My ideas are to compare the hardships that Chris and Robyn face within the natural environment. For example Robyn encounters misogyny and racism while Chris encounters (legal) obligations etc.
Hey viralcricstar, great start. My knowledge of ITW/Tracks is a bit rusty but here are some things you could consider:
- How are you defining the "natural environment"? Literally, as being in outdoors in nature like Chris in the Alaskan Wilderness and Robyn in the desert, more figuratively, as in being a space where you're at your rawest form, unburdened by responsibilities and peripheral needs, or both?
- Chris and Robyn's perception of their natural surroundings change as their journeys progress. Chris initially only sees the natural environment for what it can offer him (e.g opening sequence where he jovially goes "is anybody out here?","I guess not!"; completely oblivious to the danger of nature hinted in the previous scene with the dead trees) but eventually realises that nature is harsh and unforgiving if not taken seriously (e.g scene where he goes "where the fuck are the animals now?!"; when he realises he's stuck because the river is too strong to cross). Robyn for the outset acknowledges that nature is dangerous (e.g description of Alice Spring as this man-made settlement dwarfed by the natural landscape backdrop; when Robyn goes find the camel that ran away, she describes the landscape as 'hellish' and gives this grotesque description of how her and Diggity would die if they got lost in it) and eventually views nature as 'the sublime' (e.g after Diggity dies, she notes how the natural environment had this cathartic effect on her; metaphor where she notes how nature made feel like she stretched on forever and ever, in comparison to her restrictive life back home). What do you think lead to these changes?
- While in their natural environments, both Robyn and Chris have many revelation about their relationships with other people. For example, Chris writes "happiness is only real when shared"; how does that compare to his previous attitude towards his parents who are "living their life somewhere", and Ron who he just coldly left despite the time they spent together. Likewise with Robyn, how does her relationship in particular with Mr Eddie and Rick develop? She initially was completely against Rick coming on the trip with her and hated his guts, but then she ends having sex with him in the desert and relying on him for support when one of the camels get sick. And with Mr Eddie, Robyn was originally just this 'white person looking in' but in the end, she notes the profound impact he had on how she experienced the trip. How did all of this occur, and what role did the natural environment have in it?
- Nature being a place of solitude is also something you could talk about. Look at Chris' death scene (in particular, all the revelations he has towards the end) and Robyn's reflections and description of the landscape when alone (e.g immediately after leaving, when she says she now felt truly alone; can't remember the part specifically but it was at the end/start of the parts)
- Also consider both Chris' and Robyn's reflections about the lack of social pressures (for Chris, the song lyrics is a good place to look) in the natural environment.
Hope that helps!
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