' Either way, things can never be as they 'once were.' Chuck is filled with a great sense of loss, as he feels as if he has lost Kelly twice in his life, which is almost too much to bear. The worst struggle, emotionally, for Chuck is that he knows that he could actually be a better husband to Kelly now, after the crash, than he could have been before he was stranded. Before he nearly lost his life and spent so many years alone, he took human relationships for granted. He was always focused on the next task the next thing he had to do for his job. Now Chuck realizes that the most important things in life are not things, but people. He also has a new-found appreciation for the natural world that sustained him for four years, alone on the island. Chuck, uncertain as to what do, ends the film by delivering the final FedEx package that was with him on the island. No one is home at the house, and Chuck momentarily gets lost but a woman redirects him. When he sees that the sticker on the package and her pickup are the same, Chuck is filled a sense with the synergy of the world, and feels a new sense of purpose in his life, despite everything he has lost.

The most striking cinematic choice of the film is to depict the majority of Chuck's life on the island in silence. Other than talking to Wilson, most of the film has no dialogue and no soundtrack. The main subject of the drama is how hard human beings must fight to stay alive, when they have nothing but the natural world to depend upon. The film...

One reason it takes Chuck so long to escape is because he has not had to fight for all of those things for many years in civilization. In civilization, Chuck saw himself as supremely competent. Because he had a powerful position, he did not realize how dependant he was on clocks, planes, and his status to give him a sense of identity. Only after surviving in the wilderness does he develop a deeper sense of belief in his abilities.
Chuck also has to dig deep within himself to cope with the emotional isolation of his new world. Chuck had so much going on around him, and was constantly surrounded by people; he did not have to develop much of an inner life. Because his profession was so focused on external things, he took relationships for granted, like the love he had for Kelly. But one of the first things he does when stranded on the island is call for help. Chuck realizes for the first time how dependant he is on others. His desperation is counterbalanced with the inner strength he gains that enables him to move on. Inner strength and survival skills bring him back to life, and bring him back to civilization. Although he cannot have Kelly, at least Chuck has a truer sense of self at the end of the film. He is strong enough to love her now, as a result of his experience, and strong enough to know that he must let her go.

Works Cited

Cast away. Starring Tom Hanks. 2000.