There is a silver lining to being a former prisoner of war - the story. Many hostages have told their narrative in the form of a book, but few have obtained the prestige of The Long Walk. The Long Walk was ghostwritten by Ronald Downingin 1956 based on conversations he had with Slavomir Rawicz. Rawicz has never actually written a book of his own, and his story of escape from a Siberian gulag has many critics. But, regardless of the criticisms, The Long Walk delivers both historical and philosophical knowledge in a way that is both endurable and entertaining.
When Downing wrote The Long Walk Rawicz was the only primary source, leading to widespread suspicion among scholars; possibly none more damning than Russian historical records. Rawicz's story begins with a detailed account of an interrogation he endured at a Soviet prison camp, which closely parallels the torture endured by Winston Smith in the fictional novel 1984. While the records do show that Rawicz had been imprisoned in 1942, they contradict Rawicz's claim as to why he was being interrogated. Rawicz claimed that he had been accused of being a Polish spy, while the records show that Rawicz had been accused of killing a NKVD officer. After being imprisoned, according to the book, Racowicz devises a successful strategy for him and six others to escape the Siberian gulag he was forced to labor in.. But, Soviet records, including statements allegedly written by Rawicz, show that Rawicz had been released as part of the 1942 general amnesty of Poles in the USSR, negating the possibility of a "trek to freedom".
Of course there is little doubt that the Soviet officials had fabricated or destroyed many legal documents in an attempt to marginalize the many war crimes that had been committed. In fact, at the beginning of The Long Walk, Rawicz allegedly was subjected to torture as an attempt to coerce him into signing a document professing his own guilt. Therefore, theoretically, compulsory signing of documents also may have been used to debunk any future claims of Soviet cruelty.
Despite the attacks on the validity of Rawicz's story, the book raises critical philosophical questions. The fugitives' entire quest forces the reader to explore the endurance of their own determination. The tenacity of Rawicz and his six friends spawns the question of just how valuable freedom is. Were these escapees' extraordinary humans, or is liberty so essential to happiness that weeks of unfathomable torture are not even substantial to dissuade man from achieving it?
Since there is no inherent value that each person places on freedom, the claim cannot be made that freedom is essential to each individual. In fact, because of the controversy regarding the validity of Racwicz's story, we cannot certify that Racwicz himself actually had the determination to accomplish the feat told in the story. Therefore, does someone exist that actually does have the determination and will power to face nearly impossible odds in order to achieve freedom? Are there people that are so uncompromising that liberty becomes indispensable to them?
Fortunately, Captain Rupert Mayne, an intelligence officer in Calcutta, said that in 1942 he had debriefed three emaciated men claiming to have escaped from a Siberian camp, adding to the probability that at least three men carried out the dubious feat. Also, Witold Glinski, a Polish WWII veteran living in the UK, claimed that the story was true, but it had actually happened to him, not Racwicz. Therefore, most likely, Racwicz was either telling the truth about his experience, or had stole the story from Glinski. Either way, Racwicz did deliver it to a mass audience, and reflected to that audience just how precious freedom can be.
Although Racwicz does answer some exceptionally beneficial philosophical questions, the relation between The Long Walk and history is severely impeded. Raciwicz's reliability is not definitive and, therefore, neither are the events described in the story. But, although the relation to history has been damaged, it is not destroyed. Some exceedingly valuable historical knowledge can still be salvaged from the wreckage. Even if Raciwicz was being dishonest, he did get his facts straight. Many former prisoners have testified that the conditions and treatment endured in gulags correlate with Raciwicz's description. Secondly, the book recounts the atmosphere of animosity that prevailed during 1940's Europe. Europe was in the middle of World War II, and Racwicz's account does a tremendous job of presenting the alliances and general dispositions that people had toward others outside their nationality. Lastly, The Long Walk gives
the reader a description of the cultures of Mongolia, China, and India. In each country Raciwicz encountered natives, and described the rituals and customs of those natives, in turn broadening the culture of the reader.
Therefore, even if the story is untrue, Racwicz delivers historical knowledge in an entertaining way. Any teacher knows that people enjoy digesting what captivates them, and it is difficult not to be captivated by The Long Walk.Get more detail about
The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom.
