Walks to Remember in Literature

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A photo I took this past Friday during a walk in a local park.

As someone who takes a long stroll almost every day, I like to see walking in literature.

Of course, memorable walks in fiction are usually not just for relaxation or exercise. They need to have some drama attached — whether positive drama, such as when romantic couples amble along, or mixed or negative drama like much of the rest of this blog post will show.

So, let’s begin trekking down the path of examples…

The first novel that came to mind was Walter Scott’s The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818). In it, working-class protagonist Jeanie Deans trudges about 400 miles/644 kilometers from Edinburgh to London to seek a royal pardon sparing her sister Effie from a death sentence. It’s my favorite of Scott’s many great novels.

As I stay with 19th-century literature for a minute, I’ll mention that memorable walks can occasionally occur indoors, too. One of the most vivid parts of Emile Zola’s 1877 novel The Drinking Den (L’Assommoir) is when Gervaise and Coupeau and their wedding party trudge through the Louvre — a joyful, tense, chaotic scene that presages a union that will be happy and then disastrous.

Walking is also involved in escapes (as is running). I thought of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1852 classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in which Eliza frantically tries to flee slavery on foot with her young son in her arms. Also, Louis L’Amour’s 1987 novel Last of the Breed has Native-American protagonist Joseph Makatozi make a break from Soviet imprisonment and then walk hundreds of miles across Siberia trying to elude his would-be captors.

In Jean M. Auel’s The Plains of Passage (1990), the fourth installment of the Earth’s Children series that began with The Clan of the Cave Bear, prehistoric couple Ayla and Jondalar hike the enormous distance from what is now Ukraine to what is now France.

There’s also lots of wearisome walking during the epic journey of the “good guy” characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings (1954) — as there is with the father and son in Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic The Road (2006).

I haven’t read The Long Walk (1979) by Stephen King or The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce (2012), but know each novel has much moving of feet.

Animals in fiction can tread huge distances, too, as exemplified by Luath and Bodger the dogs and Tao the cat traveling approximately 300 miles/483 kilometers through the Canadian wilderness to try to return home in Sheila Burnford’s 1961 novel The Incredible Journey.

I’ll conclude with Nicholas Sparks’ A Walk to Remember, which the title of this blog post referenced. If I’m remembering correctly, the title of that moving 1999 novel refers to a wedding-day walk down the aisle of young characters Landon and the terminally ill (?) Jamie. Not a long walk, but a very important one.

Thoughts about, and examples of, this topic? And a relevant video:

My literary-trivia book is described and can be purchased here: Fascinating Facts About Famous Fiction Authors and the Greatest Novels of All Time.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — about being the parent of a student athlete — is here.

143 thoughts on “Walks to Remember in Literature”

  1. What a delightful exploration of walks in literature! Your examples span a wide range of genres and eras, highlighting how walks in fiction often carry more weight than mere movement. From Jeanie Deans’ formidable journey in ‘The Heart of Mid-Lothian’ to the epic treks in ‘The Lord of the Rings’, each example encapsulates a unique blend of character development and narrative progression. It’s fascinating to see how such a simple act can be woven into pivotal story moments. Thanks for sharing these memorable literary walks!

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    • Thank you very much, Shayan! I particularly enjoyed these lines of yours: “…each example encapsulates a unique blend of character development and narrative progression. It’s fascinating to see how such a simple act can be woven into pivotal story moments.”

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  5. And when a book is written about the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination it’ll be about a bunch of people who aren’t running so much as walking. And about one who just lies there.

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  6. Finally getting some time here to come back and say great post. Unusual topic too, so well done there. I’ll bung Kindapped into the mix. Well it has to have involved walking or we wouldn’t have the Stevenson Trail here based on the book. I’ve quite a few times enjoyed the walk to James of the Glen’s–who was hung for the murder of Colin Campbell– birthplace, now the Duror Bothy. . Another book I’ve read involving walking is ‘The Heirs of the Kingdom by Zoe Oldnbourg about one the crusades –a hell of a walk for those who went.

