Walking Your Way out of the Woods : An Analysis of Cheryl Strayed's memoir Wild

Details

Supervisors

Bragard, Véronique

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en langues et lettres modernes, orientation germaniques

Abstract

enDespite its apparent simplicity, the act of walking is more complex than it first seems. Since humans became bipedal, their lives have changed in many ways, and although automobiles are now ubiquitous, walking is still a highly popular activity. The present dissertation aims to analyze how this act can be represented in a literary work and, more specifically, in a memoir, namely Cheryl Strayed’s Wild: A Journey from Lost to Found (2012). After the sudden death of her mother, the narrator felt alienated from her life and went through an existential crisis. She needed to reconnect with herself and decided to undertake a long-distance hike alone, despite her lack of experience in backpacking. Walking is for her a truly restorative experience, with respect to various aspects. The physicality of her journey, which is stressed throughout the memoir, although an obstacle at first, makes her stronger and capable of reflecting on her past. The slowness of walking helps her feel at home on the trail and contributes to the reconnection with her senses, as well as helping her be patient. The repetitiveness of her hike helps her develop a routine and regain a sense of control over her life. Furthermore, the fact that she undertook this project on her own, which entailed fear and uneasiness at first, quickly becomes beneficial as she embraces solitude. Finally, her experience is healing because of the acceptance of her past that is made possible by the act of walking. The complexity of walking, which goes beyond putting one foot in front of the other, is thus highlighted in this dissertation through the analysis of its depiction in a literary work.