“Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt’s authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled – and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” (Krakauer 64)
Why Chris McCandless ran away?
One of the questions raised in “Into the Wild”, by Jon Krakauer, is why would someone put his life into the risk of starving to death in cold lands without any experience with the wildlife. The excerpt previously presented, from p.64, the author explains Chris McCandless’ motivations to leave the life he had behind and wander aimlessly in the world, surviving with the bare minimum and then going off completely into the wild to live off the land. The author explains that Chris rebelled in his own way because he could not accept the idea of parents, and how it is their job to control their offspring’s life for a period of time so they can be ready to rule themselves when it is time for them to go out into the civilized world without anyone’s help. The passage can be broken in three parts. The first part is the introduction of the passage, where the author describes and contrasts Chris and his father. The second part relates to how Chris dealt with the differences he had with his father for most of his life. Finally, the third part is the conclusion, it explains what happened to Chris when his feeling of oppression burst out in form of an adventure, which led him to his demise.
The first part of the passage introduces what the author wants to say about Chris and the differences he had with his father. This part says, “Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable.” He first describes them as “stubborn” and “high-strung”, their stubbornness caused much disagreement between the two, and these disagreements turned into enormous fights due to their tendency to become easily stressed. Walt, Chris’s father, felt the need to always be in control over his son, which was his job as a parent. And Chris had an “extravagantly independent nature”, which was another conflict zone between the two. The word extravagant in this phrase of the passage signifies bizarre, or crazy, so Chris’s bizarre, self-ruling nature would always be in conflict with Walt’s need to control him, which caused the “polarization”, or the repulsion that happened between them. Father and son could not get along because of their opposing personalities, usually opposites attract each other, but in this case, these two man could not find a away to be together and happy at the same time, especially for Chris.
On the second part, the author explains how Chris dealt with the polarization with his father. The author states, “Chris submitted to Walt’s authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while.” This part says that Chris was capable of accepting, or pretending to accept, Walt’s rule throughout high school and college. He says that Chris accepted this “authority” to a “surprising degree”, which means that he went along with his father’s controlling personality for longer than any other time he felt oppressed. If he allowed his feelings to burst out early, and avoided all the rage to pile up, he possibly wouldn’t have acted the way he did once he acquired that new type of freedom, being in control of his own life, once he graduated from college. But, as the author says, “the boy raged inwardly all the while”, he kept all the rage he had for his father’s control inside the whole time he felt oppressed. Trapping feelings inside are not considered to be healthy by most doctors and psychiatrists, therefore it might have been those feelings that caused some form of mental insanity and led him to this adventure.
On the last part, the author concludes the passage affirming that Chris could not stand such oppression and once he got the taste for a new independence, he decided to go on his journey. The author narrates, “He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled – and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” Chris lamented what he believed to be his father deficiency, or “shortcoming”. His father only wanted the best for Chris, like any other parent, but Chris believed that he wanted control over his life. “The tyranny of their conditional love”, the way his parents treated him so he would be a better person, or maybe just a safe person, that is what the “conditional love” of any parent wants. But Chris saw that as a way his parents found to control his life. All the rules they set for him, all the goals they wanted him to achieve in order to be successful, he claimed it to be a way for his parents to dominate his life. In the end of the passage, the author says that Chris rebelled with “characteristic immoderation”. He saw this journey as a way to get back at his parents, or to just get rid of their “oppression”. The author describes Chris’s way of rebelling extreme, with “immoderation. He says that it was “characteristic”, or original, of Chris to do such things extremely. Since this immoderation was characteristic of Chris, everyone knew he was capable of doing anything in very unique manner to get what he wanted, so that’s why it took so long for his parents to truthfully worry about his well-being after he left on his journey.
The author developed this simple passage to explain to the reader why Chris McCandless ran away from everything he left to live with the bear minimal and survive on his own. Chris could not deal with the idea that two people felt the need to control his life. Chris never accepted the idea of parenthood, and that’s why he went off on this journey. The excerpt also explains that he was extreme and probably not mentally fit when he went out on this adventure towards his own death. He was insane and extreme, he went out towards his end because of something that most people has to go through for a period of their life, the supremacy of parenthood.
“On the northern margin of the Alaska Range, just before the hulking ramparts of Mt. McKinley and its satellites surrender to the low Kantishna plain, a series of lesser ridges, known as the Outer Range, sprawls across the flats like a rumpled blanket on an unmade bed. Between the flinty crests of the two outermost escarpments of the Outer Range runs an east-west trough, maybe five miles across, carpeted in a boggy amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. Meandering through the tangled, rolling bottomland is the Stampede Trail, the route Chris McCandless followed into the wilderness. The trail was blazed in the 1930’s by a legendary Alaska miner named Earl Pilgrim; it led to antimony claims he’d staked on Stampede Creek, above Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River. In 1961, a Fairbanks company, Yutan Construction, won a contract from the new state of Alaska (statehood having been granted just two years earlier) to upgrade the trail, building it into a road on which trucks could haul ore from the mine year-round. To house construction workers while the road was going in, Yutan purchased three junk buses, outfitted each with bunks and a simple barrel stove, and skidded them into the wilderness behind a D-9 Caterpillar. The project was halted in 1963: some fifty miles of road were eventually built, but no bridges were ever erected over the many rivers it transected, and the route was shortly rendered impassible by thawing permafrost and seasonal floods. Yutan hauled two of the buses back to the highway. The third bus was left about halfway out the trail to serve as backcountry shelter for hunters and trappers. In the three decades since construction ended, much of the roadbed has been obliterated by washouts, brush, and beaver ponds, but the bus is still there” (Krakauer, Into the Wild 9-10).
