Karen Character Analysis in Wild

Cheryl’s older sister. A well-meaning but sensitive woman who is unable to confront or deal with their mother’s illness and death, and only visits Bobbi once in the hospital during her struggle with cancer. By the time Cheryl sets out on the PCT, she and Karen, once-close, have drifted far apart both emotionally and physically.

Karen Character Timeline in Wild

The timeline below shows where the character Karen appears in Wild. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Growing up, Cheryl’s mother always told Cheryl and her siblings Karen and Leif that she loved them so much the amount couldn’t be “quantified or contained,”... (full context)

...the wild land and build a small house upon it, and eventually, Cheryl’s mother, Cheryl, Karen, and Leif moved onto the property full-time while Eddie stayed behind in the city to... (full context)

...mother, that “something inside of [her] was dead to Paul.” Cheryl only managed to get Karen to visit once, and could not get Leif to come to the hospital at all.... (full context)

...frayed and distant in the years since her mother’s death. She rarely sees Leif or Karen and has divorced Paul recently “after a harrowing yearlong separation.” (full context)

...She hydrates and reads the letters that have arrived for her from Paul, Joe, and Karen. Cheryl organizes her backpack and sorts through her heavy load of food from her resupply... (full context)