The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

In Bath, Harold takes his shoes to be resoled and inadvertently joins a tour group visiting the Roman Baths. After Harold notices the tour guide wriggling her nose, he realizes he smells bad and purchases a ticket to use the public spa. He notices a large group gathered to see a famous actor who is signing books. While using the public restroom, Harold meets the actor, who has a cynical and jaded outlook on life. All his fans think he is a good person, but he leads a reckless life of drug addiction and sexual promiscuity. After hearing Harold’s story, he offers to drive him to Berwick, but Harold explains why he must walk: “He needed the very famous actor to know that you could be ordinary and attempt something extraordinary, without being able to explain it in a logical way” (172). The encounter leaves Harold feeling sad; the actor reminds him of David.

The day is hot, and Harold goes to the abbey tea shop for a break from the heat. While resting, Harold remembers the time after Queenie left the brewery and how empty he felt. The new manager assigned him meaningless tasks just to fill the time until Harold retired. Still downtrodden from his conversation with the actor, Harold wishes to be alone, but the waitress seats another man with him. Harold chats with him, explaining that his son took a walking tour through the Lake District once. The man says he is an oncologist; after hearing Harold’s story about Queenie, he asks to read her letter. The doctor points out that a hospice patient could not have written the letter herself. Harold realizes this is what vexes him about the letter: Someone wrote it for her, and she only signed it. The doctor wonders if Harold should continue the walk, considering the severity of her illness, and Harold abruptly leaves, sinking into a depression. He calls Maureen but cannot summon the courage to tell her how low he is feeling. Stopping to rest, he sees a man approaching. For a moment, he is convinced it is David. He calls out to him, but when the man does not respond, he realizes it is only someone who looks like his son. The encounter leaves him feeling a heavy sadness, and he quickly finds a room for the night. Sad memories of David’s physical and emotional decline after high school puncture his rest. The next day’s walk is laborious, and Harold cannot even find joy in nature. Sitting down by the side of the road, he considers quitting.

Maureen’s dinner with Rex is a turning point for her, and she finds her need to talk to David diminishing. She moves her clothing back into the main bedroom and is comforted by sleeping on Harold’s pillow. Maureen stops her obsessive cleaning and takes care of household duties like paying the bills. Rex creates a framed map of England and marks Harold’s journey so Maureen can track the places he visits. As she and Rex continue to develop their friendship, Maureen reveals more about her marriage to Harold, his difficult childhood, and how they came to live in Kingsbridge. She insists they were very happy in the early days of their marriage. On a visit to the shore, Maureen remembers the day David almost drowned and how she had blamed Harold for the accident for years. She confesses to Rex that, though she does not mean it, she is often cruel to Harold, especially with her words. Rex shares that he and Elizabeth had their problems, too.

Maureen decides to rearrange Harold’s clothing in the closet, but as she begins to pull each piece out, she is filled with a longing to be with her husband. Seeing clothing they wore earlier in life reminds her of the day David graduated from Cambridge. They missed the ceremony due to a miscommunication, and David was cold and rude to them, choosing to go to a pub instead of visiting with his parents. He left soon after for his walking tour but returned just two weeks later broke and disheveled. Maureen noticed evidence of drug and alcohol abuse and money missing from her wallet, but when she broached the subject with Harold, he did not want to talk about it. Over the years, she tried everything to help David, including taking him to the doctor for his depression, but David never got a job and decided to join the army. Emerging from her memory, Maureen thinks that she and Harold did all they could to help their son, but she regrets blaming everything on Harold. She can now see the truth of David’s character. Returning to the closet, Maureen selects one of Harold’s garments and one of hers and pairs them together as if they were dancing: “It was as if lots of invisible Maureens and Harolds were loitering in her wardrobe, simply waiting for the opportunity to step out” (192). Rex arrives with supplies to plant a garden. At first, Maureen is worried her planting would not yield anything, but after a few weeks, she can see new growth, rekindling her love of gardening.