In April 1995, an author published Into the Wild, a narrative chronicling the passionate odyssey and untimely death of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a defiant yet brilliant, young man who entered the wild due to his masculine passion for nature and adventure. This author, Jon Krakauer, weaves the story of McCandless’s hegira with a particular emphasis on McCandless’s surroundings in the introduction of Chapter 2 (reproduced above). He portrays McCandless’s unintentional resting place, the Stampede Trail, as an unmercifully rough, uncertain terrain by employing intentional juxtaposition of his text, purposeful details, and negatively implicative diction. In doing so, Krakauer sways the reader to believe that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s dark, cold death.
Krakauer begins by positioning Chapter 2’s introduction in such a way that the reader views the wilderness as McCandless’s killer. The preceding chapter, Chapter 1, tells of how Gallien, an Alaskan union electrician, picks up McCandless along the highway and attempts to dissuade McCandless from going into the wild. Despite Gallien’s warnings, McCandless leaves for his Alaskan adventure. Krakauer writes, “Then, smiling broadly, he disappeared down the snow-covered track” (7). The last thing the reader remembers, before continuing onto Chapter 2, is McCandless walking into the wilderness. Reading past the introductory paragraphs of Chapter 2, the reader learns of McCandless’s lonesome death in the wilderness: “Chris McCandless had been dead for two and a half weeks” (13). The reader is now aware that McCandless walked into the wilderness and died afterwards. Situated perfectly between these two ideas is the introduction of Chapter 2. It informs the reader of the Alaskan landscape, focusing on the Stampede Trail. Krakauer places the description of the Stampede Trail, as a representative of the Alaskan wilderness, in between McCandless’s last human interaction and death, because the reader will connect the wilderness as the cause of an effect; in this case, McCandless’s death. This juxtaposition of Chapter 2 with the beginning and end of McCandless’s Alaskan adventure directly expresses Krakauer’s idea that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s death.
Like the position of the entire introduction, Krakauer handpicks details that work to undermine the safety of the Stampede Trail. Among the facts Krakauer presents are those concerning the trail’s founding and use. Krakauer writes, “The trail was blazed in the 1930s...it led to antimony claims he’d staked on Stampede Creek...Yutan Construction, won a contract...to upgrade the trail, building it into a road on which trucks could haul ore from the mine year-round” (10). Prior knowledge tells the reader that trails are initially built for recreational hiking. Krakauer rejects this and tells the reader that the Stampede Trail was intended to be a business trail, not a recreational one. The reader then knows that the trail is unsuitable for supporting hikers and explorers like McCandless. Following that, Krakauer shows a sense of uncertainty about the trail itself and its safety. He writes that “some fifty miles of road were eventually built, but no bridges were erected over the many rivers it transected” (10). Krakauer uses uncertain dimensions when describing the trail, indicating that he and his sources are not certain about the trail. Krakauer also points out that no bridges were built over the rivers, implying that the trail is incomplete and dangerous to follow. Finally, Krakauer notes the weather-related conditions of the trail, “...the route was shortly rendered impassible by thawing permafrost and seasonal floods” (10). The mention of permafrost and flooding indicate extremely frigid temperatures and imminent, watery danger, both of which are life threatening to anyone on the trail. Throughout the introduction, Krakauer selects not only details, but also words and phrases that portray the trail as unsuitable for sustaining life.
Krakauer employs specific diction to make the terrain seem unmerciful, tough, and uncertain. Near the beginning, Krakauer uses words implying disorder and uncertainty such as “sprawls”, “meander” and “rumpled” (9-10). The implication of disorder indicates the unreliability of using landmarks for visual reference when walking through the trail. Krakauer hints at the randomness of the trail as one reason why McCandless was stranded in the wild. He then returns to the roughness of the trail, picking words like “flinty”, “satellites”, “hulking”, “ridges”, and “amalgam”, all words having connotative meanings of hard, rocky, and jagged (10). “Satellites” does not strike the reader as any of the former. However, the term “satellite” usually refers to an extraterrestrial satellite made up of rocky substances. Similarly, “amalgam” is used to mean mixture, but also means an alloy of two certain metals, one of which is the poisonous mercury, implying a fatal mixture of inflexible, natural surroundings. Moving past the founding of the trail, Krakauer notes how the three service buses were brought to the area using the word “skidded” (10). “Skidded” is related to uncontrolled, unplanned movement. When related to the bus, it makes the service bus seem less like a planned shelter and more like a random landmark. All together, these individual words scrawl an image of a dangerous, randomly laid-out terrain into the mind of the reader.
Krakauer cleverly wrote the introduction of Chapter 2 using certain stylistic devices to sway the reader into thinking that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s fatal starvation. In the scope of the entire narrative, Krakauer uses style along with other devices ultimately to remove criticism and ridicule from McCandless by proving that he was not entirely responsible for his own death. Instead, McCandless’s life was taken by the claws of the cold, relentless wild.
page 64 "Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt's need to exert control and Chris's extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt's authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father's moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent's lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled - and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.
