Marley

Wild

            Wild; spontaneous, unpredictable, against the norm, and unforgiving. All of these adjectives describe Cheryl Strayed, a determined, strong hearted woman on the quest to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. Wild, by Cheryl Strayed, is a non-fiction novel that takes the reader through the unpredictable and unimaginable journey of the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed overcame many obstacles that she was facing in life. Her mother’s death, a divorce, and drug use are all challenges that led Strayed to begin the journey of a lifetime. Being a New York Times Best Seller gives the novel the respect that it deserves. Wild is a very effective piece of rhetoric, and conveys its message clearly.

            Never give up. Many think of this as an unoriginal and overused cliché, but for the novel Wild, those three words have a very powerful meaning. By narrating her whole journey, Strayed captivates the attention of the readers and hooks them in. I believe the message of the novel is that even when times are hard, never ever give up. Strayed demonstrated this many times in the novel, as she faced the ups and downs of life. The death of her mother is what brought Strayeds whole world down. Shortly after her mother’s death came a divorce, and after that came the Pacific Crest Trail. During her journey through the PCT, there were countless times when Strayed had wanted to give up. Her boots were too small, her feet were destroyed beyond repair, running out of water, and snow. No matter how much she wanted to give up and just return to her normal life, she couldn’t. There was no home to go back to, and she had to prove to herself that she could do the impossible. Only when Strayed finished the trail, she could start a new life of her own. This message could reach out to anyone who has had similar life problems, or just can relate in any possible way. The fact that the message of the novel is so clear, demonstrates a good use of rhetoric.

            You will laugh, cry, and become a complete emotional wreck right along with Cheryl Strayed. Her novel brings the love, the hate, and every other possible emotion. The strong use of emotion is what makes the novel so captivating. It’s almost like you, as a reader, are hiking the PCT with Strayed. The emotion and feelings are what brings the reader into the novel. If the reader is hooked, then the book was effective.

            Strayed has overcome the largest obstacles ever imaginable, and she came out on top. She has accomplished a tremendous feat, and not many others can say the same. Her journey was inspiring and influential. However, everything is just a matter of opinion. Some readers may have thought that the novel was not inspiring at all, but rather a huge letdown. It could be thought at times the book was repetitive, and just a way for readers to feel bad for Strayed. In my opinion, that was not the point of the book. The point of the book was to see a strong woman conquer her fears, and come out successful doing so. She learned from her mistakes, and because of that, Strayed has transformed into a better person in the end.