Julia Calderon

Humanities 1/2
13 March 2015
Wild Part 4: Reading Responses
Q1: Cheryl is trying to reach Old station to pick up her boots. In order to get there she tries
hitchhiking, and gets picked up by a woman named Lou. As they are driving in the car, what
triggered Cheryls question about Lous son, and why is it such a sensitive subject for Lou?
Based off of Cheryls description of, Lou what can you deduce about the type of person she is?
A1: Cheryl asked Lou about her son because the ornaments dangling off the rearview mirror
caught her attention. Dangling off the mirror there was a pine tree air freshener and a picture of
a little boy. Cheryl sitting in the car observed there was, A laminated card with a cross on it
dangled from the stem of the rearview mirror, alongside a faded Christmas-tree-shaped air
freshener, and when it spun around [I] saw that on the other side there was a photograph of a
little boy (Strayed 185). The green from the air freshener caught her attention, thus making her
curious to know what else was attached to it.
The picture of the boy is what prompted Cheryl to ask Lou who he was. Lou responded
by telling Cheryl, thats my Luke,...He died five years ago, when he was eight, (Strayed
185). The death of Lous son is a sensitive subject for her. No parent should have to witness the
death of their own child. Knowing that Lou has had many rough experiences throughout her life,
it is safe to deduce her kind manner comes from her hardship. Lou is a kindhearted woman who
has been beaten down by the unpredictability of life. Just before Cheryl leaves to get her boots
from the station, Lou shares something with her, Anyway after all that stuff about my son
getting killed? After that happened, I died too. Inside. she patted her chest with the hand that
held the cigarette. I look the same, but Im not the same in here. I mean life goes on and all that
crap, but Luke dying took it out of me. I try not to act like it, but it did. It took the Lou out of Lou,
and I aint getting it back. You know what I mean? (Strayed 186). Lous life experiences have
broken her spirit, and make her the person who picks up hitchhikers trusting that there isnt
anything else that could hurt her more than losing her son.
Q2: Cheryl finally reaches Old Station and leaves with her new boots, then sets up her camp at
a nearby campground. That evening Cheryl began to feel very alone and called her ex-husband
Paul. What urged Cheryl to call Paul and how does Cheryl cope with her feelings of desolation?
A2: Before Cheryl called Paul, she was walking back from a restaurant and had some change in
her pocket left over. Since there arent many other people around keeping her company, she
decided to call Paul when she saw the pay phone. Cheryls decision to call Paul definitely
derives from her current state of solitude as she hikes the Pacific Crest Trail. Strayed shares, I
was so overcome by the sound of his voice I could barely say hello (Strayed 188). Cheryls
excitement, as Paul answers the phone, displays the current struggle she faces with isolation.
While Cheryl is still interacting with the other hikers she meets on the trail, she hasnt interacted
with any of her family or friends. After her long journey to acquire her boots Cheryl ends her day
reflecting, Maybe I was more alone than anyone else in the whole wide world. Maybe that was
okay (Strayed 189). For most, being alone is a difficult concept to be comfortable with, because

humans have such a desire to obtain companionship. However, Cheryl is coping with her
solitude very well, and does not express the same amount of fear as others would in a state of
loneliness. Throughout her journey Strayed has finally reached a moment where she has
become truly accepting of her situation.
Q3: While hiking Cheryl shares a story about an astrologer she met a while back. What does
this astrologer tell Cheryl? What triggers this memory for Cheryl, and how does it relate to her
journey now?