Shortly before he disappeared, Chris complained to Carine that their parents' behavior was "so irrational, so oppressive, disrespectful and insulting that I finally passed my breaking point." He went on:
Since they won't ever take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I'm going to let them think they are right, I'm going to let them think that I'm "coming around to see their side of things" and that our relationship is stabilizing. And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt swift action I'm going to completely knock them out of my life. I'm going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I'll be through with them once and for all, forever."
Family Issues
Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild is about a young man named Chris McCandless who, after college, goes off on his own into the western wilderness and dies on a trip to Alaska. While in the west, Chris rarely mentions his family or other facts about his personal background. The people he meets ask him about his life and his family, but Chris reveals little. Throughout the book, the reader has to ask "What was Chris's family like? Didn't he feel bad about leaving his family?" In this passage from page sixty-four, Krakauer provides insight into the relationship between Chris and his family, especially his father, and to help portray Chris's inner emotions he uses strong, negative words.
The first two sentences of the passage compare and contrast the characteristics of Chris and his father to show why they didn't have a good relationship. Krakauer describes the pair as "stubborn and high-strung". Chris seems like a good person, without many serious flaws. However, this phrase implies that Walt and Chris, not just Walt, had less than perfect qualities. The author then goes on to say that Walt needed to "exert control" while Chris was "independent". Walt wanted Chris to do what he wanted him to do. He wanted Chris to take the path in life that he felt was the right one. Chris wanted to shape his life by his own desires. He didn't want to do exactly what his father expected. Their personalities clashed and "polarization was inevitable". There was no possible way for Chris to live with his controlling father, so their relationship declined and Chris separated himself from Walt. The reader can now see that Chris did not get along with his father, but it wasn't just their differences in personalities that drove them apart.
The following two sentences delve into Chris's actions and inner feelings toward his father. While in school, he "submitted to Walt's authority...to a surprising degree". Chris did what he was told even though it was against his "independent nature" while he was living with his parents or using some of his parent's money. The author says that Chris did so "to a surprising degree". From this phrase, the reader can infer that Chris didn't usually do exactly as he was expected to. During this time, Chris "raged inwardly". Chris did not want to do what his father told him. He seemed calm from the outside, but he was really very angry with his father. Chris "brooded" over Walt's "moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent's lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love". Chris would dwell on his father's mistakes and his "hypocrisy". He felt oppressed by the knowledge that his parents loved him when he did as they instructed. Here, Krakauer uses words like "moral shortcomings", "hypocrisy" and "tyranny" to emphasize how Chris felt about his parents. Chris didn't just feel that his parents were too controlling, like many adolescents. He saw them as tyrants and hypocrites who had faults in their sense of right and wrong. Chris felt that they were an oppressive power and were trying to hold him down. Even though he felt this way when he was younger, Chris obeyed his parents anyway; however, this changed as he grew older.
The last sentence of this paragraph describes the effect of Walt's authority and transitions into Chris's own account of his parents. After spending his life under his controlling father, "Chris rebelled". He could no longer live under Walt's power, so he went against his father's wishes. He didn't go to law school, like his parents thought he would, but instead traveled west. Krakauer says that Chris's rebellion was of "characteristic immoderation". Chris wasn't a person who, to rebel from his family, would decide to start a career in something completely different than his parents wanted. For his rebellion, Chris went to an extreme which is described in the last paragraph.
The final section contains an excerpt from a letter from Chris to his sister, Carine, about how he plans to stage his rebellion. Chris felt that his parents were "irrational", "oppressive", "disrespectful and insulting". He saw his parents in a very negative way, so he decided to defy them. He tells Carine "I'm going to let them think...our relationship is stabilizing". Chris let his parents think that he was going to be rational and do what they thought was best for him. He continues, saying that with "abrupt swift action" he will "completely knock them out of my life". He will "divorce them as his parents". Chris plans to, without warning, separate himself from his parents completely. He wants nothing to do with Walt and Billie. Chris repeatedly uses phrases such as "once and for all" and "forever". These words show that he never planned to see or contact his parents again. At one point, he refers to his parents as "idiots". Here, the reader can be certain that Chris despises his parents. Chris was sick of his parents and, in response, planned a permanent separation from them. Krakauer shows the reader, in this portion, how Chris felt by letting them read Chris's own words.
This passage is significant because it is one of the first sections that the reader encounters that shows what Chris's family relationships were like. Walt tried to control Chris's life and Chris hated him for it. Because he felt his parents were oppressive, Chris decided to sever ties with his family forever. Chris's feelings are emphasized by terms that are very strong because that is how his personality is. Chris sees things in black and white with no grays and his parents are not exempt from this way of thinking. One of the most pressing questions of this text is "Why did Chris leave home?" A possible answer is that the domineering nature of his parents was too much for him to deal with and his inner anger forced him to take off.
