"Cast Away": An Overview

It started with the protagonist named Chuck Noland who is a strict and a time-praising workaholic that made him show lack of respect towards others. "Do whatever it takes," said Chuck, pushing his employees to deliver packages faster; showing his aggressive personality at work. He gives importance to work, which is typically a positive attribute, but he obsesses over every second. He is unable to connect on a deep level with others because of his poor social ability due to his work driven mind.

Chuck and his girlfriend, Kelly, was celebrating Christmas when he need to leave early in order to go back to work on time. At the airport, Kelly gave him a locket clock with her picture on it and Chuck made a promise that it will be always on his side. Unfortunately, the plane crashed, making Chuck trap into an uninhabited island.

The first thing he did was check the gift that Kelly gave him, giving him hope and motivated to survive and get back home.

Get quality help now

Marrie pro writer

Verified writer

Proficient in: Cast Away

5 (204)

“ She followed all my directions. It was really easy to contact her and respond very fast as well. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

There was nothing there but him and several packages from the plane crash which he fishes from the ocean to preserve and later complete the delivery but ended up opening the boxes for survival except for one.

He spent four years without anyone to talk to but a volleyball whom he named Wilson; he understands human interaction is essential for human survival. After those years, he finally snapped and became enraged at the fact he is talking to a volleyball. He threw it away but instantly goes after it realizing how important it is for his sanity to have companion.

After four years of being stranded, he finally decided to escape the island. He figured out that he would rather die at the sea than spend the rest of his life alone on that island. The turbulent waters crashed down on him threatening to knock him off his raft and into the sea and with the final wave, he held on tightly and everything went perfectly still around him.

During the voyage, a storm hit the sea and Wilson fell on the raft and Chuck fights to swim and pull the raft to Wilson, making him to choose - saving Wilson and losing his raft or staying on the raft and letting his "friend" go. He did not have the strength to save Wilson. He cried on his raft and he released his paddles as a sign of giving up. Luckily, a cargo ship found him.

When Chuck returned, he found out that Kelly was married to other man. Her family and friends believed that he was already dead. Although Kelly motivated him to survive and get back home, he is not enraged when he finds out Kelly has moved on and started a family without him. He went back to his normal life differently. Things never happen the same way twice.

The movie pictures the aspect of hierarchy of needs. From physiological needs to safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Chuck met the first two aspect but his need for love and belongingness was not satisfied as it needs to be encompassed by both feeling loved and feeling love toward others. Though, Wilson did an important role in maintaining Chuck's mentality.

Chuck projects his thoughts on Wilson, and then adds Wilson's half of the conversation in his head. Thus, giving important to intrapersonal communication. Chuck did an amazing use of interpersonal communication as it helps in overcoming emotional distress because if it has not been used properly, Chuck may have gone crazy. It also showed that hardships that we faced allows us to think from new perspective and how much a person can change under extreme circumstance