A Walk to Remember, Nicholas Sparks. Cycle 21, Reading Response #5, 118-207.

Brief Summary:
In the last four chapters of the book A Walk to Remember, the reader watches Landon grow up and finally confess his feelings for Jamie. After the last showing of the play, Eric, Landon's best friend, comes up to him and says, "The two of you did good. I'm proud of you, buddy," 118. He also came to the mature decision that, "the right thing to do wasn't so bad after all," 118. Landon even begins to acknowledge the guilt he feels for his past actions. "Sometimes when you remember the things you used to do, it makes you wince, and that's exactly what I did," 122. To make up for this, he agrees to go around town to pick up cans and jars the passer-bys would fill with donations for the orphanage Christmas gifts. Landon counted the donations; he was disheartened when they totaled to just $55.73. However, when he brought the money over to Jamie's house for her to count, the total came out to be $247. Landon slipped by without seeking acknowledgement. On Christmas Eve, when Landon and Jamie delivered the presents, Jamie presented Landon with her mother's Bible. Landon was so touched by her generosity that tears streamed down his cheeks. "Being in love with a girl like Jamie Sullivan was without a doubt the strangest thing I'd ever been through," 144. Landon finally admits to being in love with Jamie. In the process of growing up, Landon asks for Hegbert's permission to bring Jamie out on a date to Flauvin's, an upscale restaurant in Beaufort. While on the date, Jamie suddenly seems to care what others think about her, asking questions like, "do people think I'm strange?" and "do you think I'm strange?" Then Landon tells Jamie, "I love you." Jamie cries; Landon promised he wouldn't. This is when Jamie tells Landon that she is dying. But, the fear of her death makes Landon feel uncomfortable. Landon decides to read the Bible. Landon's mother cries, Landon cries, and even Eric and Margaret cry. In a conversation Jamie and Landon have, Landon says, " 'And when I asked you to the homecoming dance, you made me promise that I wouldn't fall in love, but you knew that I was going to, didn't you?' She had a mischievous gleam in her eye. 'Yes.' " Then, Landon asks Jamie to marry him.

New Vocabulary:
• volition-- [noun] the faculty or power of using one's will
• dejectedly-- [adj.] sad and depressed; dispirited
• subsidies-- [noun] sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist an industry or business so that the price of a commodity or service may remain low or competitive
• listless-- [adj.] (of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm
• get a word in edgewise-- [adv./adj.] contribute to a conversation with difficulty because the other speaker talks almost without a pause
• sheaf-- [noun] bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping
• anguish-- [noun] severe mental or physical pain or suffering
• stifle-- [verb] suffocate or restrain a reaction, stop oneself acting on an emotion
• nor'easter-- [noun] a wind blowing from the northeast
• valiant-- [adj.] possessing or showing courage or determination
• sapped-- [verb] gradually weaken or destroy a person's strength or power

Reflection:
If there is a movie associated with the book, examine both the film and text versions of the story. What's similar? What's different, and what are the rationales behind what the director chooses to show or not include in the film version. Also, a film is the director's version and creative interpretation of a story: what artistic choices were made, and how do they "color" or alter the story?

The story line of the book remains pretty much the same throughout the movie--a terminal 17 year-old girl and a rebellious boy who fall in love. However, the difference between the book and the movie is the reality of the situations; the movie depicts more realistic situations and circumstances. Some changes are minor and others are rather significant, but the purpose it serves is for its audience to connect and be able to fantasize in a more realistic way--to take a story that a reader could easily cringe at for being corny and turning it into a desirable story that someone could actually see happening. For example, the reasoning behind Landon becoming a part in the play is not that he voluntarily joins because he thinks it will be an easy "A" but rather a punishment for bullying another student--the mean, popular crowd is a group that you hear about all the time, and most likely have dealt with personally or through a friend. Another example is Jamie's personality. In the movie, Jamie is sweet and innocent, and Landon was sent to her by God in her time of need. It made Jamie an easily likable character. However, in the book, Jamie always seems to question Landon and provoke a guilty emotion in him; she seems to try to make him feel guilty. And then, in the end of the book, she tells Landon that this was her plan all along. It feels calculated and almost manipulative; it erases a lot of the innocence away from Jamie. Another example is with the ending words of the movie. I saw the movie and loved it, which is why I chose this book to read, and when I heard that last line of the movie, you would expect it to be in the book, but it's not. In the movie, Landon says, "Jamie--her love is like the wind; I can't see it, but I can feel it." But, the book's ending felt overly predictable, as if I didn't have to read the ending at all to know what happened because I knew the words that would be written already. The line of the movie had closure, and I preferred it over the ending of the book.
They always say that the actual book is better than the movie, but in this case, I disagree. I feel like the director of the film made wise decisions by interpreting the book with a realistic eye because it enhanced the fictional story of Nicholas Sparks and made them into something that could really happen.