56 pages 1 hour read

Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2012

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Important Quotes

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“Each night the black sky and the bright stars were my stunning companions.”


(Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 17)

Cheryl’s evocative descriptions of the natural environment draw readers into her narrative by allowing them to envision her surroundings. This quote not only stresses the vastness and beauty of nature but also emphasizes that Cheryl is on this journey alone.

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“Being with him felt unbearable, but being with anyone else did too.”


(Part 1, Chapter 1, Page 22)

Cheryl’s marriage starts to unravel when her mother becomes sick. Paul is kind and supportive, but Cheryl is so envious of his unfractured life that she pushes him and everyone else away.

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“I had to finally speak the words to Paul that would tear my life apart. Not that I didn’t love him. But that I had to be alone, though I didn’t know why.”


(Part 1, Chapter 2, Page 36)

This quote addresses an important theme in Cheryl’s memoir: solitude. Cheryl hikes the PCT alone to gain perspective and rediscover the person she was before her mother died. She sabotaged her marriage to Paul because, even amid grief and addiction, she knew solitude was the only way back to herself.