G13

Angelyn A. Hinon
Grade 12-Alcaraz
A Walk to Remember
MAIN IDEA
Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember is a novel turned movie that is famous up to this date
because it highlights the “good parts” of high school, which revolves around cliques, crushes, issues and
the like. It has a nostalgia factor that people especially born in the 2000s long for. The novel is squarely
placed in small-town North Carolina; never once do outside forces threaten to intrude on that setting within
the novel. And yet, as with all outstanding literature, the "small" transforms itself into the large," the specific
means more than a simple singularity, the individual represents the universal. Such is A Walk to
Remember.
SUMMARY
It begins with a narration from the fifty-six-year-old Landon, who looks back at the time he was a
seventeen-year-old high school senior, the son of a congressman. Landon’s father is frequently away as
he must spend much of his time in Washington, D.C. While his father is outgoing, Landon is shy, which
causes some tension in their relationship. At his father’s urging and with the help of his best friend Eric
Hunter, Landon runs for, and is elected, class president. One of his duties as president involves attending
a school dance with a date, but he is unable to obtain one. With nobody left to ask, he turns to Jamie
Sullivan, who is the daughter of Hegbert Sullivan, the local minister. The highly religious Jamie accepts his
invitation.
After a few days pass, Jamie asks Landon to join her in the school Christmas production. He
reluctantly agrees. Jamie is excited about his joining her but he fears the ridicule he will face if his friends
find out about it. Walking Jamie home after rehearsals becomes a regular part of Landon’s routine. When,
one afternoon, Eric teases Landon about the time he spends with Jamie, he becomes embarrassed again,
however, he continues to spend time with Jamie and reluctantly falls in love with her.
A couple of weeks into the new year, Jamie tells Landon that he cannot be in love with her. When
he presses her for an explanation, she tells him that she is dying from leukemia. The next Sunday, Hegbert
shares the news of his daughter’s condition with his congregation. Landon’s father helps obtain the best
doctors and equipment to help her do so. This act of kindness helps to ease the tension between Landon
and his father.
One day while sitting with the sleeping Jamie, Landon has an idea, and goes to the church to speak
with Jamie’s father. He asks his permission to marry Jamie. Hegbert shows no enthusiasm, but does not
deny Landon’s request either. Landon quickly returns to Jamie and asks her to marry him. They marry
before a full church in fulfillment of Jamie’s dream. Although, at this point, she is really too weak to walk,
she manages to walk down the aisle and her father is able to give her away. The story ends with Landon
thinking back on that time, many years later, as he had done at the start of the book. He still wears Jamie’s
ring, and he has returned the book that Jamie gave her to her father.
REFLECTION
Through watching the movie, I have learned that you never can judge a book by its cover. You
never can judge a person by his/her appearance, or his/her surroundings and circle of friends. There is
such a thing called benefit of the doubt. However bad a person is, and however wrong his choice of friends
is, his heart might be good. Peer pressure pressed Landon to be friends with the naughty group, but his
good heart still compelled him to save and apologize to that boy, whom was so eager to be in that group.
We can learn a lot from other people thoughts and opinions, no matter how shallow or dumb they
might seem to be. Take that quote from Dolly Parton, for example; ‘know who you are, and do it on
purpose’. That was nice, and brilliant too. And surprisingly came from someone whom we thought never
could get pass that blob of yellow hair of hers. She does have a lot more quotes we can ponder upon and
be amazed of actually.
Lastly, I have learned that anyone can change. Evident with Landon Carter, who was considered
as the bully and jock of his school, has learned to change. It shows that not every thing bad will stay the
way that it is and we must be patient about the challenges that we face.