Character Analysis: A Walk In The Woods

A Walk in The Woods: The Disconnect from Nature The problem in our society is the disconnect from nature. Many Americans are uncultured in the wild world of untamed wilderness, thus must explore outside the civilized world of home. Nature is all around us and for many Americans nature is something that has not been experienced. With the lack of understanding nature, poor health has become a way of life for many. In the book A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson, two men set off on the Application Trail. The Appalachian Trail stretches more than 2,000 mils from Georgia to Maine. Along their trip they encounter nature first hand by testing each other and themselves. Bill Bryson whom is also the author and main character narrates his journey …show more content…
Humans have a lack of nature education and this may not only create disrespect for nature but also cause nature to disappear from under us. As population grows we take what we need without thinking about the other forms of life that need those supplies. The lack of education is creating a selfish culture of our natural recourses. While many believe that we were given these recourses for human use, we need to take into account how much we take and learn to live along side of nature. In the book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman he quotes, “All of us humans have myriad other species to thank. Without them, we couldn’t exist. It’s simple, and we can’t afford to ignore them.” With better education starting at school aged children we can implement such teaching as recycling, water and electrical use. Although nature has given us a vast amount of recourses it is proven that they will not last for eternity. For those who have not been educated on nature and its recourses, this is where the disconnect takes place. “Whether we accept it or not, this will likely be the century that determines what the optimal human population is for our planet. It will come about in one of two ways: Either we decide to manage our on numbers, to avoid a collision of every line on collision of every line on civilization’s graph – or nature will do it for us, in the form of famines, thirst, climate chaos, crashing ecosystems, …show more content…
“Distance changes utterly when you take the world on foot. A mile becomes a long way, two miles literally considerable, ten miles whopping, fifty miles at the very limits of conception. The world, you realize, is enormous in a way that only you and a small community of fellow hikers know. Planetary scale is your little secret.” (Bryson) Bryson is making the important point that we need to get out and explore nature and what it has to offer. For many families across the United States this has never been a privilege one has had. For many families hiking in the woods is something that would only be seen in a movie or sleeping in a tent only imagined. Why is this not experienced more? For one, there is the population whose families do not have the recourses or education. Many may argue that some cannot experience nature due to money or transportation. Although traveling does take money in many cases there has been efforts to restore nature to unprivileged areas. In Detroit the DNR has created an indoor adventure center. This center has created an environment for the people of Detroit to experience nature first hand. Now children whom have never been in the woods can experience camping and nature out of their own backyard. Some schools have also taken action in creating educational based programs for their students. Royal Oak Schools have developed a program for 6th grade students allowing them to step forth into