Wild Quotes 1 & 2

Quote 1, Chapter 8, Page #122
"Because the point of my trip is that I'm out here to do it alone."                     -Cheryl Strayed

1)Does the quotation characterizes Cheryl, Paul, her mother, or another character? If so, in what ways does it characterizes?
Cheryl didn't forget the reason why she came to the PCT, even when she faced tough times. The quote was a response she gave to Doug and Tom, who wanted felt it wasn't safe for Cheryl to hike in the snow alone. It was another moment Cheryl showed how resilient she was in the face of adversity.

2)Does the quotation indicate a conflict?
Yes. The quotation was a response to Doug and Tom, who pleaded for Cheryl to hike with them through the snow after she expressed her plan of getting off at the Trail Pass. Doug and Tom plead for her to change her mind, which lead to an awkward and intense silence, once she denied their offer.

Quote 2, Chapter 8, Page #127
"It's a good thing," she said. "It's the place where things are born, where they begin. Think about how a black hole absorbs energy and the releases it as something new and alive."
-Old lady from the bathroom

3)Does the quote relate to a theme? If so, what theme does it relate?
It relates to the theme of surviving and coming back from low places. The old lady who said this was detailing the meaning of a feather Cheryl had on her. The quote expressed that no matter how bad things got, there will always be a way back to an equilibrium.

4)Does the quote indicate a conflict? If so, what conflict?
The quote indicates more of a solution than it does a conflict. It was expressed in a way to put Cheryl  at ease about her troubling situations. The quote was spoken to Cheryl at a time when she was low on funds and still didn't know herself.