"When McCandless hugged Borah good-bye, she says, “I noticed he was crying. That frightened me. He wasn’t planning on being gone all that long; I figured he wouldn’t have been crying unless he intended to take some big risks and knew he might not be coming back. That’s when I started having a bad feeling that we wouldn’t never see Alex again.” (Krakauer 68) "This is the last time you shall hear from me Wanye. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild." (Krakauer 69) "Hey Guys! This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care, it was great knowing you."(Krakauer 69)
Into the Wild by Jon Kraukauer, the author uses specific words and phrases to show how the main character, Chris J. McCandless also known as Alex, grew up different from most children. He was an intelligent child with such unique ways of thinking. McCandless doesn’t like to be told what to do, instead he follows his own thoughts and dreams, not anyone else’s. Alex lives his life the way he wants it even if it goes against his family and society, not many people would live their dreams like he did. Since he was a child, he has always wanted to go to Alaska and that’s what he plans to do no matter if it cost him his life. Chris knew this last trip can be the ending to his adventurous life, but he thought if he can survive through it then he might plan to settle down and start a family. He is a courageous and brave young man to do what he did.
On the last day before Chris plans to take off to Alaska, he met Mrs. Westerberg, who was Chris’ boss’ mother and the two of them got along so well. They talked all night and had many nice conversations as if it was a last moment of happiness. The next morning when Chris hugs Mrs. Westerberg she realized he was crying. “I noticed he was crying. That frightened me.” (Krakauer 68) She thinks he might never come back because going off into Alaska is dangerous, but there’s no way of stopping Chris from going. When he started this adventurous life into the wild he told himself he would not get too close to anyone because they will somehow stop him from full filling his dreams of living on his own. Chris is glad that he had all these fantastic people come into his life before he finishes his life adventures. Having the chance to talk with Mrs. Westerberg made him cry because he knows it could be his last. “He wasn’t planning on being gone all that long; I figured he wouldn’t have been crying unless he intended to take some big risks and knew he might not be coming back. That’s when I started having a bad feeling that we wouldn’t never see Alex again.” (Krakauer 68) Chris knows this can be the ending to his life, but it’s what his heart tells him to do, so he is going to go through with it no matter what the ending may be. They both know that he might never return and that this might be the very last time of his existence.
McCandless doesn’t listen to what others may suggest him to do with his life. He listens to his own heart and he isn’t scared of losing his life just to follow his dreams. When Chris got to Alaska he wrote to Westerberg. “This is the last time you shall hear from me Wanye. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here.” (Krakauer 69) Chris uses the word “shall” and that is a strong word, as it states that it definitely is going to be the last time they will hear from him. “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” (Krakauer 69) Alex writes to Wayne telling him they might never see each other ever again but he wants Wayne to know he’s thankful for all that he has done for him in the past. This postcard was Chris’ last words, just like people who commitments suicide they leave a note to the people they care for, but in Chris’ case it wasn’t suicide it was following his dreams on how to live his life. It takes a strong person at heart to give up everything including their life to do what they believe in and Chris was one of the few.
Chris also wrote another postcard to two friends who he met during his few years of living on his own. “Hey Guys! This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care, it was great knowing you.” (Krakauer 69) McCandless is happy to know all these people who helped him in achieving his goal of going to Alaska. He uses the word “shall” in the postcard again to let them know this is the very last time he will ever talk to them. Chris is ready to take off and experience the wild life in Alaska which he’s being planning to since he was a child. He is willing to leave all his possessions behind to complete his dreams. Whether his body leaves Alaska dead or alive he’s proud of himself for following his heart and did what he wanted to do with his life because many people won’t.
Chris J. McCandless did what he wanted to do without second thoughts. He made his mind of going to Alaska before settling down with life and maybe having a family of his own, but it’s too bad he never got the chance. Nothing can stop him from completing his hopes and dreams, not even the thought of losing his life. Even though Chris lost his life while living the life he wanted to, he thought it was worth it because he knew from the very beginning he might not come out of Alaska alive. Many people live their life in sadness or under other people’s words. Unlike Chris many just live each day of their life hoping for happiness to come to them instead of going out of their way to search for happiness of their own. They are all afraid of giving up everything and risking life, but for Chris he has no regrets, because he lived life the way he wanted to before God took him away.
There is always been questions regarding the meaning of life and what is the “right” way to live. In the narrative of Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher Mccandless ventures across America by himself climbing dangerous mountains, rafting through water rapids, trotting in extreme climates and remote places. Christopher Mcccandless’s communion with the nature proved to himself that his idealistic way of life style is far more desirable than how the general public lives. Krakauer inputs this letter into the narrative to further emphasize Christopher’s beliefs on the “right” way to live:
“I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly to things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.1 So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.2 The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.3 This joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.4 If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy.5 But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.6 But I fear that you will ignore my advice.7 You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn that me.8 You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life.9 But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day.10 I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.11 Don’t settle down and sit in one place.12 Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.13 You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.14” (Krakauer 56-57).
Chris’s existence seems to serve as an opposing team of the casual way of life. The letter states that “…because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future2” (Krakauer 57). He rarely conforms to society and shows his disobedience toward authority. For example, shortly before Chris’s disappearance, he wrote to his sister “I’m going to completely knock them out of my life. I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever” (Krakauer 64). Chris never enjoyed living under the same roof with his parents, because his parents’ behavior was “so irrational, so oppressive, disrespectful and insulting that I finally passed my breaking point” (Krakauer 64). Not only did Chris reject his parents’ authority, but he also obstructs the rules outside of his home. According to Chris’s father, “he was a member of the American University Symphony but quit, after objecting to rules imposed by a high school band leader” (Krakauer 110). Chris lives by his own values and beliefs but not what anyone else’s. Thus he does not conform to anyone who has a different perspective in life than his.
