friends
with everyone. It was the kind of place where the humidity rose so high in the summer that
walking out to get the mail made a person feel as if he needed a shower, and kids walked
around barefoot from April through October beneath oak trees draped in Spanish moss. All of
the teen-agers in town go to the same school, which isn’t really that many people. The story
mostly takes place when Landon is walking Jamie home or at school. There is also an
orphanage that Jamie mostly visits because of the children she loves and cares about.

Plot
The story begins with Landon Carter describing his town, that is has many churches both
Christian and Baptist. Their lives were centred on the churches. Landon is a seventeen years
old senior student in Beaufort High School. Every year they put on their Christmas play that
was written by Hegbert Sullivan, a Baptist minister in their town and the father of Jamie
Sullivan. Landon described him as a very old man and he and his friends used to call him
names and insult him whenever they see him when they were younger.

Back to the story, the play was inspired by the classic story A Christmas Carol. He wanted to
give a new twist on the play so he created his own, a story of a father who is so grief stricken
over the death of his wife that he is not much of a father to his child. An angel appears to the
man, and she admonishes him to be a better father; she also performs a small miracle for the
family on Christmas morning. The popular play, performed in the local playhouse, features
seniors from the high school.
 Like Hegbert, he raised Jamie by his own since his wife died while giving birth to her. He
and his daughter were so close. Because of her father, Jamie was misunderstood by other
students in their school for she always carry a bible that they thought was normal for her
since she is a daughter of a minister. Besides carrying a bible, she always wears her brown
jacket whenever she’s in school and has an unflattering hairstyle that makes her unattractive
to others.

Rising Action
Landon was elected as student body president and because of this he was required to attend
the school’s homecoming dance. He searched their year-book for girls he would take to the
dance but it leaves him no choice but to go with Jamie Sullivan. He knew her since childhood
but their family doesn’t get along well because of some issue regarding his grandfather and
Hegbert. He went to her house and asked her to the dance. She was grateful about him asking
her to the dance and ended up cleaning and taking care of Landon’s ex girlfriend because she
was too drunk.

Because of Landon’s favour to Jamie about the dance, a few weeks later, Jamie asked Landon
if he could play the part of the father in their play since they had no choice who’s going to
play the role. Landon reluctantly agreed. Jamie played the part of the angel. Because of this
instance, they became close to each other although Landon does so only out of obligation.
Landon discovers that Jamie wanted to get married and doesn’t plan to attend college.

They visited an orphanage and planned to give the children a special gift on Christmas. As
days passed, Landon seemed frustrated about their togetherness and said that he doesn’t want
to be with her anymore also because of peer pressure. He burst out angrily at her the night
before their play as he was walking her to her house, she was hurt but doesn’t want to show
him but apologises before their play.

During the scene where the father, played by Landon, was supposed to see the angel, played
by Jamie, he was astonished by how beautiful Jamie was with her angel costume. Even the
other students were shocked about her appearance. That slightly affects his feelings with her.

Climax
Jamie bought gifts for the orphans on Christmas day from the money she has collected
through every jar she has putted around the town and Landon helped her collect it. But as he
counted the total amount, it was not enough for the gift for the orphans so he added his
savings to it and gave it to Jamie without telling to her what he did. And his act made it
possible for Jamie’s plan to be successful.

While at the orphanage, Landon gave Jamie a gift, a new jacket but with the same colour she
wears every time. Jamie also gave Landon a gift but it was her bible that was very important
to her. Landon is deeply touched by both the starkness of the orphan’s surroundings and by
the deep connection Jamie shares with the young orphans. He is also surprised by how
beautiful she looks; he cannot take his eyes off her. Landon soon realizes he has fallen in love
with Jamie.

Falling Action
Afterward they see each other regularly. They had their first kiss, and they begin dating.
Landon then notices that she was getting thinner and begins to have bruise marks on her skin.
 He ignores these things in the first place. He then told her his true feelings; that he has fallen
in love with her. Jamie felt the need that she should tell him about her illness and has a few
months to live. Landon was devastated. He tried to cope up with his sadness and fear and
prayed for a miracle. He suddenly realised his purpose in life and role about Jamie’s illness
and should do something about it. Soon he discovered that purpose and asked her to marry
him even in her weakened state. He seeks permission with Jamie’s father and agrees. And
just as in her vision of her wedding day, hundreds of guests turn out for her wedding. Jamie’s
slow, painful walk down the aisle is, indeed, “a walk to remember.”

Flashbacks
At the beginning of the story Landon Carter reflects the events that happened forty years
from now since he is already 57 years old. He said that his story could not be summed up
with a few sentences and understands him. He still lives in his town. He often relive that year
in his mind and brings it back to life but always make him feel both sadness and joy. He
walks out of his house and looks around and closes his eyes and things seem to reverse back
in time. He saw his hair change its colour, the streets back to they were used to be and he
ends up standing in outside the Baptist church and once he was again seventeen. At the end of
the story he still reflects their wedding and has not removed his wedding ring and said that he
now believed that miracles happen.

