First and foremost, she is faced with the enormous weight of her pack. Through determination and perseverance, she is able to conquer her depression.Īs well as the mental challenges associated with dealing with her mother’s death, Strayed faces many physical obstacles on the trail. Though the death of her mother is extremely devastating and seemingly impossible to overcome, she is able to expel her grief.
Because of her determination, she realizes that she “hadn’t shed a single tear” (92) since she began her hike. Her determination to get better, and to overcome her grief, teaches her many things, and ultimately leads to her success. Instead of loosing herself, however, she is able to find herself, and she realizes whom she is meant to be. When she enters the trail, her ultimate goal is to loose herself in the wilderness and escape from her harsh reality.
Though it would be much easier to do nothing, she pushes herself, and is able to experience the therapeutic nature of the great outdoors. She hikes relentlessly, determined to leave behind her sorrow. The death of her mother and the pain that comes with it are not easy to overcome, but she refuses to give into her depression again. For 1,100 miles, Strayed hikes away from her pain. In a desperate attempt to escape her grief, she decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Her sadness is so absolute and so overwhelming that Strayed doubts she will ever be happy again. Unable to fight it, she gives in to the grief, and it consumes her. Without so many key figures in her life, Strayed spirals into a depression, overcome by grief. She begins to drift away from her husband, and their marriage is destroyed. Her family, once close, is strained and pulled apart by the loss. Without the keystone of her mother to hold her life in place, it begins to crumble. Taken from this world too early by cancer, the loss devastates Strayed. When Strayed is twenty-two, she is faced with the loss of her mother. She is able to push herself past her limits, and accomplishes many things that she never would have thought possible. In Cheryl Strayed’s novel, Wild, she is faced with many challenges that test both her physical fitness and mental stability. With enough perseverance and determination, no tragedy or obstacle is too great to overcome. Whether the problem is mental or physical, it is not insurmountable. No matter how great the calamity, it is possible to survive and thrive. When the downs become so low that it seems impossible to rise again, life can feel too hard to continue.
Everyone faces ups and downs in his lifetime.
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