Connecting "Braiding Sweetgrass" to Eddie Vedder music and "Into the Wild"

Emily Vasconcelos

9 February 2018

ENG 102-037

Professor Santos


   One of my favorite movies is "Into the Wild". The movie is about a recent college graduate leaving his life and money behind, to go on an expedition across America to remove himself from society's expectations and to connect with the aspects of nature. In the movie, the music is by my idol,  Eddie Vedder. The movie playlist has a transcendentalism and calming aspects in sense that nature is a very relevant theme in every song and makes you think about how society and Earth's relationship intertwine with each other. A song that puts me in zen mood, is titled, "Hard Sun". The song is about a person's relationship to Earth. Vedder does not make Earth as an "it" in the song, but rather as a "she".

   The opening lyrics, "When I walk beside her, I am the better man. When I look to leave her, I always stagger back again", to me, symbolizes how people can be better and improved people if they were to be kind, gentle, and connected to Earth, and if they decide to "leave" Earth, they will find a way back to love her. The chorus lyrics, "There's a big, a big hard sun. Beaten on the big people. In the big hard world", represents to me that even though life maybe tough at times or at most times, the Sun and Earth, will always be here to protect us, even if we might not expect it.

   Throughout the time we've spent on "Braiding Sweetgrass", I am consistently thinking of connections to the book, to "Into the Wild", and the music with the movie. The biggest connection I've noticed is Kimmerer speaking of society with our consumer needs and how people do not appreciate Earth's gifts to us, and the movie, and music with the movie, is all about society's twisted views on standards, and as well as our greed for Earth's resources. Kimmerer is always mentioning the idea of reciprocity in the book. That theme and idea is relevant in "Into the Wild". The main character in the movie, is over society's general greed on everything in life, not just greed with Earth. That's why he left his home. He wanted to escape our selfishness and wanted to live with Earth's beauties.

    I think we can we all learn a lesson or two about our greed, societal standards, and appreciation for Earth from "Into the Wild", "Braiding Sweetgrass", and Eddie Vedder beautifully written songs.

PS.) Please watch "Into the Wild" and listen to the movie's playlist! You will be amazed, shocked, and pleasantly surprised :)