Do you feel that their hike really counts as hiking the Appalachian Trail even though it was only 39% of the trail?.Mary Ellen is one, for instance: how do you feel about their treatment of her? Do you view these “asides” as positive or negative in the structure of the book?

You might also talk about the numerous characters Bryson and Katz meet on the trail.Bryson ponders the attraction of hiking: ''You have no engagements, commitments, obligations, or duties no special ambitions and only the smallest, least complicated of wants you exist in a tranquil tedium, serenely beyond the reach of exasperation.' If you're a hiker, backpacker, camper, are your experiences similar to or different from Bryson's? For those who aren't hikers, are there other avenues to 'exist in a tranquil tedium'?.You? What about the interactions between them and the other characters in the book? Did you find the relationships humorous? Katz pokes fun at rural Southerners, which some readers find funny, others find offensive.Is Bryson's anger justified? He criticizes, but does he offer solutions? Are there solutions? In fact, the book is a sort of jeremiad against environmental threats to the great wilderness areas of the country. The tone of the book veers back and forth between humor and seriousness, even anger.Although A Walk isn't a novel, do either of the men come to greater self-awareness by the end of their journey? In fiction a journey usually symbolizes a journey of self-discovery-at the end the protagonist comes to learn something about him/herself.Do the two men remind you of friends who tested your patience, but who exhibited intense loyalty? The book offers an excellent microscope through which to examine the meaning of friendship-our own friendships.How does Bryson's attitude toward Katz change over the course of the book? How does Katz himself change? Or does he? What was Katz's motivation, anyway, to walk the AT? What is the relationship based on? Consider, especially, the episode in Maine when Katz gets lost: somehow the friendship is altered. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the unlikely friendship between Bryson and Katz.

Bill bryson a walk in the woods film