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  7. What a lovely moment of nostalgic pleasure you gave me, Dave, by mentioning THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, about two dogs and a cat that travel through the wilderness to get home. I read that book as a child, and it made a powerful impression on me–I’ve never forgotten it. The writer somehow makes the animals into “real” characters without succumbing to cuteness. Just writing about it now makes me want to read it again!

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    • Thank you, Kim! Glad my post evoked fond memories of “The Incredible Journey” for you. 🙂 I also loved that book — and the movie version was pretty good, too. Yes, the animal trio seemed very real, and not overly cutesy.

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  8. Ah, walking in novels, a great topic. There is plenty of walking in Jane Eyre when she runs away from Rochester. The Stand also contains a lot of walking as flu survivors first find Mother Abigail and then go to Boulder. The Road is also all about walking. Henry walks in The Red badge of Courage, one in the wrong direction 😉. Paul carries Kat across the combat zone in an attempt to save his life in All Quiet on the Western Front.

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  9. “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day…” those 19th century ladies LOVED their walking. If I remember right, in “Pride and Prejudice” they do laps inside a room, maybe because the weather was a bit “Jane Eyre” or maybe because they had nothing else to do. I’m so glad we invented video games!

    When you mentioned drama filled walks, I thought of Stephen King who was hit by a van while out on a walk. I don’t know too much about the real life details of it, but he wrote the same story into the last volume of “The Dark Tower” series, and I believe the fiction version has a lot in common with the real life version. A pretty harrowing fiction read; I can’t imagine how frightening it must have been for the king of horror.

    Thinking of Stephen King, the next thought was obviously going to be “The Long Walk” which I see you’ve mentioned, but have not read. I first read it when I was about fifteen and have read it multiple times since then. Each time I’m just as shocked by where the story goes. I highly recommend it.

    P.S. I promise I started drafting this before Anonymous mentioned “Jane Eyre”. I’ve gotta learn to hit that send button a lot quicker!

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  11. Ah yes walking in fiction is a great setting for some drama to come – either positive or negative. A Walk To Remember is a lovely example of memorable walks in pop literature. It makes a great tool for writers to create some tension or help move the story along.

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  13. Okay… so for some reason what popped into mind was “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”. Yes, it’s a road trip, but then they get to Vegas.
    I walked inside a/the casino with them.
    It’s been a long time since I read the book, and I’ve never seen the movie.
    Most memorable is walking around the casino. I never felt so crazy and stoned and dizzy in all my wild years (now a memory).
    I barely remember the book, but I’m still spinning from walking in the casino.

    At the end of “We the Living” – Ayn Rand – Kira tries to make one last escape to escape from Russia, by walking though a remote part of Russia across open border. It’s in the winter, in the deep & blowing snow.
    Her last stop before the border, she is taken in by peasants. The wife gives Kira her white wedding dress to wear as camouflage. It’s an absolutely gruelling walk!

    Recommended to anyone who needs to understand what authoritarian governments/dictatorships are like/can lead to. That would be many, so it seems, these days.

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    • I appreciate seeing those two excellent examples you vividly described, Resa!

      The first part of your comment brought back memories of covering a political cartoonists’ convention in Las Vegas about 25 years ago. It was at Caesar’s Palace, and I had to take a long, disorienting walk through a casino area to get from the hotel-check-in desk to an elevator that went up to my room. Ugh.

      If Trump wins next year, we’ll get quite an uptick in authoritarianism in the U.S. 😦

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      • Omg, Caesar’s Palce IS disorienting.
        Haha! It doesn’t matter where you go in the Las Vegas hotels, you will have to walk through the casino. Of course they want to disorient you. Then you’ll have to sit down at a slot machine (no where else to sit) to gain composure.

        I gotta say, from my Canadian armchair, EEEK! and ask – Are so many so blind?
        I’ve already said to several friends – if trump wins we will see an exodus into Canada like we can’t imagine. It will begin with all the people he plans to put into”camps”.

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      • Thanks Robbie! It is scary. War is beyond horrid.
        I’m all for the slogan “make art not war”.
        However, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link.
        Therefore, in terms of world peace, the weakest links being: autocrats, dictators, terrorists (religious and otherwise), war mongers, cartels, ignorance etc. – they all need to go to art school.
        Problem is, how to get them to go?
        Exactly!
        Facetious? Yes, in hoping to make the point that we as individuals must be vigilant in exercising intellect. The arts is one way to do that.