Chris Mccandless is trying to find the joy in life. And this joy comes from his idealistic way of living, by encountering with new experiences and live life to its fullest. For instance, as one of Chris’s acquaintance recalled of him, “And he was big-time hungrey… But real happy. Said he’d been surviving on edible plants he identified from the book. Like he was real proud of it. Said he was tramping around the country, having a big old adventure.” (Krakauer 30). Chris did not care if he is living the life of a hobo, because as long as he is living his dream, it was ok. As the letter continues, “if you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy5” (Krakauer 56). Like Chris himself, he wants Ron to enjoy the remaining of his old age by hitting the road and live off nature to experience the new realm of excitement. Human beings were born to live, and because people have limited amount of time to live; it’s reasonable for Chris to not waste any time in a dull formal life and enjoy every second of his life in exciting adventures.
Krakauer points out to the reader that Christopher Mccandless’s life style is different from many of others. There are many ways that one can live his/her life, depending on the choices made. Chris chose his life’s passion and followed it. He was able to fulfill his goals and left no regrets.
1. I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within un happy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. 2. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. 3. If you want to get more out of life, Ron you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.
Before humans found technology, even before civilization was formed, the human race millions of years ago resided in the wilderness. In the wilderness they learned on their own to fend for themselves. Humans in that era lived life without any temptation because there was no need for out doing one another because everyone was one the same level meaning everyone was equal. However, somewhere along the way, life vanished and people forgot about the true values of nature. Now people view nature as a wasted land that could someday bring in more money in their pockets. On a rare chance where a person is finally feed up with society, they venture into nature to isolate themselves from the competitive and materialistic world. In this passage from Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer presents the reader with Alex Supertramp’s perspective about the true meaning of nature and how it can evolve people to better understand the environment. Alex is trying to persuade Ron to dismiss his old traditional ways of living, so he can open his mind to a new style. For example, in line one, “should make a radical change (Krakauer 56)”, here Alex is trying to explain to Ron that he should start stepping “outside the box” because it will fill the void of emptiness. Alex wants the reader to understand that taking baby steps in the wild will not get a person very far because the person is wasting time planning what he or she wants to happen next. The whole point of going into the wild means living second by second, on impulse. The word radical means drastic even extreme and venturing out in the wild defines all this. When people do not take the time to do something drastic in their life it tends to get predictable and boring. This happens because people are to busy with what they already have planned for the day. Alex wants the reader to understand that living like this is only causing harm not good, when he says “unhappy circumstances (Krakauer 57)”. One major problem people have in this world is relying on comfort; for example, “they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, (Krakauer 57)”, Alex believes that people feel like they need to have stability in their life in order to feel content. However, Alex feels having security is only leading us to defeat because people depend too much on everything being perfect and going their way. When it says, “but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future (Krakauer 57)”, Alex wants the reader to comprehend that people do not usually stay in the same place for long, no matter who that person is, he or she will always be searching within themselves for something more in life. When a person does step foot into the wilderness they experience more than anything society can offer. In line two the reader can see what Alex is trying to explain, “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences (Krakauer 57)”, if we live life not knowing what tomorrow will bring, then we could all live a more satisfied life because nature pushes people to face their fears and test how far they can push themselves. When Krakauer writes, “for each day to have a new and different sun (Krakauer 57)” the author uses “sun” to symbolize life because he is telling the reader to always focus on what nature can gives us; maybe a glance on reality. The sun represents a new day to come or even a real understanding of what is around us. For Alex the sun is his tool, he uses it to guide him on his next adventure. The sun gives us light and it takes the darkness away, it helps us to see what is right in front of us. In order to use such a powerful tool, people have to make the first move because nature is there at our reach. In line three the reader can see that Alex expressed his reasons very clear and he is not turning back on his word. Alex said, “If you want to get more out of life, Ron you must lose your inclination for monotonous security (Krakauer 57)”, he is still fighting for Ron to change his old habits because in the end it is only bring him down. Alex feels everyone was born with a little adventure in his or her soul, but they ignore the little voice that could deliver them some relief. Alex is not asking Ron for much only to give nature a chance because it well leave a lasting effect on him. For example, “But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty (Krakauer 57)”, when people stop thinking about entering the wild in just do it, then their eyes will open up and see the world for what it is. Alex wants the world to stop being so closed-minded and try to do something that is out of character. Perhaps, when people finally campout in the wilderness then they can get more intimate with the land. Alex could have easily given up with Ron because he did not make the time to appreciate what nature had to offer; instead he took his time to convince Ron to view the world as he did. He wanted Ron to have the chance to experience the world outside society and the only way was to remove himself from it. Now people view Alex as a messed up child someone that is lost, irony because he found himself through nature it is the people “inside” that is lost.
