CAST AWAY- ISOLATION AND ITS EFFECT ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Abstract
We define communication as a process that is never-ending and that is always changing.
I wanted to examine the way our main character communicated within the different relationships he held and examine the meaning behind those relationships. I attempted to analyze his character by scrutinizing the choices made by him and the individuals surrounding him. I also wanted to analyze the ability of our main character to adapt to unforeseen circumstances and look at the way the main character's psyche compensated when under duress.
INTRODUCTION
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This essay analyzes the movie CAST AWAY and discusses the meaning of communication relative to the relationships our main character experiences throughout the film with others. In addition, this analysis examines the struggles the main character faces when unfortunate circumstances result in his isolation from society and the effects of this seclusion from a physical and psychological perspective. Finally, this essay will explore intrapersonal communication
Cast Away is a drama film released in 2000. It was written by William Broyles, Jr. and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The starring cast for this movie includes Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, and Nick Searcy.
Castaway tells the story of Chuck Nolan, played by Hanks, a Fed-Ex systems manager who travels worldwide overseeing the operation of FED EX deliveries and the efficiency of the company’s time management process. During a Christmas holiday gathering with his family and girlfriend Kelly, played by Hunt, Chuck gets a call that takes him out of the country. Exchanging gifts with Kelly in the car, he gives her a small box and tells her she can open it on New Year’s Day. He kisses her, says he will be right back, and heads to the FED EX cargo plane. A storm-ridden flight results in a plane crash, where Nolan is the sole survivor. He is cast away on a deserted island for six years, where he forms a bond with a volleyball for companionship before being rescued on a makeshift raft at sea. He returns home to find his FED EX office streamlined & modern and his girlfriend, Kelly, married with a child. On his first night back, he sleeps on the floor of this apartment, continuously cutting his bedside lamp on and off, looking at the photograph of Kelly in the timepiece he received from her before he boarded the plane. He visits her, and she confesses her love for him. However, both understanding that she has a family, they let go. Losing Kelly, he decides to go on with his life and deliver the package that symbolizes hope for him while on the island. When no one answers, he leaves the package with a note stating how the package saved his life. He drives back down a long road, comes to an intersection, and pulls over to look at a map. The recipient of the package arrives and gives him directions. As she drives toward home, he recognizes the emblem on the back of her truck as the one on the box. Standing at the crossroads, he turns in each direction, realizing that he can go in whichever direction he chooses. He looks at the camera as if the audience understands and agrees with the road he has decided to take.
In the initial scene of this film, a Fed Ex driver picks up a delivery in the United States. The second time we see the package, it is in Moscow, Russia. We later see the main character, Chuck Nolan, talking to Russian Fed EX employees. He is not speaking in Russian but has an interpreter. Despite the translation, his tone and hand jesters relay the true message he is conveying. This scene is significant because FED-Ex is a global company that operates worldwide. Their slogan is” when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.” Communication is a crucial component of the success of such an organization. This scene juxtaposes an organization where communication should be a significant factor and an upper-level employee who is not multilingual. Instead of employing a Russian systems operator, the company chooses to fly a non-bilingual employee around the world to handle critical decisions in another country. This scene sends two messages. It allows the audience to believe that our main character is indispensable and that the organization’s primary focus is not employee relations but global distribution. According to an article in LinkedIn, Blame the Process, Not People(Lisowski, 2018)we tend to blame others when things go wrong. We should instead focus on what part of the process failed and attempt to eliminate that error. Interpreters can only interpret the message, not the meaning of the message. Chuck’s nonverbal communication indicates he is an unyielding taskmaster. While some of the employees aren’t even paying him any attention, others are scowling at him while the translator interprets a message in contrast to what Chuck is saying.
The problem which sent Chuck to Russia very well could have been handled by management hired inside that location. However, the organization has yet to deem it necessary to position an individual who can relate to and communicate with workers within the facility. This lack of cultural awareness could communicate a lack of respect [by the company] for the beliefs and values of the employees. The employees may feel like the company doesn’t care about cultural differences or even accept input on the different aspects that should be considered when operating in a foreign country. If a minor malfunction were to occur, instead of handling it inside the facility, the employees may take on the attitude that they won’t even attempt to troubleshoot. Let the non-bilingual man who doesn’t understand or care about this facility come to diagnose and solve the problem. The fact that the translator is not interpreting what Chuck is saying verbatim confirms this belief.