        (Hey Dave, look what your walk topic is bringing out!)

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          • Exactly!
            trump’s book should have been “the Art of the Steal”.

            Did I ever mention my humility in the fact that I did costumes for an ABC network movie of the week about trump?
            It was early 2000’s and ended with someone pitching him on “The Apprentice”.

            I knew nothing about him, at that point. I did a massive amount of research.
            I learned enough to know that when he came down the elevator in 2015, he could win.

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        • Hi Resa, your comment is most interesting as most creatives of all sorts are liberals and pacifists. Perhaps it is because we find our joy and happiness in the beauty around us and in the pleasure of the written word. Most creatives are not power or money hungry, we are driven by our ‘art’ and not be consumerism and material gratification. This is my favourite quote (in inverted commas because it is very tragic) “I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another.”
          From All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

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          • Agree about creatives.
            That is one great quote. I checked and it’s 100 years old. It holds true today, as young people from Eastern Europe to the Middle East to parts of Africa, to S. America, Central America, and places in between are engulfed in war, or plagued by warring factions.
            What a world!

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  14. While I’ve only read one of the books you’ve mentioned, I can think of several works of fiction–names long forgotten–in which an event during a walk plays an important role or turning point in novels of all genres. Characters disappear after going for a walk; others are murdered along the way; some meet the love of their life. Then, there’s the encounter with an alien aircraft or an angel. You’re on to something, Dave 😀

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  16. Many thanks, Dave, for your very interesting topic and book proposals, which made me immediately think of walking or hiking in the countryside and in this context to Tess of the D’Urberville and her pure countryside, which was modernized by technical progress and the poor farmers, who also had to walk a lot, were turned away and lost their work consequently.

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  21. Susi anon here, ha. A brief mention of Tom Sleigh’s book, Space Walk which is a collection of poems. Sorry, I’ve been watching a lot of old episodes of Outer Limits, and that along with your theme reminded me of the space walk on the moon, and Neil Armstrong’s quote “…one small step for mankind…”. Of course, those are different walks altogether as is the following https://youtu.be/IFd97LojySM?si=RgCvW5z_kj-fCcWY.

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    • Thank you, Susi!

      Yes, a certain amount of walking at different gravity levels in space and sci-fi. Reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” story about the timeline-changing impact of some clumsy, off-the-path walking.

      “Walking My Cat Named Dog” — love it! 🙂

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  22. I can highly recommend The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry as a very enjoyable novel. The work that immediately came to mind when I read your question is Chekhov’s short story “The Lady with the Dog.” The novels that involve walking I can think of off the top of my head are John Fowles’ The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Tim O’Brien’s Going after Cacciato, James Fenimore Cooper ‘s The Last of the Mohicans, and Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Ubervilles.

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  24. I know we’re much more familiar with the single movie, but I think there were several books in the “OZ” series. The first book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum certainly involves a long walk. I’d also point out that the first attempt at making a movie from that story is also interesting.

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  25. What a interesting topic, Dave. The first book that came to mind was Jane Austin’s, Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth seems to love walking and I wondered whether walking was encouraged during the Regency era. I discovered that walking held great significance and was a common mode of transportation for both men and women during this age. It provided a means of getting from point A to point B, especially for those who did not own carriages or horses. Walking was considered a socially acceptable activity for women, as it allowed them to engage in exercise while maintaining their modesty. And as seen throughout the Pride and Prejudice walking allowed the Bennetts an opportunity for social interaction. And, of course, I couldn’t resist a quote.

    “I do not wish to avoid the walk. The distance is nothing when one has a motive.”
    Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

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  26. Another good blog.
    I didn’t get quite as far as the London walk when I read The Heart of M L. This is a bit of a stretch, but, can you remember/does it say how long it took ? I’m thinking of Ben Jonson’s walk the other way. I think it him took 60 days.

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    • Thank you, Michael! Unfortunately, I can’t remember how long it took Jeanie Deans to make that marathon walk; I read “The Heart of Mid-Lothian” about 15 years ago. 🙂 But I’m sure it was many, many weeks.

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