During the past month, I've been reading an interesting novel called 'Wild' by Cheryl Strayed. The book is about the Cheryl's journey through the Pacific Crest Trail. Having read one third of the book already, Cheryl's choice of hiking the PCT all alone fascinates me. Cheryl Strayed is a very strong, brave woman. In the wake of her mother's death and her divorce, she needed a get-away from her grief. These reasons triggered her choice to hike the PCT. Talking about the PCT, it is a two feet wide, 2,663 mile long trail. Hiking this trail all by myself is unimaginable. I have never hiked in my life. I'm the kind of person that tends to play everything safe. If I ever had to grieve over something, I would never console myself by placing me in a vulnerable situation. However, that's what I like about Cheryl's life. In fact, her story inspired me. While reading the book, it was like I was hiking along with her, having a conversation. I can honestly barely relate to Cheryl's life. All that happened in Cheryl's life is something that I've never gone through or experienced. Cheryl says, "My father left my life when I was six. My mother died when I was twenty-two. In the wake of her death, my stepfather morphed from the person I considered my dad into a man I occasionally recognized. My two siblings scattered in their grief, in spite of my efforts to hold us together, until I gave up and scattered as well" (Strayed 3-4). Comparing this to my life, My father never left me, my mother never left me, my two siblings never left me. I can never imagine what happened in Cheryl's life happening to me. This explains to me how much in grief she must have been. I felt pity towards Cheryl's life. Reading the novel was like preparing myself for the struggles I may face later in life. That's what gives me hope. She fights against the stereotypes that women aren't strong. Cheryl says, ".........I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me" (Strayed 51). This kind of determination and confidence is definitely hard to find in a woman who went through so much sorrow. The hike through PCT was an emotional roller coaster for Cheryl. She missed her mother, Paul and her siblings. Being alone in the wilderness, she didn't let negative thoughts take advantage of her. Instead, she kept uttering encouraging words to herself. Her words went like this about her 'monster' backpack, "I was amazed that what I needed to survive could be carried on my back. And, most surprising of all, that I could carry it. That I could bear the unbearable" (Strayed 92). Cheryl's words encouraged me. For a woman who went through lots of sorrow, the determination and positive attitude to life found in her is what fascinated me about her life. The loneliness that she must have felt through the hike is enormous. But the way she persevered through it all is very appreciable. I want you to picture yourself in Cheryl's shoes through the hike. Hungry. Alone. Scared. Dirty. Emotionally broken. Physically sick. Vulnerable surrounding. What would be your reaction be to this situation? It definitely takes lots of courage and strength to endure through. I believe that towards the end of the book, Cheryl will safely hike all the way she planned to go. She might face even more struggles down the road but will successfully make it through. Reading 1/3 of the novel has taught me how to endure through pains and struggles in life and believe in myself. I'm so excited to finish the rest of the book! Works Cited: Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. New York: Knopf, 2012. Print. Image of Cheryl Strayed at the top of the page retrieved from: http://media.vanityfair.com/photos/545bb90cc2dcfcdc402d3506/master/w_450,c_limit/cheryl-strayed-wild-in-the-details-vf.jpg
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AuthorI am Keziah Vilson from A.B. Lucas Secondary School. I write about topics we cover in my grade 12 English class. Archives
December 2016
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