What makes Smith run

What makes Smith run??? The theme of honesty is widely developed in “The Loneliness of the Long Distant Runner,” in which Smith tells us what honesty means according to him, and according to the governor. To be honest is interpreted by the governor as the easiest and most common way to win the race, to get out of the jail, and to have a family. Smith’s sense of honesty therefore must be seen as …

…active nature and thoughts about life. This thinking extends his self-consciousness and the awareness for what is happening around him. This story is rich in symbolism. Smith running acts as his freedom to explore the ideas of life. The story relies on these ideas to depict the nature of man. Running than also is his means of escapism from the forced civilization around him, his way to avoid the law and realize his true nature.