WS 3371 Fall 2007

I think one of the most interesting things that Neale talks about is dependency on certain technological items. For instance, he talks about not wanting a gun because he is afraid if will give him too much comfort and security. Once the gun runs out of bullets or stops working, he thinks that this sense of security will be gone and it would make life worse for him. The same idea goes for the radio. He talks of these things as if they provide him safety, security and comfort when he is alone and is afraid of the consequences of taking these items. I also think its somewhat ironic about how he talks about not wanting to use the gun, because he doesn’t like to “kill” things (isn’t he going to “kill” things through fishing and hunting if needed?)

Throughout the essay Neale is focused on the belongings he is going to take with him to Suvarov. He scarcely mentions his excitement about actually living by himself with nature. He is completely consumed by his lists of items, and maybe loses sight of what the trip is really supposed to be about (what is the point of taking the trip if he plans to have all of the same luxuries of home?). When he learns of the reroute of the Mahurangi it would seem natural that he would be upset, but instead of being sad and frustrated that the trip is postponed (a trip he had been anticipating since his youth), he is in a panic to get all of his belongings back.
I think in this case this focus on technology places a barrier between human and nature. Can he truely appriciate nature without being tested by it? Does technology make it impossible to have a meaningful experience with nature?

Upon reading Neale's passage, the first thing that struck me was that the idea of him taking all these items goes against the traditional thought of being "stranded." Typically, when the subject of being stranded on a deserted island arises in a conversation, those engaged are challenged to choose only three items to take with them. As Neale proves in this piece, however, one would need far more than only three items to survive all alone on an uninhabited island. Upon reading his laundry list of items he intends to take with him, I am convinced that Neale knows he would not be able to survive without the help from several technologies, as well as a few luxuries. I found that he prioritized some technologies, those he saw as essential, ahead of others that might have better ensured his longevity. For example, deciding not to take a gun, but not hesitating to take items like butter, tea, and paint. Did Neale lose sight of enjoying the experience at the expense of making sure he will be able to live comfortably? Neale talked about items providing him with comfort on the island and decided not to bring certain objects with him for fear of what he would do without them. How safe will he feel about survival once he loses the luxury of having cooking supplies and needs to take a technological “step back?”

I immediately got a sense as a reader, to cheer for Neale as he prepared for his journey. I was excited for him as he gathered supplies and filled his shack. He seemed very thorough as he planned and gathered the supplies he would need for his stay. Even in describing his preparation methods and thoughts in the weeks leading up to the departure he was extremely descriptive. Everything he brought a reason and a use, and a certain way of storing for travel.
I thought that it was interesting that as a reader we don’t really know what Neale’s background is or what he is doing in this coast town anyways, but the author hardly leaves room for imagination in describing his actions before the his departure.
At the end of this reading I found myself feeling for Neale with a slight anger toward the shipmaster when route was changed. Then I thought about all the preparations that went into this trip and how one small detail can seemingly ruin everything. But this whole thing branched from a favor of the captain to stop at Suvarov.

I agree with the fact that Neale's list of items does defeat the purpose of living with nature. Throughout the chapter, he continues to mention more and more items that he believes will be "useful". His behavior only suggests that he is unsure of what to expect. Besides being isolated from the rest of the world, he is actually living as he would be in a city. The fact that he decides to bring luxuries such as tobacco and spices verses something that can be far more important such as the shotgun surprises me. In reality, all he really needs is a shotgun, couple crates full of ammo, and some fire making device to survive on this island. Even then, having technologies such as a shotgun and fire making device would completely defeat the purpose of living with nature as much as the list of items he decides to bring.

First, I have to agree with the majority of the posts before mine that Neale's items made living in isolation "too easy" for him. Obviously bringing food, medicine, tools, etc. with him shows how his situation is different from the standard stranded on an island scenario. But for me the one thing that he brought that really made me question his priorities was the razor. He references Robinson Crusoe in this bit and I think it really shows the difference between the two men. I don’t know about anyone else but for a guy to be really stranded, nothing shows it better than a big, shaggy beard. I mean, when they picked up Tom Hanks at the end of “Castaway” you knew that he lived in isolation and had to depend on whatever he could find in the wilderness because he had that wild hair and bushy beard. If Neale was going to live on this island to get away from society and technology then there would be no point in bringing a razor.