After making several mistakes and becoming disoriented, Harold becomes more despondent and doubts he can complete the journey. Realizing the trip is likely to fail and feeling guilty over its cost, Harold decides to abandon his walk and take the train to Berwick. He calls the hospice and asks to speak to Queenie, but the nurse says it is not possible. At first, Harold thinks Queenie died, but the nurse explains that since they told her he is coming, her health has improved. The nurse explains, “It’s a rather unusual kind of healing. I don’t know how you came up with it. But maybe it’s what the world needs. A little less sense, and a little more faith” (196). Harold is overcome with joy and decides to keep walking. He tells the nurse he will be there in three weeks.

Renewed in his purpose, Harold walks on through several towns. He finds a sleeping bag and decides to camp in a barn overnight instead of renting a room. Calmed by being closer to nature, Harold sleeps peacefully and awakens to an invigorating and inspiring sunrise. He spends the day walking, drinking from streams, and bartering for food. He gives away all his possessions except the rucksack, compass, and Queenie’s souvenirs. He sends Maureen her gifts, along with his wallet, and continues his trek, camping anywhere he can find a spot. Maureen receives his package, along with a letter explaining his new plan to travel lighter, and she feels closer to her husband despite being so far from him physically.

The days pass easily as Harold moves through each town and village taking in the beauty of the natural world. Using only his compass for navigation, he depends on the kindness of strangers for all his needs. He continues to sleep outside and uses only natural water sources or public lavatories for bathing and washing his clothes. He feels more confident than ever that he will make it to Berwick and that Queenie will live. Making his way through the middle of England, Harold stops south of Coventry for a rest and meets a man named Mick, who buys him salt-and-vinegar potato chips. After Harold tells Mick about his journey and all the kindness he encounters along the way, the man asks if he can take Harold’s photograph to remember him. He continues his journey, but he notices people recognize him and are going out of their way to help him. When a woman offers him her cell phone to call home, Maureen asks if he has seen the news: He and Queenie are a news story that is circulating everywhere.

After Harold’s story appears in many local newspapers, it quickly becomes the talk of the town, and reporters station themselves outside Maureen’s home. She is shocked at Harold’s changed appearance in the newspaper photo captioned “The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry” (210) that accompanies the article (210). Despite all the flurry of talk about Harold and the support from Rex and generous strangers, Maureen still feels alone and sad. A woman calls and offers to be Maureen’s public relations representative. She declines, claiming she does not need any help managing all the attention Harold’s walk is attracting. The insinuations that Harold is in love with Queenie and that her marriage is in jeopardy particularly disturb Maureen. She confesses to Rex how difficult it is for her to go on with life while Harold is away. Rex confides that he still misses Elizabeth every day and regrets that he did not fight harder against her illness. When Maureen is alone, she reflects on her role as a wife and a mother and returns to the two photographs she found in Harold’s drawer. After examining the photo of Harold with David, she realizes he is holding his son. Maureen quickly gathers all her photo albums and riffles through stacks of snapshots, many of which reveal Harold showing physical affection for their son. She even finds a photo from the day David almost drowned and realizes she was paralyzed with fear and, like Harold, did not move fast enough to save him. Ashamed of all the time she spent blaming Harold for his failures as a father, Maureen sinks into a deep depression and struggles to maintain her calm facade when Harold calls to report on his new experiment with wild camping and minimalism. Maureen longs to apologize for her cold cruelty in the past but cannot find the words.

A young man named Wilf begins to follow Harold. He explains that he asked God for a sign that he should join Harold’s pilgrimage, and God sent him a pigeon. As they begin walking together, Harold realizes a dog is also following him. He tells Wilf he is traveling light and cannot support an animal’s needs, but after several attempts to shoo it away, the dog appears intent on staying with them. Wilf is thin and weak, and he slows Harold’s pace, but Harold remains patient with the strange young man because he reminds him of David. A woman offers them money, but Harold refuses, so she invites them into her home to eat and use the facilities. The meal turns into a dinner party, and Harold and Wilf enjoy delicious food and conversation with the animated dinner guests. Anxious to get back on the road, Harold wants to leave early, but Wilf is enchanted by the attention and free food and wants to stay. They bid goodbye to the guests and find a camping spot for the night, but Wilf is not happy about sleeping on the ground or eating the wild mushrooms Harold forages for dinner. Wilf prays before they go to sleep, but Harold does not participate. He wakes in the night to Wilf’s cries during a night terror. He calms the boy and holds him the rest of the night, just as Maureen once did for David. In a feverish confession, Wilf explains that he was once a bad person but is now on the right path because God saved him. As he holds the trembling Wilf, Harold wonders if David ever tried religion. They trudge on the next day despite Wilf’s erratic behavior, and Harold begins to teach the young man all he learned from the guidebook about edible plants. Harold also tells him about all the people he has met on the trip so far, and he finds it brings him joy to share his knowledge with Wilf. He regrets not engaging this way with David. Wilf watches in astonishment as a goose lays an egg, and he begins to collect pieces of nature as souvenirs. People continue to generously give them food and supplies in such a surplus that Harold often must leave most of it behind as they continue.

