The eminent abandonment of the trail was foreshadowed throughout the novel, particularly in chapter five, when Bryson and Katz ditch the trail (and Mary Ellen), for the comforts of modern society. Nevertheless, I was deluded into thinking that Katz and Bryson would persevere, overcoming all odds to accomplish the task set before them. Obviously I forgot this was not a work of fiction and such valiant yet true stories are hard to come by. Again in Gatlinburg, when Bryson and Katz forgo a section of the trail out of sheer laziness, my hopes for the duo were dashed, but I still believed that they would persist. My delusion continued, all the way into the Hundred-Mile Wilderness, and when Bryson and Katz finally decided to quit, I was shocked, yet I knew I should have seen it coming. I felt like I had been let down.
My hopes for Bryson and his personal goals were not parallel. I thought he could finish the trail but, even in hiking less than half of the trail, he accomplished much. As he states in the closing chapter, “I got a great deal else from the experience.” The things that Bryson learned and the experiences he had define him. As a result, he accomplished his goals: he lost weight and found a new friend, a new lifestyle, a new America.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
That's the beauty of foreshadowing--you are not supposed to realize that it was there until you go back and look for it!
Post a Comment