Friendships are developed over weeks and months, but in the case of Garraty and McVries, they do not have the luxury of time. These two develop a close bond early in the Walk, which leads them to rescue each other’s lives on several occasions, and ultimately results in Garraty’s victory. An example of a time when McVries saves Garraty’s life is when Garraty is unable to control his …show more content…
Throughout the Walk, he alienates himself from the other boys by being rude and tactless. As a result, none of the boys want to have anything to do with him, and they shun him. Barkovich becomes increasingly isolated and despondent, which ultimately results in his demise. Before his death, Barkovich talks with Garraty about having no friends: “‘I just wanted to tell you… make you see… a guy’s got to have some friends. Who wants to die hated, if you got to die, that’s the way I look at it’” (King, 77). Barkovich’s lack of friendship drives him to momentarily forget his pride and promise to dance on the other boys’ graves. This cry for help demonstrates what happens when a person is not able to gain or keep friendships, especially during challenging situations. Unlike the other boys, Barkovich dies alone and terrified, which as they discover, is worse than dying