The characters present in Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
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The Musketeers
In General
McVries came up with the name for this group of smart mouthed and possibly, most likely, suicidal eight youngsters.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Especially McVries and Olson.
- Dwindling Party: Given the nature of the Walk, each and every one of them dies until only Garraty is left.
- Fire-Forged Friendship: Although they are literally competing against each other to the death, Garraty, Mcvries, Olson, Baker, Harkness, Abraham and Pearson form a brotherly bond, often saving each other’s lives at times and having conversations involving lighthearted banter, despite them all knowing only one of them will still be alive by the end.
- No One Gets Left Behind: Garraty insists on this early in the walk, but this is ultimately subverted later when the Musketeers make a pact to not help each other as a survival tactic.
Ray Garraty
Raymond “Ray” Davis Garraty (#47)
The 16-year old protagonist of the novel, Ray is described as having straw-colored hair and a strong will to live, often referred to as the stereotypical “Maine’s Own” boy. He makes friends quickly with McVries and several other competitors during the Walk. His father was “squaded” and his brother died of pneumonia at a young age, explaining his mother’s heavy sheltering of him. He also has a girlfriend named Jan, and as the novel goes on he finds himself more in love with her and thinks of her as motivation to continue walking. His reasoning for entering the Long Walk isn’t explicitly stated.
- Ambiguously Gay: Garraty’s sexuality isn’t outright stated, and his interactions with McVries hint that he isn’t straight. After all, he certainly doesn’t turn down McVries’s offer to jack him off. In fact, he says, “Whatever you want.” Although it could be closer to Ambiguously Bi, the extent of his true love for Jan is unknown.
- The Confidant: Baker, Stebbins, Barkovitch and McVries find Garraty easy to talk to and reveal things about themselves or their pasts that they haven’t told anyone else.
- Death Seeker: Garraty becomes one by the very end. He's so mentally and physically worn-down by that point that he only wants to keep walking, and thinks his prize will be his own death. A dark figure then appears to guide him on, who may or may not be The Grim Reaper.
- Determinator: Ray’s muscles are aching, he’s losing his mind, and was forced to watch all of his friends die, but he keeps walking because he intends to survive. Even though he’s eventually physically and mentally broken to a point where he doesn’t even want to live anymore, he just can’t stop putting one foot in front of the other.
- Disappeared Dad: Garraty's dad had negative views against the government and was very vocal about it, going so far as to take Garraty to see a Long Walk when he was younger so that Garraty could see how horrible it was. He was ultimately "Squaded," slang for being taken away by the Squads and possibly Released to Elsewhere.
- Doomed Protagonist: Whatever way you interpret the book’s ending, Garraty is screwed. Either he’s lost his mind entirely or he’s dead.
- Manly Tears: As he watches, in horror, Olson, Baker and McVries die during the Walk.
- Nausea Dissonance: Whereas Abraham vomits when Olson is shot through the stomach and his intestines begin to fall out and Pearson vomits when Barkovitch rips out his own throat, Garraty does not.
- Nice Guy: Compared to other Walkers, Garraty is noticeably not as aggressive like Barkovitch, and isn’t a self-proclaimed outcast like Stebbins; rather, he is kind and friendly to all of his competitors, even Barkovitch."‘Don’t,’ Garraty said, frightened. ‘Please, don’t fight. Let’s...be nice.’"
- Sanity Slippage: You could argue Ray started to lose his sanity at any time during the Walk, but he definitely wasn’t all there after Baker and McVries’s deaths. The book’s Ambiguous Ending also alludes to this.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: To Stebbins. Stebbins successfully goaded Garraty once by calling him someone who wanted to have sex with his mother. But when he tries it a second time Garraty simply tells him “Sorry, you’re not pushing the right button anymore”, and “Give up the old psy-war. It doesn’t work.” Stebbins is visibly shocked. Garraty then goes on the offensive by saying that Stebbins should tell them why he joined the walk, since the remaining walkers know that Stebbins is “not Superman”. Stebbins immediately throws up.
- Sole Survivor: Is the only one left standing out of the original 100 participants during the Long Walk, and is therefore the winner.
- Took a Level in Cynic: His optimism and will to live has been shattered compared to when he started the Walk, which is justifiable, given everything he’s been through.
- Unreliable Narrator: As the Walk continues and its effect on Ray’s mind worsens, he begins to suffer from delirium and hallucinations. He also contradicts statements he previously made and recounts flashbacks differently. Not to mention that Ambiguous Ending.
