Essay Questions

Why is Scramm the early favorite with the oddsmakers to win the race?

Scramm is considered the favorite because of his obvious physical attributes that appear to give him an advantage over his opponents. He is described as "moose like" which means that he is tall and rangy with an easy gait. He also has very long arms and legs which give him an advantage without demanding any effort on his part; his stride takes him further than the other walkers' strides do, and he can cover almost twice as much ground in the same number of steps.

Scramm is also a very uncomplicated person, which makes the walk easier for him in terms of protecting himself from mentally unraveling. His prime focus is to do well and then get home to his wife, whom he loves very much. He has no ulterior motive for competing; he has no mental issues or emotional weaknesses that threaten his steady progression through the race. This also makes him a favorite with the oddsmakers as many of the walkers appear to be physically gifted, but are hampered by their tenuous hold on their mental state even before the walk starts.

What role do the spectators play in the novel?

There are no spectators permitted at the start of the race; the Major does not want the kind of smiling and waving and shouts of "good luck" that this would produce and it is believed that starting without an audience is much better for the competitors' focus and concentration. As the race progresses, spectators are allowed to support their favorite walkers, and the placards with encouraging slogans daubed on them are initially very motivational to the walkers, especially as their concentration is first starting to wane.

However, as the walk progresses and the crowd seem largely to be baying for blood rather than cheering the athletes on, the relationship between participants and spectators shifts to be a combative one, and the walkers see the spectators in the same way they see the Major and the soldiers. As the mental state of the walkers declines, so does the moral rectitude of the crowd. They seem to be just as sociopathic as the race organizers, but are able to be vicariously sociopathic; if they genuinely had a moral issue with the race then only the families and supporters of the walkers would come to watch, and it probably would not be the annual hit that it is with the public.

Why is McVries suicidal?

McVries is love-sick, broken hearted and seems to have post-traumatic stress disorder after being the victim of domestic violence. He was madly in love with his girlfriend, Priscilla, but she was emotionally and mentally unstable. She was also not a very nice person, in general; described as money-hungry and materialistic, she is also said to have been grasping and greedy. Her violence escalates and she ultimately slashes McVries across the face with a letter opener shaped like Paddington Bear, after he proposes to her, likely not the reaction he had hoped for. This is also a very ironic picture, since Paddington Bear is a childhood favorite, an anthropomorphized teddy bear wearing a duffle coat and hat; to use something so friendly to inflict permanent damage on McVries is a disturbing picture.

McVries never recovers from this incident and his participation in the race is entirely masochistic and suicidal. Although he actually performs quite well in the race, he never intends to either win or survive it, and deliberately sacrifices himself knowing that soldiers will shoot him anyway.