Belonging

“In their search for belonging, individuals must navigate the pressures that impact on their identity”
It is the challenges and pressures of society that shape our identity, allowing us to discover who we truly are and find a sense of belonging. Emily Dickinson’s poem I had been hungry all the years and Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild explore the underlying themes of alienation from society and belonging to nature, and through each protagonist’s search for belonging, it can be seen that the trials of nature and society bring into question an individual’s identity and in turn reveals their true desire to belong.
The social isolation experienced by the persona in I had been hungry all the years is contrasted with her desire to belong to society, and is the main obstacle between her and a sense of communion. The extended metaphor of ‘hungry’ is used to reinforce the persona’s outsider status and emphasises her desire for the sense of community she has observed in others “I looked in windows, for the wealth”. The emotive language in “I, trembling, drew the table near,” highlights the trepidation felt by the persona as she interacts with the “curious wine”, demonstrating her fear of the mystery of society. Though she overcomes this momentous obstacle and finally ‘tastes’ a sense of communion, the confusion she experiences causes her to question her identity, and is reinforced through the simile of “As berry of a mountain bush Transplanted to the road”; highlighting the persona’s shock that there must be sacrifice of individuality in return for acceptance.
Similarly, in Into the Wild, the protagonist Christopher McCandless distances himself from society, being unable to handle the pressure from his parents. The close-up shot of McCandless’ burning ID cards is symbolic of his rejection of the tangible world, and highlights his shifting identity as he searches for belonging. During his journey he befriends a multitude of people, suggesting that he has a place in society. However, this subconscious desire to belong is juxtaposed with his alienation, emphasised when he sits aside from a hippie couple. The use of proxemics demonstrates the internal struggle between his conflicting desires of individuality and acceptance, but being unable to face the challenges of life reflected in his companions, he continues to seek a life of isolation. His comment “you’re wrong if you think the joy of life comes from human relationships” exemplifies the animosity between himself and society, and highlights the reconstruction of his identity as a recluse.
Although the pressures of society may cause alienation, it inevitably leads to the individual seeking liberation from their isolation and consequently a new identity. The persona in I had been hungry all the years attains refuge in nature, and her affinity for it is emphasised in the metaphor of “Nature’s dining-room”. The overwhelming disorientation resulting from her segregation from nature is epitomised in the odd syntax of “myself felt ill and odd”, leading to the realisation that she does not truly desire communion, and prefers the adequacy of nature. The tonal shift in “Nor was I hungry;” reinforces this realisation and represents the dualities of temptation and repulsion that demonstrate the uncertainty of life. Although the persona yearns to be part of the communion, she prizes her identity too much to sacrifice it and therefore ends her search for belonging, having discovered it in nature.
Correspondingly, Into the Wild explores the retreat into nature as a catalyst for the reform of identity. McCandless assumes the name Alexander Supertramp, symbolising the sacrifice of identity required to become accepted by nature. The mise en scene of him in the centre of a forest reinforces the notion that the rejection of society induces a sense of belonging to nature. However, unlike Dickinson, Penn quickly subverts this idea through the metaphor of the moose, symbolic of nature’s rejection of McCandless. This exclusive hostility is juxtaposed with the connection McCandless believed he had with nature, highlighting how the feeling of belonging must be mutual. As he dramatically dies, a close-up shot is used to emphasise his cathartic moment, revealing tears on his face as he writes “Happiness only real when shared”, demonstrating his final understanding of himself as he realises he belongs with his family where he is accepted.
Both I had been hungry all the years and Into the Wild portray how alienation from society can force a change in an individual’s identity, and reveals how nature can be crucial in self acceptance. Thus, the resonance of these notions allow for the understanding that the pressures an individual must navigate in life will dispel a false desire to belong, and reveal their true home.