Quote 1)“Both father and son were stubborn and high strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and 2)Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt’s 3)authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all 4)the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s moral shortcomings, the 5)hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled 6)– and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” (Krakauer, Into the Wild, 64)
Throughout the book, “In the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Chris McCandless has always been at odds with his family, specifically his father making this passage very important because it shows why Chris felt he had to leave his life and all who had a part in it. In the quote chosen in page 64, this collision of father versus son is made very apparent. The way the passage was written makes it clear that Chris McCandless and his father, Walt are alike in their stubbornness but are very different because of their opposite views on important aspects of life. They're both very stubborn making it difficult for them to agree on anything and having a very negative impact on Chris's emotions and his personality. Their constant fighting made Chris withdraw from his family and friends and gave him a melancholy perspective on his life. With this kind of tension at home and his cynical view of society, it made it easier for Chris to leave his home and society altogether. To effectively express Chris's feelings, Krakauer chose his words very carefully to show the reader how much of effect his father had on him. In line 3 the author said that Chris “raged inwardly” to show that Chris had to put up with his father's authority but bottled up his frustration and his anger. Chris having been suppressing his rage for so long was inevitably going to lash out in some reckless and careless way causing irreparable damage to everyone around him. Chris to get leave his life and to some extent get back at his parents, he made some irrational decision and became very unpredictable with his, as Krakauer put it in line 6, “characteristic immoderation”. As the author pointed out, Chris felt that his father has failed morally, in line 4, Krakauer showed Chris's disappointment by mentioning “his father's moral shortcomings”. Along with his disappointment in his father and mother's lifestyle, he felt angry that he was being oppressed by people who had no right to criticize because they were just as bad, or as Chris felt, worse than he was. Chris felt that he will only gain his parents' love and acceptance if he lived by their unjust rules and their hypocritical lifestyle because he only received negative feedback from his parents every time he wanted to follow his own ambitions. “The tyranny of their conditional love” line 5, was how Chris felt about his father and his mother's parenting feeling that they had him backed into a corner and he had no choice but to leave this oppressive setting and find what he considered a freedom of the oppression of society. Along with his word choices, Krakauer used his descriptions of Chris and his feelings towards his family to present Chris's true feelings. Krakauer often uses his vivid descriptions to reflect Chris's feelings to show Chris's perspective on his life and those who were closest to him. Krakauer pointed out in line 1 that “both father and son were stubborn and high strung”, they could not agree on anything. Both Chris and Walt felt differently on how to live their lives and both had opposing views on how the other should live. Where Walt felt that Chris shouldn't go on his risky and dangerous expeditions into the wild and he should stay somewhere that is civilized, Chris felt that Walt was living a pathetic and hypocritical existence in society. As the passage said in line 2, Chris had a “extravagantly independent nature” and with his father's reluctance to let his son go off on his own often led to clashes. To Chris, these clashes gave him even more of a reason to leave because he felt he had no reason to stay home but to fight and argue. With their beliefs being on two extremes of the spectrum, their fighting wasn't going to end, as the passage states in line 2 “polarization was inevitable”. In addition to their different views on their lifestyles, both Chris and Walt are very stubborn making it very hard to reach an agreement on either side, they're both too proud to give up any ground and will not sway from their stances and that's contributed to Chris's departure from society. As the McCandless family unraveled at the seams, Krakauer himself had his say on the Chris McCandless issue. As where he uses descriptive and positive words to present Chris, he uses negative words to describe his family. Where his father and mother only have “ tyrannical conditional love” for him and live hypocritical lives, Chris is portrayed as the victim of his mother and father's bad parenting when in reality, Chris has no reason to be angry. Chris feels that his parents wanted to shut him off from the world but from the parents perspective, they just wanted to protect their son from harming himself and thats where Krakauer shows who he favors. “In the Wild” doesn't really takes on the perspective of the family but just shows Chris's perspective and his unfounded reasons for his rage. Any family in the McCandless' situation would have done the same if they had a child who left on extended trips leaving no trail behind to follow. Any decent family would have tried to protect one of their own but where the McCandless family should have been praised for their attempts to protect Chris, Krakauer put in Chris's biased opinions of his family but never really put any attention to the family's good intentions. When Chris gives his harsh and brutal criticisms, there's usually no counter point to his views making his family look very bad in the process. Chris being the idealistic man felt he was reasonable in leaving everything. He left his family and everything he had in his name to go on his doomed adventure. The passage that was chosen is important to Chris's risky ambitions because it shows how he feels towards everything. The passage shows where Chris's got the impulse to leave and his reasons to forsake his life for his ideals. Chris feeling that society corrupts all who inhabit it and felt that anyone who had any part in society were living a sad existence, left because impart to his fighting with his family and his heroes' beliefs. In the end, the man's ambitions were greater than his abilities sealing his fate to the Alaskan wilderness.
McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed—all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build Fire”, “An Odyssey of the North”, “The Wit of Porportuk”. He was enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subarctic wilderness. McCandless conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that he’d died by his own hand on his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk, obese and pathetic, maintaining a sedentary existence that bore scant resemblance to the ideals he espoused in print. (Krakauer 44)
In life it is important to be able to have priorities, to be determined and not allow yourself to be easily taking away by things. You should be able to understand the difference of fiction from reality and to know the danger when you combine the two. It is great if you have an imagination but the danger of it is, is allowing fiction or your imagination to take over your life and not being able to set aside reality from it. Sometimes people allow themselves to be taking away into another world to try and escape the life they lead, but never really realizing that ending results could be fatal. This leads you to think can fiction have the power to take over a persons train of thought and become there reality.
