Story Analysis: A Long Walk to Forever by Kurt Vonnegut

“𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫,” 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐭, “𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐬—”

They were friends. They were each other's confidants but there was never any talk of love. Newt is also a shy person and likes to hide his shyness by using irony as his safety mechanism. At twenty, he joined the military, and Catharine found somebody else. It was only about a week before the wedding that he finally dared to talk to her to get to know what she felt for him.

"I love you," he said.

"I'm getting married," she replied.

“If we go for a walk, it will make you rosy. It will make you a rosy bride. That will be my present to Henry Stewart Chasens. By taking you for a walk, I’ll be giving him a rosy bride.” He went AWOL just to visit her and she was surprised when she saw him outside her door. She asked what he was doing so he told her that he wanted to go for a walk. “One foot in front of the other through leaves, over bridges—”, he would say. So she did. Newt tried his best to make her fall for him but he had no idea that she had been in love with him, too. They were so comfortable with each other and adored each other from a distance that there was never even a talk about love between them. But that was then and this is now. She kept telling him to stop and say their goodbyes. He keeps asking her for a walk. They came across a school for the blind, an apple orchard, and a path for her to take back. He kissed her three times at every stop and she would never even flinch not to avoid his advances. It was inevitable that she loved him too. And so he said his parting words, "Marry me, Catharine." The walk ended with the two of them sharing one final kiss before he walked just a few steps away. However, Newt gave his final shot and called Catharine's name. She, unable to shake her feelings began to run towards Newt and kissed him sweetly, too stunned to speak. I fully understood the context behind this story even back then. It was about taking their final chance at love. The story itself was full of symbolism involving the school for the blind, representing their blindness; and the walk that signifies their impending journey ahead should she decide to be with Newt. The story ended after the kiss and I think it's safe to assume that their long walk to forever began that very same afternoon. This story shows how taking risks for love is often the only way to reach your happy ending together or even apart. Luckily, she chose to be with him despite being engaged to another.

I feel bad for Henry though but I like Newt for Catharine even more.