Another bit from the chapter that stuck out to me was after explaining why he didn’t want to bring a gun, Neale explained that he felt he “had to meet the challenge of Suvarov on terms which would not change with the years.” I thought that if he really stuck to this, he wouldn’t have brought the flour, sugar, toothpaste, shoes, nails, writing supplies, medicine, tobacco, the list goes on and on. Most of the things he brings with him are things he can’t replace once he gets onto the island. Eventually he’s going to run out of these things and therefore change his experience on Suvarov. I think he kind of defeats the purpose of going to live there right from the get-go.

What do you bring to a desert island? Before I read this chapter, I asked myself that particular question. Food, shelter, and clothing were the first things that popped into my mind.

Tom Neale had these three necessities in mind. His food list perfected. I just wonder how long a 50 pound sack of flour would last? Also, what does he plan to do for fresh water? What would happen if his garden doesn’t grow, and he can’t catch fish?

Tom also has the tools required to construct a shelter. Additionally, some of his tools (i.e. axe, machetes, and a tomahawk) serve as multi-purpose tools as they can be used for building a shelter, protecting him from danger, and hunting for food.

One thing that really surprised me was that Tom was only bringing a few pairs of clothing and six pairs of shoes. It sounds like he would like to stay on the island for a couple of years from his reference to the razor blades. If you are spending two years on a desert island, wouldn’t you want more clothing? Or at least fabric to construct more clothing?

Overall, I am under the impression that Tom will survive on the island for a couple months, but I don’t think he has enough supplies to stay indefinitely.

I also agree with most of the other postings. I found it very ironic that Neale was so excited to go to the "deserted island" and be one with nature but at the same time he was not really getting away from civilization completely. When I picture a deserted island it is a remote place excluded from most modern inventions and technologies; however that is not what I picture when thinking of Neale on his island. He was bringing so many things that are not naturally found on a remote island that it seemed almost pointless to pack up and move there. For example, he was so concerned with bringing the bag of flour that he opted for a 70 pound bag instead of 50. That just seems very ridiculous to me. Flour is a luxury that Neale was so used to having that he could not picture living on the island without it as well as the other “necessities” he bought to bring along. I found irony in the ending of the story as well. When Neale learned that all of his possessions were being shipped to a different route he went into a panic. He was so concerned with making sure his items were removed and returned to him that it took away from the purpose of his trip. He was not venturing to a remote area anymore, he was just making the island into a more tropical version of the home he already had and the lifestyle he was accustomed to. I think that this essay was a great example of how important technology has become to humans. We have become so comfortable with having such a large variety of belongings in our daily lives that it is hard to imagine living without them, even if our intent is to do so and get back to nature.

I do not know exactly what grows on Suvarov island, therefore, I can't say that Neale was going to extreme measures with his purchases. If this is, however, for the purpose of trying to overcome the obstacles that nature may present than Neale is going over the top. I am not sure that this story is about that. My interpretation of of this story is that it's about a man who is scared because he is unsure of himself. A man that has not accomplished what he set out to do in his youth and now needs to prove to the young man that he once was. His obsession with his lists and parcels suggests to me that he tries to carry on the order of his home to a foreign place. These lists may also be of comfort should he ever come to point where it has all gotten to be too much to handle.

Neale's writing style was a little strange at first... it took some getting used to for me. Once i did, however, the story was pretty intriguing.

Anyway, on to the comments. As i see many have mentioned above, i was surprised at the amount of things he was taking. When i heard about the topic of the story in class, i was expecting the usual bare minimum, "If you were stuck on a desert island what ONE thing would you bring" sort of scenario. But no, sir! This was not the case. Not only was he bringing essentials like food, clothing, etc., but he was bringing luxuries like a toothbrush and coffee. This is most certainly not what i was expecting.

I'm guessing, because i haven't read the rest of the book, maybe he's bringing all this stuff knowing it's going to run out or go bad some day. Maybe he hopes to get used to living on the island and supporting himself in a way that can continue without store-bought goods. Maybe i'm only mentioning this because i really like the idea of him taking all this stuff to wean himself from civilized, social life, but it certainly seems like a good idea to me.

So maybe, as it is suggested before, his intention is not to simply distance himself from others while maintaining his life as it was, but instead to slowly adapt to life alone on an island; beginning with all his luxuries and everything he knew back home and little by little lose them and become free.

First things first, this was a great read and I'm dying to read more!