Chris McCandless from the book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a prime example of what can happen when you allow fiction to become your reality. Chris was talented, athletic, intelligent young man with a very promising future. But it wasn’t until Chris was feeling as if he was missing something in life almost as if he wasn’t living life to its fullest he felt that he should be living the life that he reads in his books. Chris had always loved to read even as a child he would always be reading. A few of his favorite authors were Jack London, Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He had always been fascinated by these authors for their captivating adventurous stories but mainly it was that they were willing to leave their life of wealth to wander into the wild and live off nature. In fact he admired them so much that it seemed like he worshipped them like they were his gods and their books were his bible. For example when set out to Bullhead city he wasn’t sure if it met the author’s standards.”...Bullhead city doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would appeal to an adherent of Thoreau and Tolstoy, an ideologue who expressed nothing but contempt for the bourgeois trappings of mainstream America.” (Krakauer 39). Over time Chris became so mesmerized with these authors stories that he also became very stubborn and set out to live off the land with barely any supplies. But we later find out that his stubbornness will be his downfall.
In ways the author and Chris McCandless are alike, but the only thing that separates the two is that the author knows when the story ends and when to come back to reality. When Kraukauer gives a brief description of Chris passion for London we learn something else about Chris’ character.
McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed—all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build Fire”, “An Odyssey of the North”, “The Wit of Porportuk”. He was enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subarctic wilderness. McCandless conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that he’d died by his own hand on his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk, obese and pathetic, maintaining a sedentary existence that bore scant resemblance to the ideals he espoused in print. (Krakauer 44)
Chris’ infatuation with these authors is allowing him to be closed-mined to the reality of the situation. He believes that all of what London is saying is what he his looking for in life. But what he was really mesmerized by was this ideal life that was only in fiction. And like I stated before Chris stubbornness would be his downfall, he overlooked the fact that London later ended up killing himself because of the fiction he had written. Throughout most of his journey Chris had complete strangers telling him that what he was trying to do wasn’t safe or smart, but Chris felt as if it wasn’t his choice that he follows those he considered to have greater power. “McCandless could endeavor to explain that he answered to statues of a higher order—that as a latter-day adherent of Henry David Thoreau, he took as gospel the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and thus considered it his moral responsibility to flout the laws of state.” (Krakauer 28) Krakauer uses words like infatuation and mesmerized because to Chris it was more then just liking he became obsessed with this ideal life. Krakauer feels that McCandless actions were very courageous and bold but in most ways when you look at the certain circumstances he wasn’t being sensible.
The passage I have selected is significant to the story because we get a deeper insight into Chris McCandless motivation, learn what the author is trying to prove, but most importantly we learn how Chris came to be so spontaneous and adventurous. The passage gives reasoning as to why he feels so close to the authors and why they inspire him to go on this journey. Chris felt his life was routine so he used this books to escape from reality. But he never realized that he would become as involved with the stories as he did. The author is trying to prove that sometimes it is great to step out of your everyday life and explore but it is also necessary to know your boundaries. I feel as if without this passage we would be left stumped as to what inspired Chris to take on this new task of exploring life into the wild. And to why Chris as taking a liking to these authors.
Life is funny and unexpected. Just when you think you have it all and seen it all there is this feeling you get that tells you need more. Now there is nothing wrong with searching for a little adventure it’s just how you go about finding it. Getting lost in a world of fiction to try and escape the harsh reality’s that one lives in today is acceptable but the only thing is being able to know your limits and not allowing yourself to get caught up that you can not turn back. Chris McCandless just unfortunately happens to be a product of what can happen when the world of fiction and reality worlds collide.
“That spring, however, McCandless’s sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity. He sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat. Borah drove him to the Kmart in Mitchell to shop for some last pieces of gear. By mid-April, Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn’t even consider it. ‘Once Alex made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.’ Westerberg laments. ‘I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” (Krakauer, Into The Wild, 66-67)
Into the Wild, a travel essay written by Jon Krakauer, has quotes that have deep meanings and significance but one of the quotes stands out from the rest because it has deeper meaning and more significance then other quotes. This quote can be broken down into parts and these parts each show a different aspect of Chris McCandless, the protagonist. One part explains how Chris also known as Alex is very determined to reach Alaska. Another part shows how Alex is hard headed and won’t listen to anybody when they tell him not to go to Alaska because it is dangerous. Nothing can change his mind. The most important part of this quote however is when Alex is asked to stay in a town named Carthage for 10 more days to help Westerberg out. This part of the quote shows how people are fond of Alex and they like having him around even though he is a hitchhiker. “‘I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure,’ Westerberg offers, ‘and that he wanted to settle down some. He said he was going to write a book about his travels.” (Krakauer, 66) This quote foreshadows an event that the reader read at the beginning of the book. Westerberg is saying how this might be Alex’s last adventure. This may be one of the reasons as to why the people of Carthage want him to stay with them because they are afraid he might not survive if he goes to Alaska. If it was another hitchhiker the townspeople probably wouldn’t care much for him. Alex said that he might want to settle down and stop traveling one day. Westerberg knew that if this was to happen then Alex shouldn’t have gone to Alaska. Having Alex work for him for 10 more days