Chuck and Kelly’s relationship becomes the topic of conversation at the holiday family gathering. Family and friends want to know how long it takes before they get married. Both Chuck and Kelley, already knowing this will be a topic, wager on how much time will pass before the question regarding their relationship arises. The conversation turns to the downfall of Kelly’s previous marriage, giving a clue as to why the couple is not married. Chuck states that because she is still recovering from her failed marriage, Kelly can’t see herself being with a man who wears a pager to bed. This line, along with Kelly’s expression, reveals that this has been a previous topic of conversation for the couple. Chuck’s voice might hint at bitterness as he discusses the situation, but he cleverly covers it with jokes and idle banter. The state of their relationship was described in the second chapter of Interpersonal Communications (Sarah Trenholm, 1994) when the author suggested that our relationships are influenced by outside forces, and those forces have a major influence on the bond that we create. Kelley’s first failed marriage contributes to her inability to communicate. She may feel that if she marries again, the relationship may not survive. Also, there may be issues in the relationship that hint at failure. Chuck is already married to his job. If he were to marry Kelly, she would compete for his time and attention. She may already see that the competition would be a losing one for her. According to an article in Psychology Today (2016), “Channeling all your energy into your work comes at a high cost. In fact, if you’re “married to your job,” it probably means you’ve made the choice to make yourself unavailable for emotional connection to others.”
This may serve as a double edge sword for the couple. She doesn’t want to get married for fear that the marriage may fail. And although he wants to marry Kelly, he doesn’t push the issue because he is already married to his work. If she changes her mind, he will also have to make some sacrifices. This dialectical tension, remaining in a stagnate but stable relationship vs moving into the unknown, maintains the status quo, and the relationship succeeds. He does give her a small box in the car which we will assume is an engagement ring. He hesitates to give it to her, stating the gift is not one you give inside of a car. When she sees the box, she tells him she is scared. They both would have faced the consequences of what would have happened if she’d said yes. His resulting plane crash may have been a bright spot in the relationship. I will touch on that a bit later.
When the FED EX cargo plane crashes, Chuck is the only survivor. One of the first things he does, is call out for someone else in existence. He does this several times shouting for anybody. The next thing he does is write H E L P in the sand. When he hears movement, he thinks someone is around and he starts talking. That is because, according to the results of a study performed by Harry Harlow in the 1950’s, (Sarah Trenholm, 1994)humans need one another to regulate their physiology and that “individuals are not self-sufficient. We need others to transmit information that regulates our physical and emotional well-being.” Social Isolation can lead to inflammation and other health issues. That is what Dr. Kimberly Smith discovered in her research of social isolation and the effects it has on the human body. According to Smith, Isolation is associated with markers that indicate high levels of inflammation in the body. The more isolation, the higher those markers were. (World, 2020).
Chuck also experiences a significant change in body composition. He can be identified as overweight up entering the FED-EX cargo plane. After his return, he is significantly lighter. Most articles that discus isolation and diet refer to the effects of elderly or people who choose too socially isolate. When you look at the obvious side effects of individuals forced into social isolation, you may see weight decrease resulting from the switch from living to eat to eating to live. They no longer have the opportunity to celebrate with food, like the modern world does. You may also see an increase in bone density that might result in one who hunt and gathers for like Chuck does.
We have already discussed the need to have communication with another being and some of the negative results of isolation. But not having someone to talk to does not necessarily mean we do not communicate. Intrapersonal communication, or talking to ourselves. According to a snippet in the chapter Building Interpersonal Relationships, (Sarah Trenholm, 1994)” it is silent, taking place inside our heads. Most people believe that this kind of communication, called intrapersonal communication, is also more disconnected and repetitive and less logical than other forms of communication. Whenever you daydream or fantasize, consider a difficult personal problem, or try to make sense of the world around you, you are engaging in intrapersonal communication. You are both sender and receiver of your own message. “Intrapersonal communication is saved Chucked. When he didn’t have anyone to talk to, he talked to himself, created an individual, and gave him a name. He also drew characters on the wall in a cave and communicated with them. That refers back to attempting to make sense of the world around you.
According to the textbook, Interpersonal Communication (Sarah Trenholm, 1994) communication is difficult to define. It is also described as a process that has no beginning, no ending and is ever changing. Although Chuck was stranded on an island alone for seven years, he communicated with himself and individuals he created in his mind for survival. It is not something that we will ever fully understand and we cannot covet another’s definition of communication, because it is unique and personal to us, and it means what we want it to mean, when we need it.
I wanted to briefly touch on the statement I made about Chucks relationship to Kelly and the plane crash being the bright spot in the relationship. When Chuck was rescued and returned home, he found his girlfriend married with a child. Chuck was gone for 6 years. He had been in a relationship with Kelly for seven years before the crash. It didn’t take seven years for Kelly to meet someone new, get married and have a child. It only took about four. This should have communicated to Chuck that he was the issue. It was not the relationship with her ex-husband that kept her from remarrying, it was her relationship with Chuck. The plane crash was the best thing that could have happened to the relationship. She never would have married him. She confessed her love for him, which was fine, because she was married and had nothing to lose.
References
Lisowski, S. (2018, 09 03). Blame, the Process not People. Retrieved from Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/blame-process-people-sergiusz-lisowski/
Sarah Trenholm, A. J. (1994). Interpersonal Communication. Oxford New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.
World, T. S. (2020, July 13). How Does Social Isolation Affect Physical Health? Retrieved from The Scientific World: www.scientificworldinfo.com