I agree with the majority of the posts here. As I read through my notes, I concluded that Neale was very cynical as he chose to take a lot of things that I personally felt were not essential to "surviving" on a desolate island: shallots, coffee grinder, old silver teapot, and oh, the dish cloths. Wow! If moving to a deserted island is that simple, I believe a lot of people would do it for peace of mind. I also couldn't believe he packed two cats. That's the absolute last thing I would think about if I had take that voyage.

A few questions that I wanted to raise to the class: 1) What would you take with you to a deserted island if you had to be there for two weeks? 2) Does his supply list align with yours?

First question that comes to my mind when reading this article is when he talks about this whole adventure of a lifelong dream. Who and for what reason does anyone make this their lifelong dream? Most people's lifelong dream is that of the American dream, not leaving civilization to go and live on a desert island alone.
Besides this, how would Neale or anyone for that matter even begin to prepare for an adventure like this. I mean sure we have all planned a weekend or weeklong camping trip before, but Neale is leaving for this desert island for good. I mean sure Neale has done a great job of stocking up on tools and food, but I don't feel he will be prepared for what lies ahead of him at Suvarov.

First question that comes to my mind when reading this article is when he talks about this whole adventure of a lifelong dream. Who and for what reason does anyone make this their lifelong dream? Most people's lifelong dream is that of the American dream, not leaving civilization to go and live on a desert island alone.
Besides this, how would Neale or anyone for that matter even begin to prepare for an adventure like this. I mean sure we have all planned a weekend or weeklong camping trip before, but Neale is leaving for this desert island for good. I mean sure Neale has done a great job of stocking up on tools and food, but I don't feel he will be prepared for what lies ahead of him at Suvarov.

About three or four majors ago i was considering a career in the field of clinical psychology. It would have been a great way to gain exposure to a wide variety of different perspectives. I decided against it, realizing the setting for meeting these minds would be far to artificial and to rely more on chance. The author of this story would most likely have been equally at home in solitary confinement or the isolation of island living. either way i think he may have realized he would end up in the former if he did not volunteer to retire to the latter. I wish he would have talked a little more about his reasons for leaving the mainland and what he hoped to accomplish by doing so. I get the feeling that his reason for this lack of explanation would be that what he was searching for would be difficult to put into words that "normal" people could relate to. Perhaps he was only chasing ghosts but just as likely he may have discovered the same reality that appeared to Thoreau after his experiment at Walden. Part of me wants to know what happened but the other side just does not care. It only urges me to begin thinking about what will be on my own shopping list when the time is right.

I like Neal; however, I believe he is a bit crazy. The idea he has of completely leaving civilization is very misconstrued. He is choosing to leave people behind but this doesn’t mean he is leaving behind civilization or technology. I think this shows how difficult it is for us as humans to completely be ‘one’ with nature. Even an item such as a bamboo stick displays how deeply we rely on tools and technology. Neal physically ‘needs’ these items to survive, but I believe the emotion need/attachment is even stronger. He is emotionally attached to these items so strongly that he considers them more of a necessity in his life than human contact. As someone mentioned earlier, when his trip to Suvarov was postponed he was in despair with being parted with his items. Although I understand why Neal wants to separate himself from civilization as much as he can, aren’t humans inherently social creatures? I find it hard to believe that material items will be satisfactory.

I have never heard of anyone doing something like this, and it was very interesting top hear about his preparations. The generosity of people when they figured out that what he was doing was unique. I wonder if that would happen in the United States? It was very unique how he was able leave the modern world, modern technology, and people.
I think the situation about his departure was ironic. When he was ready to go to the island, where there was no modern technology and he really wasn’t bringing any technology, his trip was probably delayed by technology.

I'm not sure if I'm supposed to write one post or two, so I'll just write a second one. Something I didn't focus on too much my first post but other people have mentioned it, and I think it’s important, is Neale's reaction when the boat wasn't able to bring him to the island. I think his initial panic to get all of his belongings returned to him really showed how attached people are to material things and subsequently the technology that goes with it. I can understand his panic because all of his possessions (besides his bike) are on that boat. I’d want my stuff too. I think his reaction also shows how dependent he is on those possessions. Had the boat left with his stuff, he’d be stranded, but this time people would be around. And you’d think he wouldn’t mind that so much since he wanted to be stranded on an island in the first place. So that makes me think that he didn’t really intend to get back to nature or live off the land the way we assumed, it makes me think that he just wanted to be a hermit. A hermit with all the comforts of home. On a side note, I tried thinking of a list of things I would bring with me on a deserted island. I was able to think of more things I couldn’t bring than things that I could/should.