Peter McVries
Peter “Pete” McVries (#61)
A sardonic and mysterious dark-haired boy who strikes up a close bond with Garraty during the Long Walk. He comes up with the idea of the “Musketeers” and admits during the Walk that he entered it with suicidal intentions. He reveals to Garraty that he was in love with a girl named Priscilla, but their relationship fell apart and turned toxic, resulting in her cutting his face open with a letter-opener, marking him with a permanent scar.
- Angry Fist-Shake: Occurs when an exhausted McVries loses his cool and screams at the guards, who don’t appear to be intimidated.McVries: “Come on down here! Put down those rifles and come on down here! I’ll show you what’s funny!”
- Ambiguously Bi: His sexuality, like Garraty’s, isn’t outwardly stated, and his relationships with Gararty and ex-girlfriend Priscilla could be an indicator that he isn’t heterosexual.
- Casual Danger Dialogue: Often reacts to fellow Walker’s deaths with sarcasm or detachment, most likely as a survival tactic and a defense mechanism.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: Despite being aware of hints in the Long Walk manual that advise not to smoke and claiming he doesn’t even like to, McVries brings a whole pack of cigarettes and smokes several during the Walk.
- Chekhov's Gun: McVries tells Garraty that if he feels at some point during the Walk that he can no longer go on, he’ll simply sit down and wait to get shot. Sure enough, he does exactly that towards the end of the book.McVries: "No, Ray. It’s time to sit down.”
- The Cynic: He’s sarcastic and smart-mouthed, even when walking for days on end.
- Death Seeker: McVries once had a romantic relationship with a girl that fell apart due to financial differences between the two and this is the reason he signed up for the Walk in the first place. Pearson even wonders how badly he wants to die.Pearson: Jesus, what do you think? He oughta be wearing a 'BEAT ME HARD' sign. I wonder what he's trying to make up for?
- It's All About Me: McVries got his scar from his ex-girlfriend, who slashed his face with a letter opener when he tried to rape her. McVries is hung up on the fact that she asked him why he would hurt her when HE was the one with a cut.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Although his jokes sometimes go too far and he acts emotionless, McVries also shows signs of loyalty and remorse, especially when regarding the Musketeers.
- One-Way Trip: McVries signed up and participated in the Long Walk, suicidal and having accepted that he most likely wouldn’t live through it.
- Stepford Snarker: Often uses his sardonic humor as a mask for his suicidal urges and fear as the Long Walk proceeds.
Hank Olson
Henry “Hank” Olson (#70)
Although appearing cocky and witty when he’s first introduced, Olson tires out quickly during the Walk and is reduced to a “hollow shell”, with Garraty even comparing him to the Flying Dutchman.
Although the other Musketeers worry he will buy his ticket soon, Olson surprisingly lasts much longer because his will to live overpowers his exhaustion.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: An exhausted and desperate Olson pleads for hours with the emotionless guards to let him rest.
- Deadpan Snarker: Before he tires out during the walk and loses his sense of reality.
- Determinator: Despite his mind and body succumbing to the Walk, he’s still able to keep walking through sheer force. Even getting shot in the gut, his intestines spilling out, doesn’t affect him in the slightest, because he’s already so far gone by then.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He comes off cocky and arrogant, but he’s actually fairly kind — if you get on his good side.
- Rasputinian Death: Hank Olson is shot in the stomach for attempting to climb the halftrack, but he keeps walking anyway as he’s shot continuously, even as his intestines begin to spill out, before he finally falls dead. The soldiers fire two more bullets in his head to make sure.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Olson, killed off halfway through the book, is the first main character and the second Musketeer to die.
- Sanity Slippage: Olson starts out rather confident and aloof, but as the Walk goes on, he becomes hysterical and anxious, before falling to desperation and delirium and finally losing his mind.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Has one as the Long Walk reduces him to a near-catatonic state.
The Other Walkers
Stebbins
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Garraty says he’s looking forward to seeing his girlfriend in Freeport, Stebbins abruptly delivers one of these. He accuses Garraty of wanting to have sex with his mother, having a “second-class” brain, body and libido, never having had sex with his girlfriend and possibly being gay. Enraged, Garraty calls him a “motherfucker”, and Stebbins smilingly points out his choice of word. Also see Garrett’s later Shut Up, Hannibal!.
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: Averted, then played straight. Averted because we’ve already seen plenty of sudden deaths, we know that 99 boys must die by the end of the book, and no one really expects Garraty to lose by the time it comes down to the last two. I.e. we can all see Stebbins’ death coming. Played straight because even then his death surprises us - just as Garraty is about to tell Stebbins he gives up, Stebbins cries “Oh Garraty!” and collapses.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Stebbins reveals that he is the illegitimate son of the Major and therefore, he only expects his "Prize" to be for him to "be taken into [his] father's house" and acknowledged as the Major's son.
