A Walk to Remember (160-240)

Summary

Landon realizes that Hegbert has been acting strange. Lately, Hegbert has been feeling very unhappy and overall disconnected from his usual self. Despite that, later on in the night, they openly discuss the importance of God in their lives. Landon then invites Jamie over his house for a Christmas dinner in the hopes of getting to spend more time with Jamie. She accepts the offer but during dinner, things don't go as well as Landon had planned. For one, Landon had been hoping to kiss Jamie but the time wasn't right at the time so they don't. After dinner, they take a walk in Landon's garden where they discuss Landon's grandfather and Hegbert. There, they argue for a bit about Landon's grandfather. Jamie thinks that Landon should do something to give back the wealth his grandfather gained immorally. However, Landon doesn't think it is his responsibilities to handle his grandfather's affairs. After that, they discuss Hegbert and his tremendous love and support towards Jamie which is very transparent. When Landon walks Jamie back to her house, he asks her if he could see her tomorrow and she agrees. The following day, they see each other once again and then Landon is able to have another kiss with Jamie which is what he had been seeking for a while after the first one.

Landon decides that he's far too in love with Jamie and he feels that he must date her. First, he seeks Hegbert's approval before proceeding on to taking Jamie out. Landon visits Hegbert at his office at church. After a few hesitations, he finally agrees to allow Landon to take Jamie out. However, as Landon walks out of his office, he hears a cry and realizes that Hegbert is crying. He then takes Jamie out to a nice restaurant on New Year's Eve based on his mother's suggestion. He also becomes more aware that Jamie looks far more emaciated than usual. He doesn't go more in dept about why that is so. In the following days, the two begin to demonstrate their love for each other further. Individually, they begin doing things that would please the other. For example, Jamie begins to hang out at the beach and Cecil's Diner which are the two places where Landon can be spotted frequently. Vice versa, Landon begins to spend more and more time with Jamie at the orphanage. He also attends Bible study with Jamie in order to further gain more knowledge and a sense of appreciation for God. The day after, he notices a large bruise on Jamie's finger. He doesn't say anything about it but after he hugs her, he notices that she is much thinner than she was a few days ago. He doesn't yet make an inquiry to her about what is going on. Instead, he tells her for the first time that he loves her. She then cries and tells him not to say that and she's dying.

She explain further by saying that she has leukemia and it is the incurable form. Landon is saddened by the fact that Jamie didn't trust him enough to let him know. Jamie explains her reason stating that after her father and she discovered she did seven months ago, she wanted to live without others feeling sorry for her. For the first time in a long while, Landon cries. He then tells his mother who also cries because she knows how much her son loves Jamie. Soon after, Hegbert tells the entire congregation and many do cry. The news spread so rapidly that even at school, people began to treat Jamie much nicer and even feel sorry for her. After all that is happening surrounding him, Landon begins to fear almost everything. He fears the worst outcome which is death, he fears saying or doing something that will upset Jamie and he fears discussing about his or Jamie's future because there's a possibility they wouldn't make it together. The following days in school, Landon looks out for Jamie but hasn't yet seen her around school. He then visits Jamie only to have her tell him that she has dropped out to spend more time with her father before she dies. He then asks Jamie why she isn't scared when he is crying and everyone else is. Jamie lets him know that she too is scared but someone has to be the brave and strong one between the two of them.

Landon becomes deeply religious as he continues to attend Bible studies, read the Bible, and pray in the hopes of discovering an answer. He begins to think about what he can do for Jamie with the possibility of even saving her life. He asks his mother but she suggests to him to do what his heart deems as correct. As days go by, Jamie is getting sicker which appears in her outward appearance because she continues to get sicker and receive bruises. Soon, she is on medications which she doesn't like to take. Landon does continue to visit her and promises he will do so even at the point of her death. She then reveals to him that she loves him. Suddenly, even Hegbert changes. He begins to go to his office at church more often and while he is away, he gives Landon the permission of coming indoors for a few hours to see Jamie. One day, Eric and Margaret visit Jamie. There, Eric apologizes for his wrongdoings to Jamie and even sheds a few tears. Jamie openly hugs him and accepts the $400 cash he raised for the orphanage. She tells him that she has forgiven him and he tells her she is the kindest person he has ever known.

As Jamie's condition worsens, Landon begins to get more anxious because he is awaiting for a miracle to happen. His mother calls home his dad and tells him what's happening in their son's life. Landon's dad then pays for a full medical treatment in Jamie's home. As the father continues to do wonderful things for Jamie, Landon feels close to his father for the first time in his life. Time goes by and Jamie still is becoming weaker. Landon begins to lose his faith in God slowly and begins to question why all these things are happening to him and why is he living. He also questions why is this horrible disease happening to Jamie who is like an angel. God then reveals to him what he has to do. When he finds out, he runs to the church to tell Hegbert of his idea. Hegbert who is in utter shock approves of it and then Landon races to Jamie's house. There, he asks Jamie for one favour which she agrees. The favour is to marry him.