The Main character is not only packing up material items for the trip of his lifetime, but seems to be also packing up and sorting through his personal home life as well. Throughout the chapter 2, he seems to be reflecting and focusing on his work, as well as his previous living situation more than the items he is supposed to be packing up. I really like how in the story he constantly goes off on tangents, each new item he packs up seems to bring up a certain situation or aspect of his life, which then leads to a new item, and so on. Like I said above, I believe he is also sorting out his previous social life and packing up memories to bring with him. I agree with him though, you should not only have the necessary supplies to survive, but also the right mind set for the journey.
I also liked the classic lesson at the end of the chapter. I took the lesson to be, that ‘you should never put all of you eggs in one basket.’ If his friend would not have helped him out at the end he would have been really hurting. Overall, I enjoyed the writing style and content of the chapter; it seems to be a good read thus far.

It's funny how some technology can lose its value without the existence of other humans. Neal knew that he probably would not need a gun because the island was free from wild animals and people he would have to protect himself from. Why else would he need one? I also thought it was interesting that each thing that he bought had an intrinsic value and a projected value- the kerosene tins could be used to boil water in, nails to repair a boat as well as a make a new shelter. I don't know where this part comes in but this chapter made me wonder in what situations if any does technology become obsolete?

Neale is about to fulfill his dream of living on a desert island. It seems to me that one would want to do this to not only exit society but to also simplify life. Simplicity on a desert island suggests a minimal amount of tools (technology). Each time Neale would go to the store in the two weeks prior to his original date of departure he seemed to always be thinking of more and more items that he needed to bring with him. It was like the longer he thought about it, the more items Neale could not live without. I was surprised that he wanted to bring so much. However, I should not assume that everyone that wants to live on a desert island wants to have the "roughing it" experience.

When 'Neale' was listing all the items he would need to bring on his journey, I thought he was being selfish. He listed some necessary items but as the story continued he mentioned things like lava rocks, cats, linoleum for a kitchen table, etc. Although he gave legitimate reasons how he would personally find use from these items, they took away from the feeling of adventure. He would be living in luxury on a desert island. I began to think of Tom Hanks in Cast Away and how he never had control of what he had. He survived on the land. On the other hand, in order to actually leave Raro, Neale needed to bring (in a sense) Raro with him. He brought all of his everyday things that would or eventually bring him comfort. All this technology was such a big part of his life he couldn’t let go of it. He couldn’t fend for himself and discover new ways of living, which in an ironic way takes away the freedom he was seeking.

I agree with a majority of the posts here; Neale’s list of items to bring on a deserted island defeats the purpose of moving to a deserted island One thing that surprised me; was that Tom did not want to bring a gun to the island. A gun and a few other things like extra clothes and ammo would be all he needed. I also thought it was strange that he grabbed the pump off his bike, because he wanted to take “everything”. When I was reading, I thought that maybe he was getting scared of not having technologies around him to make his life easier, so he grabbed the last technology that he could. After I was done reading I was thinking of what I would bring to a deserted island and I could just think of things I could not bring like my computer.

I was under the impression in the beginning of the story that Neale was just going to try and survive on a deserted island with very limited resources (like a Tom Hanks in Castaway). But as you read on and on you realize that Neale is basically setting up shop on the island. He seems to think of all possible situations that could happen while he's on the island and brings along items that will make his island life easier.

I find it funny how he decides to not bring certain items (radio, shotgun) due to those items dieing or relying on them too much but has only so many bags of food that would last him a while but would still eventually run out or spoil. Nothing will last forever, so Neale might as well have just brought everything since he could.

After reading this and knowing my lifestyle, I could not just get up and go live on a deserted island as it seems he does.

Since we talked about how much we rely on technology in class on Tuesday it was interesting to see what kind of technology Neale relied on in the 1950's. It was very easy for Neale to buy the simple things like flour and sugar, but there is a lot of technology that went into the flour and sugar. These items, which most of us and Neale probably take for granted, have to be harvested, processed and most important transported. As you can tell by what Neale buys for his trip to the island he is very dependent on technology, even if he doesn't realize it.

Neale is aware of some of his dependency on technology. That is why he doesn't bring a radio or gun. He is worried that when the batteries and bullets run out he will be helpless without those technologies. I think it would be interesting to try to list all of the technologies we use in one day.

