ENG 112W:
The travelogue, “A Walk in the Woods,” depicts a laborious, seemingly never-ending hike through the Appalachian Trail in the voice of the author’s, Bill Bryson’s, alter-ego. By following the unfit pair of Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz, I learn of their perseverance despite the graveness of their journey and their shortcomings. Through the progression of the Appalachian Trail, the pair encounter problems that encourage them to unknowingly stray from the trail, trying to deter them from reaching their end goal. Bryson tolerates Stephen Katz’s unmotivated attitude, the drastic changes in weather, and the temptations of comfort, as he wants to challenge his ability to persevere through what he believes to be impossible for himself, and …show more content…
Bryson realizes early on that Katz is the kind of person who easily complains about minor discomforts, becoming a worry for Bryson who has major expectations for them both. Nevertheless, Bryson tolerates Katz by always looking out for him to the point where he becomes, in a sense, his responsibility. By unconsciously taking on the role of guardian, he utilizes this belief to purposefully motivate himself to endure the struggles knowing that he has someone to share the hardships with. Despite being “half-blinded by flying snow and jostled by gusts of wind” (76), they proceed through it with hope at finding shelter from the blizzard. They are able to rely on the other for some direction which allows them to have a reason to continue and accomplish the task at hand, even the momentary ones of finding refuge from the cold. Relatively soon they begin to take in the trail for what it is, and the beauty of being able to start in one place and end up in a whole different state. With the intention of influencing their previous viewpoints, they take a moment to appreciate how nature can do without the littering of “real business [that lie] up close to you and on top of you” (121). Even Katz agrees to the ugliness of it all, observing it with absurdity, and it feels like a turning …show more content…
The simple knowledge that they can quit whenever they see fit tries to constantly deter them from the trail, but it is their ability to dismiss them that I find astonishing. When they first encounter a terrible snowfall that keeps them off of the trail, “Katz [is] verily in heaven at the prospect of several days idling in town” (88), but it is Bryson who wants “to get back on the trail, to knock off [his] miles” (88) because “it was what they did” (88). His ability to look past the challenge with a mindset to accomplish what he first sets out to do is in fact the best attitude to go about the Appalachian Trail, and by starting off strong, he can continue doing so for the duration he plans to travel. When Katz comes back to the trail after a few months of rest, it feels as if he is starting over again, both with his ability to hike and his change in heart. After his co-workers “invited [him] for about the hundredth time” (272), he finally gives in to them, allowing himself the comfort that alcohol provides him with, but he plans to swear to live a life of “devoted sobriety” (287). Seeing that Katz even takes to the trail is a good enough indication that he is willing to change, he is surely met with failure, but as long as he wants to start again, he can achieve what he
The travelogue, “A Walk in the Woods,” depicts a laborious, seemingly never-ending hike through the Appalachian Trail in the voice of the author’s, Bill Bryson’s, alter-ego. By following the unfit pair of Bill Bryson and Stephen Katz, I learn of their perseverance despite the graveness of their journey and their shortcomings. Through the progression of the Appalachian Trail, the pair encounter problems that encourage them to unknowingly stray from the trail, trying to deter them from reaching their end goal. Bryson tolerates Stephen Katz’s unmotivated attitude, the drastic changes in weather, and the temptations of comfort, as he wants to challenge his ability to persevere through what he believes to be impossible for himself, and …show more content…
Bryson realizes early on that Katz is the kind of person who easily complains about minor discomforts, becoming a worry for Bryson who has major expectations for them both. Nevertheless, Bryson tolerates Katz by always looking out for him to the point where he becomes, in a sense, his responsibility. By unconsciously taking on the role of guardian, he utilizes this belief to purposefully motivate himself to endure the struggles knowing that he has someone to share the hardships with. Despite being “half-blinded by flying snow and jostled by gusts of wind” (76), they proceed through it with hope at finding shelter from the blizzard. They are able to rely on the other for some direction which allows them to have a reason to continue and accomplish the task at hand, even the momentary ones of finding refuge from the cold. Relatively soon they begin to take in the trail for what it is, and the beauty of being able to start in one place and end up in a whole different state. With the intention of influencing their previous viewpoints, they take a moment to appreciate how nature can do without the littering of “real business [that lie] up close to you and on top of you” (121). Even Katz agrees to the ugliness of it all, observing it with absurdity, and it feels like a turning …show more content…
The simple knowledge that they can quit whenever they see fit tries to constantly deter them from the trail, but it is their ability to dismiss them that I find astonishing. When they first encounter a terrible snowfall that keeps them off of the trail, “Katz [is] verily in heaven at the prospect of several days idling in town” (88), but it is Bryson who wants “to get back on the trail, to knock off [his] miles” (88) because “it was what they did” (88). His ability to look past the challenge with a mindset to accomplish what he first sets out to do is in fact the best attitude to go about the Appalachian Trail, and by starting off strong, he can continue doing so for the duration he plans to travel. When Katz comes back to the trail after a few months of rest, it feels as if he is starting over again, both with his ability to hike and his change in heart. After his co-workers “invited [him] for about the hundredth time” (272), he finally gives in to them, allowing himself the comfort that alcohol provides him with, but he plans to swear to live a life of “devoted sobriety” (287). Seeing that Katz even takes to the trail is a good enough indication that he is willing to change, he is surely met with failure, but as long as he wants to start again, he can achieve what he