a walk in the woods
by bill bryson
This novel, written by Bill Bryson, recounts his journey when he left his life behind in order to travel on the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail travels through the Appalachian Mountains in the United States and is about 2,200 miles long. Bill Bryson was willing to leave his previous life behind for months in order to get a taste of the modern American Dream, which is to immerse oneself in nature, to get rid of the excess in one’s life, and to create lasting, meaningful relationships with others. The philosophy that Bryson had was meaningful to him and the whole concept of the journey changed his mindset towards living, but he was not very successful in actually conquering the trail. He connected with an old friend of his and they traveled on the trail together. Though they were hostile and annoyed with each other at first, being able to spend time with each other led to their relationship growing stronger throughout the entire journey. They began in Georgia at the beginning of the trail and were unprepared for what was to come. Their physical fitness was not up to par with what it needed to be in order to conquer the expanse of the trail. They traveled a short section of the trail before cutting through a lot of it and starting again. From their new starting point, they were not able to make it that far, and eventually gave up on traveling the trail in one trip. They progressively attempted to travel various parts of the trail in small sections, and were able to complete a large amount of the trail with that technique. Though, despite their failure in completing the trek of the physical trail, they were eager to experience the world in a new light by immersing themselves in nature. Neither of them were necessarily naturists beforehand, and this experience opened their eyes to the natural beauty of the world, despite it being menacing at times.
Despite the fact that the characters in the book were not able to fully complete what they had set out to do, their ambitions deeply represented the modern American Dream. They both were eager to experience the world, and were enthusiastic about leaving their past lives and worries behind for some time in order to immerse themselves in nature. They loved their time in the wilderness and would’ve most likely continued if it weren’t for the sheer physical strain they were feeling trying to complete the trail. The natural beauty of the world and the simplicity of their lives while traveling across the country on foot was immaculate and is an experience that defines the modern American Dream, as that is what Americans truly want in their lives now. The facade put on by the media and tradition is that it is better to have more, especially materialistically, though the works of recent Americans and their experiences have formed a new basis for the American Dream. It is now about simplifying and enjoying the natural essence of the world. Bill Bryson and his companion were able to do that by traveling on the Appalachian Trail and strengthening the bond that they had.
Another author who tried to travel upon the same path as Bryson was Jack Kerouac.
Despite the fact that the characters in the book were not able to fully complete what they had set out to do, their ambitions deeply represented the modern American Dream. They both were eager to experience the world, and were enthusiastic about leaving their past lives and worries behind for some time in order to immerse themselves in nature. They loved their time in the wilderness and would’ve most likely continued if it weren’t for the sheer physical strain they were feeling trying to complete the trail. The natural beauty of the world and the simplicity of their lives while traveling across the country on foot was immaculate and is an experience that defines the modern American Dream, as that is what Americans truly want in their lives now. The facade put on by the media and tradition is that it is better to have more, especially materialistically, though the works of recent Americans and their experiences have formed a new basis for the American Dream. It is now about simplifying and enjoying the natural essence of the world. Bill Bryson and his companion were able to do that by traveling on the Appalachian Trail and strengthening the bond that they had.
Another author who tried to travel upon the same path as Bryson was Jack Kerouac.