October 11, 2015 - 20:47
Strayed
Wild is a memoir by Cheryl Strayed, chronicling her journey of self-discovery through the Pacific Crest Trail following the personal aftermath and grief over her mother’s death. While finalizing a divorce with her then-husband Paul, Strayed confronts the possibility of changing her last name. She considers multiple options before ultimately choosing, “Strayed.” Of this name, Strayed explains, “Its layered definitions spoke directly to my life and also struck a poetic chord: to wander from the proper path, to deviate from the direct course, to be lost, to become wild, to be without a mother or father, to be without a home, to move about aimlessly in search of something, to diverge or digress (Page 96).” Although Strayed may believe the word “strayed” encompassed her life’s experiences, it both shed light upon and contradicted Wild.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, one definition of “strayed” is “to escape from confinement or control, to wander away from a place or from one's companions.” This definition rings true for Cheryl because she continuously deviates from normal conventions after her mother’s death. She cheats on her husband using multiple sex escapades with unfamiliar men, allows her relationships with close friends and family to fall apart, and grows dangerously addicted to heroin. These are not typical behaviors that can be seen amongst people, so it can be said that Cheryl has “strayed” from the conventional path. Another definition of strayed that Cheryl herself cited is, “to be without a mother or father.” In the most literal sense, this definition speaks truth to Cheryl’s family dynamic. When Cheryl was still a child, her mother escaped the abusive holds of Cheryl’s father and moved out with her children. From this point forward, Cheryl did not have much of a father in her life. When Cheryl’s mother died during Cheryl’s twenties, Cheryl no longer had a mother, either. In this sense, the word “strayed” is an accurate depiction of existing without a mother or father would be like. Another definition of “strayed” that Cheryl describes is, “to move about aimlessly in search of something, to diverge or digress.” This was certainly true in Cheryl’s case, as she seemed to not know what she was looking for in particular over the course of her trek across the Pacific Coast Trail.
On the other hand, the word “strayed” simultaneously contradicts Cheryl’s Wild. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “strayed” as “to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route, to become wild.” In the early 14th century, to “stray” meant to “wander from the path of rectitude.” This statement is inaccurate in Cheryl’s case, because she is neither wandering by accident, nor wild. Cheryl is following the set parameters of the nationally marked Pacific Crest Trail, so she is not as “wild” as she may think she is in this environment. Similarly, Cheryl fully intended to embark on this trail and did not come across it as accident. Cheryl also defines “strayed” as “to be lost” -- another inaccurate statement about Cheryl’s case in Wild. Cheryl could have stayed close to her family after her mother’s death, but the bonds between her once close-knit family faltered away. She gave up on trying to keep in touch with her stepfather and siblings.
Cheryl Strayed certainly welcomed “strayed” as her last name. On page 97, she states, “I didn’t embrace the word as my new name because it defined negative aspects of my circumstances or life, but because even in my darkest days -- those very days in which I was naming myself -- I saw the power of the darkness. Saw that, in fact, I had strayed and that I was a stray and that from the wild places my straying had brought me, I knew things I couldn’t have known before.” Although Strayed may believe the word “strayed” encompassed her life’s experiences, it both shed light upon and contradicted Wild.
Bibliography
Harper, Douglass. "Online Etymology Dictionary." Online Etymology Dictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2015.
Strayed, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. Print.