Cast Away [Interpersonal Communications]

Cast Away is a film about a man who is stranded on an uninhabited island after his place crashes on a flight over the Pacific Ocean. The main character, Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks, is a FedEx employee who attempts to survive on the land using remnants of the plane’s cargo. During a violent thunderstorm, Noland’s plane flew off course. The plane landed in the water, and he was able to survive by hanging on to a life raft until it washed up on an island. In an attempt to make a fire with two sticks, Noland receives a wound to his hand. In anger, he throws several objects, including a Wilson volleyball from one of the FedEx packages. Afterwards, he notices the bloody hand print on the ball, draws a face on it, and named it “Wilson.” Noland develops an interpersonal relationship with “Wilson” despite the fact that the ball is not human.
Wilson provided aspects of interpersonal interaction to the lonely cast away. Although Wilson did not have ears, he performed receiver functions, and in Noland’s mind, Wilson comprehended the messages, and even responded at times. I consider the relationship between Noland and Wilson to be complementary. The two engage in different behaviors, and one serves as a stimulus for the other’s complementary behavior. Noland was able to self-disclose himself to Wilson at any moment he needed, because Wilson was there at all times. Because Wilson fulfilled many of Noland’s interpersonal necessities, I conclude, that as a non-human, it is possible to form interpersonal relationships with others.