Character Analysis: A Walk In The Woods

In a time where the general population is overweight and obsessed with technology, there isn’t much time for the outside world. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is about two corpulent men on a journey to walk the Appalachian Trail. At first their tale seems unlikely because of their weight and the fact that they have never hiked a day in their lives. However, it quickly turns into an inspiring story that we, as people, should use to spark our own adventure in the great unknown. Bryson writes A Walk in the Woods to encourage people to live a little and experience the great outdoors, to meet interesting people in it, and to encounter the enthralling wildlife that resides on the Appalachian Trail.
In today’s society, most humans will try to

avoid hard work at virtually all costs. This is leading to the downfall of not only our work ethic, but our physicality, too. Bill Bryson is one of the many Americans who have not put forth a great deal of effort in achieving goals. That is until he decides to walk the Appalachian Trail. In A Walk in the Woods Bryson describes the daily life of the average person, “On average the total walking of an American these days - that's walking of all types: from car to office, from office to car, round the supermarket and shopping malls - adds up to 1.4 miles a week, barely 350 yards a day,” (Bryson 128). This is a shocking statement. Bryson says that he could walk roughly fifteen miles per day, which adds up to 105 miles per week. It’s sad to think that we are getting so little activity and are sitting around on a phone 24/7 instead of going out and exploring the marvelous world we live in. His story encourages us to get out there and explore till there are no rocks left unturned from human gaze.
With 7 billion people in the world you are bound to meet a strange character every now and then.

On the Appalachian Trial you might come across 50 people over a one month time period. The odds of meeting someone with stupidity pouring out of their mouth are slim to none. Yet, the odds of meeting a crazy on the trail for Bryson are 110%, “I have long known that it is part of God's plan for me to spend a little time with each of the most stupid people on earth,” (51). Mary Ellen is a person who seems ordinary at first, but as time progresses she becomes as dumb as a doornail. She talks incessantly and belittles everyone. On top of that, she thinks her gear is better and acts like she’s been walking the trail for years, when in retrospect this is her first time. Even though Mary Ellen isn’t the type of woman Bryson wants to meet, she introduces him to a wider variety of personality types that he would never come across back home.
While one might encounter a few people on the trail, you can be certain to encounter many different types of wildlife. The Appalachian Trail is a plethora for numerous types of vegetation and animals. Bears, wildcats, and eagles are just the beginning, “The Smokies harbor an astonishing range of plant life – over 1,500 types of wildflower, a thousand varieties of shrub, 530 mosses and lichen, 2,000 types of fungi,”

(90).