Every story follows a certain story line, even if its from your own life experiences. Cheryl Strayed wrote the novel Wild, about her own life experiences on the Pacific Crest Trail. When looking through the second third of the novel with an archetypal lens I was able to see how Cheryl’s story follows some what of a typical plot.
The typical plot of a story goes something like this. The protagonist goes from innocence to experience, moves into an unknown and possibly dangerous environment. This is where the protagonist fights the battles that test who they are. After the battle has been fought they return home, as the hero.
In Wild: From Lost to Found On the Pacific Crest Trail, we learn of Cheryl’s past and this demonstrates her innocence. After her Mother passes away, she goes into some of the worst years of her life. Her hiking into the PCT is the beginning of her fighting battles with nature and her own will. This tests who she is, and it shows her gradually getting stronger. I predict that in the final third of the novel she will finish her hike successfully and if the story completes the typical story arch, she will return home as a hero to herself.
There are a couple of symbols in this novel which all motivate Cheryl. One is a feather, given to her by her friend on the trails. She was constantly motivated my Greg, and having the feather allowed her to stay motivated even when he wasn’t there. Another symbol is her horse tattoo, which represents her mother. Her mothers death is the main thing Cheryl is trying to get over. The last symbol is the water pump/purifier. This represents her struggles and weakness on the trails.
Overall, Wild follows a pretty typical story plot, and looking though a archetypal lens allowed me to see that there are so many more symbols and character arches in the novel itself. I cannot wait to read the final chapters of the novel, so stay tuned for my final blog and portfolio. I would love to hear your opinions, so feel free to leave a comment!
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