Symbolism In Castaway

The Oscar winning movie Castaway directed by Robert Zemecks, starring Tom Hanks as Chuck Noland a worker from Fedex travels to different countries to guide them to get their packages out faster. On Christmas he is summoned to help with packages, eventually his plane crashes in the ocean, he is the only survivor he finds an island and lives on the island for about 5 years before an item washes on shore to help him home. Eventually he builds a raft and a ship finds him on his little nature made raft. He finally gets to go home, to find that his soon to be fiance has married his dentist. Throughout this movie many different things are shown that some people don’t process that is going on until they look back at the movie. For example, the different …show more content…
From beginning to end symbolism travels it is shown in the very beginning when the truck is at the crossroads, that describes that there are many choices to make. On Christmas as Chuck and Kelly are trading presents before Chuck has to leave. Chuck has received an old pocket watch as he opens it on the inside of the lid is a picture of Kelly, Chuck gives Kelly her presents and she gets towels and other items, so as Chuck gets out of the car he starts walking and Kelly moves to the driver’s seat and hollers at him, he forgot to leave the keys, so as he comes back with the keys he also gives her a small box, another present, he never tells her what is inside but he says to wait to open it till New Year’s Eve. In the box we can infer that it is an engagement ring. That engagement ring symbolized promise, promise that he would be back by New Year's Eve, and promise that he would be her’s for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately he doesn’t make it back by then, but while he is on the plane and he sees the pocketwatch on the ground you can tell that it is very important to him. On the island that pocketwatch resembled hope and home. In the movie symbolism was very big so I highlight this as an important piece of the movie