To quote Lionel Messi; “You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.” Matt Whyman’s The Wild, embodies this spirit, as the protagonist, sixteen year old Alexi, sacrifices his own desires as he departs on a harrowing journey to search for a cure to his younger brother, Misha’s, illness. Alexi illegally travels across the border into the metropolitan city of Moscow from the deserted Aral Sea that he knows to be home. Whyman is artistic as he explores the stark contrast of The Wild’s settings, using imagery to stimulate the reader’s imagination and providing a foundation on which they may develop an appreciation for the influence of different environments. The Wild’s settings are hostile environments, in which …show more content…
Whyman repeatedly implies that Misha’s return to the Aral Sea will result in his premature death due to the hazardous environment, in which produce is considered to be a pollutant and the air is thick with chemicals not fit for human consumption. The devastated wasteland of the Aral Sea is juxtaposed with the metropolitan Moscow, which is rich with opportunities to progress in the world. Healthy goods are often wasted and picked over by the roaming feral dogs and lost children of Russia. It is apparent that the people of Aral are willing to sacrifice their health for their ancestors’ homes, whereas the people of Moscow sacrifice little as the essentials are readily available to them. Throughout Misha’s life, he made necessary sacrifices, such as his childhood that he exchanged for the opportunity to create an income for his motherless family. This history of selflessness continued as Misha relinquished his position as crew leader in order to travel to Moscow to find a cure for Alexi’s illness. This is considered as the only appropriate reaction in Aral, yet when Misha arrives in Moscow, he is confronted with the reality of a selfish world. The only person willing to remotely help the brothers is a young doctor. He is not willing to potentially sacrifice his career to ensure the safety of the young foreign boys, and offers a few dollars instead. The brutal differences between the two locations support the central theme of