On the 47th day of Harold’s journey, more people begin to follow him. A woman named Kate and a man named Rich join Wilf, Harold, and the dog. Rich is unemployed and separated from his wife, and he does not get along with Kate. They begin to argue about which route to take to Berwick, even suggesting that they lengthen the trip. Harold is kind to them, but their constant bickering and slower pace weigh on him. When they stop to visit the Royal Baths, more people join the traveling group, including a man in a gorilla suit. Wilf disappears briefly; he acts strangely and struggles to walk when he returns. Some people walk with the group only briefly and leave, but each night a large and lively crowd gathers around the campfire to eat whatever food they foraged from nature. Harold is overwhelmed by the size of the group but humbled by their solidarity in the cause of saving Queenie.

Soon, the needs of the group become unmanageable, and Rich takes more of a leadership role. After Rich attempts to exploit the pilgrimage for profit by telling false stories about things Harold did for people along the route and trying to strike a deal to sell a fruit energy drink, Harold becomes concerned that the integrity of the mission is being compromised. Things devolve further when someone from the group steals; later, many members of the group become ill. Community members begin to get angry when the pilgrims skip over their town, denying them the publicity that follows the group. Harold suggests that he separate from the group and move ahead to get to Queenie faster. While Rich insists that everyone wear a t-shirt labeled “PILGRIM,” Kate convinces Harold to stay. He worries about what Maureen will think when she sees the spectacle on the news. More than anything, Harold is ashamed that the pilgrims do not know the real reason he is walking to Queenie: “They had made assumptions. They thought it was a love story, or a miracle, or an act of beauty, or even bravery, but it was none of those things” (238). Despite his doubts and fears, he commits to continuing with the group, hoping to be in Berwick in two weeks.

Maureen decides to go to Harold, and Rex offers to accompany her to Darlington. Anxious and nervous, she speeds down the road, making Rex turn pale with fright. Once they reach Darlington, they need only look for the crowd to find Harold. When she spots him, Maureen barely recognizes her husband with his beard and disheveled clothing. Harold is overcome with joy when he sees Maureen, but they each struggle to find the right words to say. Maureen tries to take in all the different and strange people now following Harold on the pilgrimage. The couple goes to a department store coffee shop for tea, but Harold orders dessert and a frappé. The clerk recognizes him, and Maureen is astonished to watch as he autographs her arm. The clerk gives them their food free and throws in an extra scone. Maureen watches Harold inhale his food while everyone in the café stares at her now-famous husband. There is still palpable tension between the couple, and neither wants to delve too deeply into their pain, so the conversation remains shallow. Unable to contain herself, Maureen breaks and begins weeping. She tells Harold that while he is thriving on the road, she is struggling alone at home. Harold is shocked and touched that she misses him, but he does not want to quit his mission. When he asks her to drop everything and join him, she claims she is not as good as he is, and she is unprepared to go on a trip. Maureen thinks back to all the major moments in their life together: their wedding night, David’s birth, and the tragic event 20 years ago. Suddenly, it all weighs heavily on her; she decides to leave. After she gives Harold some supplies, Maureen apologizes for asking him to stop walking. When she asks for forgiveness, Harold says, “I’m the one who needs forgiveness” (249). Maureen stifles her sobs the entire way home. When she arrives at the house, she removes the curtains, washes them, and donates them to a charity shop.