Wilson the Volleyball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilson was the name given to a volleyball in the 2000 movie, Cast Away. In the film, the volleyball is the imaginary friend of Chuck Noland (portrayed by Tom Hanks), and serves as his only companion during the four years that the character spends alone on a deserted island after a plane crash. Wilson is named after the Wilson Sporting Goods company which made the volleyball.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
In the film, a volleyball is found in one of the FedEx boxes that Chuck Noland (Hanks) salvages from the plane crash. When Chuck tries to make a fire, he cuts his hand and angrily palms the volleyball and throws it. This leaves a hand-shaped blood mark on the ball. He then bandages his hands and wipes away some of the blood, making the volleyball's "face". He names it Wilson after the company that made it. Wilson plays the role of a mute, infinitely patient, non-living listener in the movie, providing Chuck with a companion for the 1,500 days he spends on the island. Wilson is also slightly modified by Noland sometime during the four-year gap; a section of the volleyball above the face has been removed and a coif of leaves has been inserted, serving as hair. From a theatrical standpoint, Wilson also serves to realistically simulate dialogue in a one-person only situation. Chuck is frequently seen talking to Wilson in the movie, and Wilson seems to 'talk' back to him, although Chuck only imagines this. At first, Chuck only jokingly talked to Wilson, with questions like "You wouldn't happen to have a match, would you?" but after years of isolation Chuck begins to see Wilson as an actual being, and not an inanimate object. For example, in one scene Chuck blames Wilson for waking him up and yells at Wilson to shut up. He also reveals that it was Wilson who "suggested" Chuck test his rope before attempting suicide, an act which later proved to save him from severe injury, as the log which held the rope couldn't support the weight of a dummy.
Tragically, Chuck loses Wilson after the volleyball washes off the raft and drifts too far out to sea for Chuck to be able to retrieve it. Chuck cries after failing to save Wilson and throws away his oars, seemingly losing the will to live after "losing" his only "friend". Chuck is still eventually rescued, but Wilson was lost forever. However towards the film's end, Noland is seen driving with a brand new volleyball sitting in the passenger seat.
The reason why one would want to befriend an inanimate object, such as a volleyball in this case, would be because of lack of social contact. One might develop these types of friends in order to cope with extreme stress and separation from society.
[edit] Culture
- Wilson the Volleyball has been the subject of humour amongst pop culture, having been parodied in Scary Movie 2, Family Guy, Saturday Night Live and Mad.
- In the MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing, a player can create a blood-faced volleyball using the bloody hand effect. To promote a bit of creativity, it is not allowed to be named "Wilson".
- In the film Madagascar, Alex yells "Shut up, Spalding!" to a basketball similar to Wilson.
- In the film Behind Enemy Lines, Owen Wilson's character can be heard screaming "Wilson!" when his football is catapulted off an aircraft carrier.
- The Stargate Atlantis episode "Epiphany" makes a reference to Wilson when Lt. Colonel John Sheppard, stranded in a cave, says into his radio, "This is Sheppard. I'm pretty sure you can't hear me, but I don't have a volleyball to talk to, so what the hell."
