A Journey Moved by Others
“Trees are amongst the many objects that link or punctuate the film and, as with most of the objects, are more readily associated with violence and death than with regeneration and life. Trees are framed as Mona is raped. Trees (plane trees) have been ‘colonized/’raped’ by a deathly American-imported fungus (gift of World War II). Mona immediately identifies with their destiny: ‘si elles cre`vent, pensez `a moi’ (‘if they perish, think of me’), she says (my stress) (Hayward 293).
When Mona was dropped off in the woods by the professor none of the trees around looked fully alive, it seemed as though they were struggling for whatever was left. Hayward talks about how Mona associates herself with these trees, and she actually does blend in as she stays there for awhile setting up her tent and campfire. When the professor tells Mona about the deadly fungus she could careless and actually hopes that they just all die. Mona’s point of view of those trees is how some people view her. I agree with Hayward’s statement because Mona was raped around those trees that were deadly violated by the fungus: she was violated as they were. Even though this is a road film like Easy Rider there were more differences than similarities. The similarities I saw were that they both liked doing drugs and neither found a place they could reside in for long. One of the differences was that in Easy Rider, Wyatt (a male) controlled the story, the movement of the plot. Whereas in Vagabond, Mona did not have much control as Wyatt did. In Easy Rider, all the scenery shots were either just scenery shots or involved Wyatt and Billy. In Vagabond, the scenery shots start at Mona and moves away from her, all the way until the viewers can no longer see her: even when it goes from scenery to Mona it moves pass her, once again removing her completely. Wyatt and Billy are never removed completely. Even though Mona was the main object she was not always the main focus. Mona was on a journey but never moving until she was moved by someone. I personally enjoy watching Easy Rider more than Vagabond.