Guilt
King observes, "It was guilt, guilt taking the face of anxiety. Although he was only sixteen, Ray Garraty knew something about guilt. She felt that she had been too dry, too tired, or maybe just too taken up with her older sorrows to halt it before the cumbersome machinery of the State with its guards in khaki and its computer terminals had taken over, binding himself more tightly to its insensate self with each passing day, until yesterday, when the lid had come down with a final bang." Guilt pushes Ray to partake in 'the long walk.' He reckons that backing out would make him remorseful in the future. So, he holds that she should be responsible by taking part in the walk instead of quitting.
The Imagery of Ray’s Mother
King explains, "His mother was also tall, but to thin, her breasts were almost non-existent: token nubs. Her eyes were wandering and unsure, somehow shocked. Her face was an invalid's face. Her iron-colored hair had gone awry under the complication of clips that was supposed to hold it in place. Her dress hung badly on her body as if she had recently lost a lot of weight." Garraty's mother's image affirms that she is not in a healthy shape. A bystander would conclude that she is ill based on her thinness and weight. Perhaps, she is enduring strain which unpleasantly impacts her form.
“Hint 10”
King explains, “Garraty thought of Hint 10: Save your wind. If you smoke ordinarily, try not to smoke o the Long Walk.” Garraty’s recollection of the hint comes after McVries offers him a cigarette which is an invitation to smoke. Garraty rejects the invitation though. Smoking would have diminished his chances of succeeding in ‘the Long Walk’ which is his major goal. The cigarette is a temptation which he must overcome in the course of ‘the Long Walk.’
Rain
King describes, “The rain came pouring down. For a few moments it was so heavy that Garraty found himself totally isolated inside an undulating shower curtain. He was immediately soaked to his skin. His hair became a dripping pelt. He turned his face up into the rain, grinning.” Rain causes discomfort because it alters the weather. Garraty must endure the rain for it is part of the test which is a constituent of “the Long Walk.” He must strive to protect himself from the torrents and continue with his endeavor. Also, the rain would be compared to a baptism for Garraty and his mates.