Characters
Main Characters:
Landon Carter

The fifty seven year old man who narrates his story through flashbacks. He goes through the
years in his life, the years that changed his life. He is the son of Worth Carter, a local
congressman in their town but was not often home so they hadn’t established a good
relationship with each other.

He is a dynamic character because he started out to be a brat and one of the students who
doesn’t like Jamie Sullivan. But as the story went on, he fell in love with Jamie and knew
what his purpose in life.

Jamie Sullivan

The seventeen year old girl Landon fell in love with. She is a kind hearted person, gentle, and
always do good deeds to her peers and the people around her. She is the daughter of the
town’s minister Hegbert Sullivan. She always carries a bible with her and wears her brown
jacket that gives her the impression of a loser in their school.

She is a static character because she maintained her characteristics, and personality from the
beginning until the end. Besides changing her physical appearance, she is still the same Jamie
whom Landon met the very first time.

Hegbert Sullivan

He is the Baptist minister and the father of Jamie Sullivan. He raised her alone because his
wife died giving birth to Jamie. He is also the one who wrote the play “The Christmas Angel”
which was played every year at their local playhouse.
 He is a dynamic character because at the beginning of the story, he discouraged the young
couple from being together and falling in love but later on could not disrupt God’s plan.

Minor Characters:
Worth Carter

He is the father of Landon Carter and the local congressman of their town. He is seldom
home so he and Landon haven’t much of a relationship. He helped Jamie by providing the
necessary equipment for Jamie to be out of the hospital and sent home.

Landon’s Mother

She serves as Landon’s strength whenever he needs her. She encourages Landon to take
Jamie to special places for him to her his feelings. She is very affectionate towards Jamie and
is a good mother to Landon.

She is a static character because she stayed the same throughout the story. She remained
supportive to her son until they got married.

Miss Garber

She is their drama teacher. She is large and overweighed and loves to say fabulous as her
expression. She helped in the school play The Christmas Angel.

Eric Hunter

He is Landon’s best friend and the most popular boy in school. He is also the star of their
football team and often teases Landon about his closeness with Jamie.

He is also a dynamic character because at the end when he knew that Jamie has an illness, he
apologises to her and must come to grips with the way he had always treated Jamie.

POV
The story has a first person point of view. In the first person point of view, the narrator does
participate in the action of the story, and in this case it is Landon Carter. He narrates the story
based on his reflections on his past. He told the story by his own point of view.

Conflict
The story has both internal and external conflict.

The internal conflict of the novel would be when Landon was fighting with himself whether
he should take Jamie to the prom because of what people would say about him. And also
because he knew his friends would bug him about it if he did take her.
One external conflict from the novel would be that Landon and his friends were always
arguing because they would always tease him because he liked Jamie. Another external
conflict from the novel would be that Jamie’s father doesn’t like Landon, and he and her
 father don’t always see eye to eye with things. So that’s a problem because Landon likes
Jamie but he has to get her father’s approval first.
Landon serves as the protagonist in a way that he tries to overcome two opposing force,
either he should follow his feelings with Jamie or take his friends’ harassment. On the other
hand he is also the antagonist because he is also at war with himself and wants to find out
who he is and his purpose in life. Jamie helped him in finding answers to his own problems.
She made him realise that he could be the best person he could be.

Themes and Symbolisms

Mainly the theme of the story is whether you should follow your heart or your mind. Landon
knew Jamie since they were young. Ever since, he viewed Jamie as a typical girl in their
school who is unattractive and no one could ever take to be with because she always carries a
bible and has an old fashion style and another thing is she is the minister’s daughter. When
they became close, Landon thought that she is bad image for him and his friends tease him
because of their togetherness.

The longer they have been together, the more Landon’s feelings develop. Just then he realised
that he should follow his heart and tell Jamie about his true feelings ignoring what his friends
would say. When he learned about Jamie’s illness, he thought that he could not do anything
to change her fate. But he then trusts his heart and believed that there can be miracles. His
heart told him the things that he should do and his purpose for Jamie, and that is to love her
and marry her.

Symbols

Bible

The bible that Jamie always carries along with her at first is a symbol of her faith and
religiousness since she is a minister’s daughter. At the end, it became a symbol of her mother.
Jamie said that it is the same bible that her mother used while she was living. Now Jamie
carried her to get the feeling that she is always with her mother.

Jamie Sullivan

She is a complex character who defies stereotyping. She is also the real angel of the story
besides playing the role of the angel in their school play, she basically gave hope the
characters in the story She made Landon turn into a man in his seventeen years of age, she
made Landon and his father together again, and made her father realise that it was God’s plan
for her to be happy and made him forgive Landon’s family.

Literature
Literature is a big word. You can come up with different meanings explaining its definition.
But for me it depends on the person if he or she should consider a thing literature. A writing
could be considered literature if it is inspired from real life experience or has a significant
meaning to the writer. The reader could consider it literature if it affects him/her or somehow
gives them a chance to reflect it to the real life.

Literature is something that reflects the society. It is a creation that sends the readers into
another world.