The final chapter begins with "When I was seventeen, my life changed forever." At their wedding, Hegbert serves as the pastor who is leading the wedding. The wedding truly is a dream wedding because the entire church is filled with guests, as Jamie had wished for her wedding to look like. Landon's father is the best man at the wedding and it appears that they've formed a strong relationship. As Jamie is getting ready to go down the aisle, with the permission of her nurse, she requests to walk down instead of on her wheelchair. As she is walking, the walk is very slow and feeble but to Landon, it truly was a walk to remember. The book ends with not Landon discussing whether he is married with children or not but instead, he says that indeed, he believes that miracles happen.

Quote

"Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes." (Sparks 214)

Reaction

The passage is from the Book of Corinthians and in the novel, Landon states that it describes Jamie perfectly. In addition to that, I think that it also describes him. When Landon first began to realize that he loved Jamie, I wasn't entirely convinced because of the type of chill, laid back guy he is. However, when he started doing things that Jamie liked such as going to Bible studies and reading the Bible, I thought okay maybe he does really love her. Then when Jamie revealed to him that she had leukemia and he cried, I absolutely believed that he cared deeply for her. He also further showed that he was in love with her by sticking with her, reaching out to God, visiting her each and every day, and lastly, making her dreams come true by marrying her in a church with an influx of people. Therefore, I believe that Landon always had hope for Jamie as he was hoping for a miracle to happen and he demonstrated perseverance through Jamie's final days. He was always patient and kind with her especially at times where she was weak. Despite the fact that at times all she did was sleep all day, he was still able to stay with her and be there for her when she awoke. While he was questioning God, one of the questions he asked was why didn't he happen to him instead after all, Jamie had been so good all this while. If he had the power to reverse all that had been happening, he would have preferred to be the one with leukemia rather than Jamie. And that, that is truly love - feeling obligated to take your love one's pain away and onto yourself if that may be the case.

Overall, throughout the novel, Landon definitely grew as a person. In the beginning, he was simply a boy who didn't care about school so much, drank and did whatever he wanted, and was simply ignorant. He then began to be more open and got to know Jamie and actually see her. He didn't see her outward appearance as a problem anymore. Rather, he cared about the fact that she was willing to do anything to help those in need. He then entrusted his complete faith in God and started performing activities that were not to his own benefits but for the benefit of others. At the end, the fifty seven year old Landon reflects that he believes in miracles. He was originally hoping from God to perform a miracle that would save Jamie's life. However, in the end, God performed the miracle on him by allowing him to change for the better and allowing him to see the light.

-Most, if not all, of Mr. Spark's novels are told from extended flashbacks. His novels all have similar plots/themes. Usually, it begins with a person reflecting on the past which often involves romance. The romance then somehow causes the protagonist to change for the better. Then, a traumatic event occurs which often leads to the death or downfall of a significant other/a person the protagonist cares about  and the protagonist learns a life lesson which has served him/her a long way in his/her life. So, Nicholas Sparks often tells his novels from extended flashbacks to demonstrate that the protagonist changed and learned a life lesson.

-I suppose that Jamie didn't necessarily actually "show" her inner beauty to Landon. Throughout her time living, she really was herself. It was Landon who changed and who opened his eyes to realize that Jamie is practically an angel. She rarely actually dressed up so soon after Landon accepted that fact, he focused on her personality and her humaneness. Therefore, Jamie remained herself and tried to make Landon a better person. But, really, it was more of Landon waking up and smelling the coffee.

      

*Did he only marry her in order to make her wishes come true only or had he always hoped to marry her when he fell in love with her?

*Jamie lived vs Jamie died

-It was never explicitly expressed in the novel that Jamie died. Therefore, Sparks sort-of left the readers to implicitly decide the ending. I'm sitting on the fence right now because it seems like either could have happened. For the argument that Jamie lived, there is a motif of miracle throughout the novel because Landon stated only a miracle could save Jamie, they both prayed for a miracle, and at the end, he believed that miracles can happen. In addition, he says that he still loves her and he never has taken off his wedding ring. If Jamie did die, he most likely would have gotten re-married and of course, wouldn't be wearing the same wedding ring as from his former wife...

*It might also be that Jamie did die but the reason why he didn't take off his wedding ring could have been because she still resides in his heart and for the ring to symbolize that Jamie was everywhere he went. After all, maybe he didn't remarry. If she didn't die, she would have been mentioned from the beginning and the novel wouldn't have made as much sense as a flashback if she survived. Plus, Landon says that he never felt the desire to take off the ring. If she did live, why would he feel the need to take it off...

I suppose Nicholas Sparks's intention is to leave the readers wondering about the true ending. It could have been either ending: the miracle that they both found love and Landon changed vs. the miracle that Jamie Sullivan surpassed the incurable leukemia.