Feminism In Cheryl Strayed's Wild

Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, a memoir about the author’s journey of self-discovery hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail, is a literary piece that has resonated with readers around the world since its publication, especially the female ones. The memoir is indeed deeply relevant to modern feminists as it addresses several aspects of the feminist movement. Wild’s removal of gendered stereotypes from its characters, expression of female sexuality, raising of awareness of women’s rights and issues and presentation of positive role models all contribute to making it a narrative that is inherently feminist. Gender stereotypes provide generalizations about the attributes and roles that each sex plays, which angers feminists because these generalizations cause them to be treated inequitably. For example, women have long been thought of as the weaker sex and have therefore been treated as such. However, Wild’s main protagonist Cheryl breaks this stereotype as she is determined to hike 1,100 miles up the Pacific Crest Trail alone, even though she has little hiking experience. The hardships that Cheryl not only faces, but overcomes on her journey, such as exhaustion, dehydration and injured feet, prove that women can be just as strong as men. While the men that Cheryl meets during her trek respect her …show more content…
Not only does Strayed attract female fans, but also male fans as her story of redemption is one that many can relate to, no matter their gender, which is what makes Wild such a hit. However, with the rise of the feminist movement in recent years, one might wonder whether this book would have had the same impact had it been written by a man or if the majority of its success from the women craving a book to claim as their