A Walk to Remember (1-80)

Summary


A Walk to Remember is written in the retrospect of a 57-year-old man, Landon Carter, who is remembering the biggest events that occurred in his life when he was 17 years of age. The events that happened in his life were very eye opening which resulted in his life changing forever. Prior to reading the actual first chapter of the book, the readers are warned that in some parts of the book, we will smile. However, in other parts, we will cry. Thus the first chapter of the book commences.

Landon is a 17-year-old senior in high school in a small town in North Carolina known as Beaufort. His family and he attend a church called the Southern Baptist church, which produces a play each year. The plays are always written by the pastor of the church, Hegbert Sullivan. The play which he writes this year is called "The Christmas Angel". The play is basically an autobiographical play of his life because it features a minister whose wife dies while giving birth to their first child. Mr. Sullivan's wife died while giving birth to their daughter, Jamie Sullivan. Landon then goes on to talk about his father, Worth Carter, who is a Congressman. Landon doesn't get to see his father often because the father lives in Washington, D.C. for nine months of the year. Both his father and Mr. Sullivan dislike each other because of an archaic terrible history Mr. Sullivan had with Mr. Carter's father during the Great Depression.

While Landon goes on to narrate the story, he brings up Jamie Sullivan who is the daughter of minister Hegbert Sullivan. Jamie, like himself, is also a senior in high school. Because the town is such a small town, everyone in the high school has pretty much known each other since kindergarten. Likewise, Landon has known Jamie almost his entire life and he never paid any particular attention to her. She is a sweet, loving, enthusiastic, devoted Christian with morals and she's not exactly within his "clique". All the adults in the town love her because she tries as much as possible to aid everyone around her in the best way she can. In addition, Jamie is cast in the play to play the lead role of the angel.

Since Landon is a senior in high school, he is thinking about college. His family wishes for him to attend an ivy league university. However, he doesn't think he has the grades for it so he hopes on getting an admission into the University of North Carolina, which was where his father attended. His father then tries to boost up his college resume by ensuring that Landon runs for school body president. Landon is best friends with Eric who is not only a football player but also the most popular guy in school. With all his back ups and popular votes, he is able to win the election. Now that he is the school president, there is a homecoming dance very soon which he is mandated to attend. Recently, his girlfriend broke up with him for an older guy so he begins panicking because he has no one to go with. He begins reviewing all his options but everyone else is already taken. He then searches the yearbook for the girls that are left. He doesn't find any of the ones left very attractive but his dateless position results to "desperate times calls for desperate measures". He takes interest in asking Jamie Sullivan to the dance, which she accepts after consulting her father first.

At the dance, Jamie ditches her usual, a long dress/skirt with a sweater. She wears a nice blue dress although it doesn't compare still to the other chicks. Landon and Jamie dance  at the dance which Landon is surprised because he never knew she could dance...decently. His ex-girlfriend Angela is also at the dance with her 20-year-old boyfriend. Her boyfriend Lew and Landon become involved in a little dispute which Jamie ended with her gentle personality. Later on in the dance, Angela becomes drunk and throws up in the ladies' washroom. Jamie helps her get cleaned up which is a bit unusual because it's not necessarily something most girls at a school dance would do. Landon and she then take Angela home and Landon is grateful that Jamie did him the favour of taking her to the dance and cleaning up Angela.

A few days after the dance, Landon return to his usual habits of leaving the house late at night and getting into trouble with his friends. Surprisingly, a few days after the dance, Landon receives a call. Initially, he cannot perceive whose voice it is but assumes that it is Angela thanking him for all he did. Soon he discovers that it is only Jamie and becomes a bit disappointed. Jamie calls him to request for a favour. Landon fabricates excuses but knows that he cannot escape from it especially since she did a nice thing for him. She requests for him to star in the play as the male lead. He accepts and their journey together begins.

Quote


"You have to promise that you won't fall in love with me." (Sparks 48)

Reaction


Jamie says the above quote after Landon asks her to the dance and she accepts on the condition of him not falling in love with her. I feel like it's interesting because most people in the world would not give that condition...they would either accept or deny. Therefore, I feel like maybe Nicholas Sparks put that quote in as foreshadowing sort-of, or at least hinting to the readers although Landon says it won't be so, it will happen anyways. Although the quote is not necessarily a powerful one, it does strike out and builds up the momentum. In addition, it also builds up the character of Jamie because she's kind of an odd girl who is not popular, dresses archaic-like compared to her peers and very innocent. That being said, why would she just randomly give that condition? It's not everyday that a popular boy falls in love with a girl who is not so popular. It just goes to add that not only is she sweet and kind but she also is very blunt and daring when it comes to her limits and her morals.

-Did Jamie say that because she doesn't want a guy like Landon to fall in love with her or she never wants anyone to fall in love with her?
-Does she know that you can't prevent yourself from falling in love...it's simply something that just happens?
-By saying that, is Jamie protecting herself from Landon or protecting Landon from herself?