Introduction
In the film Cast Away, is a FedEx systems engineer whose personal and professional life are ruled by routine. His fast-paced career takes him to far-flung locales and away from his girlfriend, . On one such trip, 's manic-depressive existence abruptly halts when his plane goes down in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and he becomes stranded on a remote, uninhabited island. He is the only survivor in the plane crash and he has to make the best of the situation he is in.
In comparison, , a novel by that was first published in 1719 and sometimes regarded as the first novel in English is a book about a fictional autobiography of the title character, an English castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical island near Venezuela, encountering Native Americans, captives, and mutineers before being rescued, (2004). Both stories dealt with being alone and lonely in a far away place devoid of any intimate contact with someone known to them. Being in that position definitely is both physically wrenching and emotionally straining.
Emotional and Physical Endurance
In Cast Away, first find a way to meet basic human needs (food, water and shelter), which he accomplishes with the help of numerous FedEx packages that have been washed ashore with him. Once ’s physical needs were met, his biggest struggle was his emotional and psychological health. He must resist desperation and not reach the point of being a loony. ’s 18th Century literary hero, , turned to a Bible and found God in the midst of nothingness. befriends a volleyball and seeks guidance and comfort. Fate finally offers a chance to escape the island on a self-made raft. After a heroic struggle, he was saved and brought home. It is an ironic twist that 's problem-solving background helps him survive being a castaway while the skills learned as a castaway help him adapt to a new life in civilization (2004).
In the effects of the struggle in a desperate situation with no end in sight, manages to maintain a sense of hope during his four years on the island by maintaining a rigid self-monitoring. He shows amazing perseverance in everything he did. A sense of personal and professional responsibility is evident in , even after he has bloodied all over in the plane crash. In a touching scene, he looks at the ID of one of the dead crewmen who washed ashore just prior to burying him and realizes that he did not even know his friend’s real name (2004). It was implied that attempted suicide once during his long isolation due to desperation and loneliness. But when discovers and attempts to bury a pale, bloated corpse, his thoughts on ending his life waned.
The beauty of loneliness
Being alone sometimes depends on the emotional makeup of a person. Human beings need one another mainly because all living beings are social in nature. They need of at least of one person in order to survive is paramount to one’s inner being. By survival, it means the survival of that particular living being in himself. Ever wondered what good it will do to subject oneself to solitary confinement.
And according to research, it is the worst form of punishment any human being can be put through. If it prolongs, it can make the person go insane and drive him to the extent of killing himself. In Cast Away and , both have a strong sense of self- endurance. They battled all the inner and outer demons. Loneliness became a part of who they are and used to it to its full advantage. Being lonely does not mean that one has to plunge into the deep recesses of sadness. It could be a way of constructive self-reflection and awareness. And conquering loneliness is something of a virtue. It is not easy to extract oneself out of depression. Sometimes, simply talking to people around you even if that person is a stranger can be therapeutic.
Conclusion
The core message of both stories is redeeming: Never give up on faith. The teachings of the scripture and the lessons learned from experience tell people that many circumstances that seem hopeless today are the very things that empower us to succeed later on. Motivation and the will to survive help one defeat physical and emotional disputes. Both stories suggests that the protagonists’ near death and isolated struggle leads him to an epiphany of what is truly important—and that is the acquisition of the essentials of life. Both stories do not blatantly reveal those important things. But one can feel the weight of the importance of things not seen—and that is the acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives.
References
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