I found Tom Neale's account of his efforts to pack for a lengthy solitary stay on an island to be very interesting. He seemed to be agonizing over what he needed to pack for his trip.

His idea to live on a deserted island sounds both exciting and frightening. He had the unenviable task of packing items that would cover almost any need that could arise. On a lesser scale, I can relate. Whenever I have any sort of trip planned, I obsess about the items that I need to bring along. Will it be hot? Will it rain? How much food do I need to bring?

In wanting to escape from civilization, Neale had to give up a lot of luxuries that he enjoyed. He could only pack a limited number of items that were not considered essential. He was roughing it.

But as I read on through the chapter, and read about all the items that Neale was bringing, it occurred to me that he wasn't really going to be living in a primitive manner at all. He was basically planning to camp in comfort. His packing list accounted for items that would wear and need replacement. He apparently had no intention to learn how to fashion lamp wicks and make his own soap. His motives were to escape the daily toils of civilization and live comfortably on his own. Had his intentions been to test himself and see how well he could survive with limited resources, he would have packed far less gear.

I found this to reflect how life really works. I have experienced such instances, like Tom Neale, where I am all prepared and then suddenly your plans change and you have to be flexible and move forward. The detail of this chapter and the excitement that I even had for the passage to the Desert Island was intense. I make lists for my travels and seem to forget few things but I would be upset if I was unable to keep my belongings after knowing I wouldn’t be on the boat. There was a lot of the chapter dedicated to the pre-departure and little after Tom’s travel plans had to be delayed. I was a little disappointed in this because I would have liked to hear about how he dealt with the schedule change or what he did to occupy himself. Sometimes it is difficult to read just a passage out of a book or chapter but I found it easy to dive right into this section, understand and follow what was happening.

After reading this article, I found the plans will never be the same as what we expected to happen. Before we doing something big, we always think we have a nice lay out o everything and so well prepared forget to prepare a back up plan. Like Neale's little bit crazy plan, I have to move from places to places very often, everysingle time i moves, i have at least 10 pages of listings of what i'll need to get, but then i forget to get something else then i'll have to run back to the store and get it. I believe when Neale get to Suvarov and actually starts his new life there, he'll starting to realize he's forgetting to bring something.

We are a very tool dependant animal. for example when i first arrive here in the US. I feel like i'm physically challenged without cars!! Yes without cars i can't move, i can't shop, not to mention i'll have to personally carry all the stuff that i brought with me. If i was Neale, I'll definitely put a huge truck into my list if i could, or else at least something that can carries his 21 packages and other tools. But then i'll probably have to prepare some gasoline..tools for fixing the cars and so on. So the list will never be ended. Things will never be like what he expected to happens.

After skimming what others wrote above me, I realized something immediately: How can one place judgement on Tom Neale's motivation and strategies for preparing to live on a deserted island when humans by nature live, speak, and therefore think differently. I think this chapter on Neales prepreation to leave his current 'home' is allowing him to subtly describe in detail the simplicity of his life thus far, allowing the reader to infer his motifs for wanting to live completely alone on a deserted island. He has perspective and brilliance only one can gain with time-- at least that is my opinion. The reason i believe he brings these 'unnecessary' items (jam, razor blades, coffee, tins, cat, etc.) is because the man knows what he likes. He knows how to sustain his indiviual life style. That right there is nearly genius to me, someone who wouldn't know what to bring to camp for two weeks. He can generate a list--a mental list-- of things that he needs. To conclude my point about how us humans think differently, my mental notes can never be reliable considering I am writing this comment days late.

Neale seems to argue that as human beings, no matter how simple or few our 'personal effects' are, when being honest with yourself, it is enjoyable to have objects that bring you happiness. Jam. Books. Writing Material. For others these may be cars, guns, cell phones, company, sexual company.
i have nothing to compare to neale's story; all i can relate to is the envy i share with his friends of his residencey in the book. Envy of his detatchment from technology, his detachment from material needs. We all can criticize him for not brining a gun-- but then again thats the reason none of us will be spending time on a desserted island alone, am i correct?
lastly, i really like the quote to the point that i laughed out loud in a coffee shop-- "And, perhaps most of all, the prospect of being cooped up with a woman who might eventually annoy me, of being imprisoned with her--like a criminal on Devil's Island, without hope of escape--made me shudder."
tom neale is one thing--honest with himself.