was probably an excuse to keep him around so he would get used to living that type of lifestyle and stay in Carthage longer. “That spring however, McCandless’s sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity.” (Krakauer, 66) This part of the quote shows how Alex was very determined to go to Alaska. It seems like he was excited and couldn’t wait for his trip to begin. The reader can notice how the author uses the word “unflinchingly” showing that Alex really wants to go on his trip to Alaska. “By mid-April Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn’t even consider it. ‘Once Alex made his mind up about something, there was no changing it,’ Westerberg laments. ‘I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north, Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” The reader might ask himself as to why flying would be cheating. Maybe it’s an excuse McCandless makes up so he can leave for his trip earlier or maybe he really believed that it would be cheating to fly to Alaska. This quote shows how Alex is hard headed and that he won’t change his mind no matter what. He wants to things his way which is why he went on this adventure to get away from rules and society. The reader may also ask is there another reason as to why Westerberg wanted Alex around. There could be another reason. Maybe Westerberg became really good friends with Alex and didn’t want him to leave. Westerberg’s friends became good friends with Alex also. This is probably another reason why Alex wants to leave for Alaska so bad. He doesn’t want to get too emotionally attached with people. Even though Alex is always on the move everywhere he goes people just seem to be fond of him such as the old man that wanted to adopt him or how Jan and Burres wanted him around. Alex seems to be liked by people almost everywhere he goes. One person that really likes Alex is Westerberg’s mother, Mrs. Westerberg. Westerberg kept bugging his mother to meet Alex but she didn’t really like Westerberg’s hired help. But she finally had him over for supper and they immediately hit it off. They talked non stop for 5 hours. “’There was something fascinating about him,’ explains Mrs. Westerberg, seated at the polished walnut table where McCandless dined that night. ‘Alex struck me as much older then twenty four. Everything I said, he’d demand to know more about what I meant, about why I thought this way or that. He was hungry to learn about things. Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs. ‘We talked for hours about books……Gosh, he was fun to visit with; I didn’t want the night to end.’” The reader can see that Mrs. Westerberg really liked Alex and that she had a lot of fun with him. She explains how Alex was different from people in the town. He liked books and he was the kind of person to live out of his beliefs. She found this really fascinating about him which is why she liked him so much. This would explain why people get to like Alex wherever he goes. People find him fascinating and there’s just something about him that makes him a likeable person. He is also a friendly person. However this is the main reason he goes on his adventure. He doesn’t want to be too attached to any one. The quote is significant and important mainly because of how the reader can see why Alex is liked by almost every one he meets. He is a friendly person but that’s not the only reason people like him. Everyone he meets says that there is something about him that makes him fascinating. The quote has different parts that each exposes a different aspect of Alex. The reader sees that Alex is determined, hard headed and likeable. These qualities are what make Alex a person that is liked by almost everyone.
“ As to when I shall visit civilization, it will not be soon I think, I have not yet tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me? It is true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am surrounded with beauty…. Even from your scant description, I know that I could not bear the routine and humdrum of the life that you are forced to lead. I don’t think I could ever settle down. I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax. THE LAST LETTER EVER RECEIVED FROM EVERETT RUESS, TO HIS BROTHER, WALDO, DATED NOVEMBER 11, 1934” (Krauker 87)
Each chapter from “Into The Wild” by Jon Krakuer begins with a quote from another author or book. These quotes are important to the story because they are always relevant to the lives of Alex Supertramp and Chris McCandless. The quotes help to draw conclusions and get a better understanding of the main character. On page 87, the opening quote helps to explain the motives of Alex, and why he chose a life on his own verses the secure, average life he used to know. The quote introduces a topic in the chapter and opens the mind to many different questions and ideas about the reading.
The world continues to progress, becoming more and more advanced and technology based. Some people love it, while others would do anything to get away from it. “I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and the star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities.” The wild is ideal to certain people because it is like living a pure, real life. Preferring simple, old-fashioned things means life was better before much of the new technology came out. The more advanced the world gets, the more corrupted people get, and many start to live for materialistic things, and not for the people and world around them. Living in the wild is a natural lifestyle that brings you closer to the earth, and what some may believe the finer things in life. It is the only way you can free yourself from the corruption and phonies of everyday life.
“Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me? It is true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am surrounded with beauty….” Everybody wants to be wanted somewhere, and to have someone else enjoy his or her company. Everett may have had a difficult time finding a place where he was wanted. When he went to live alone with the world, he gained a sense of belonging. Chris, however, didn’t seem to have any problems with people at all. Not only did he have friends in high school, but also as he journeyed around, many people became extremely attached to him. Although Chris, unlike Everett, had many people who wanted him around, he continued to travel, to become one with the world.
A big part of going into the wild was experiencing freedom and living life as you wanted, not as others forced you to. “Even from your scant description, I know that I could not bear the routine and humdrum of the life that you are forced to lead.” The word forced shows the speakers desire for freedom. The idea of living everyday how someone else tells you to was something Chris couldn’t stand. Especially when he didn’t agree with the way people were and the rules of society. Chris believed day-by-day people lived unhappily, but didn’t have the courage to do anything about that. He found that courage, and he would never go back to that unsatisfying way of life.
Everett Ruess and Alex Supertramp were living exactly the way they wanted to. “I don’t think I could ever settle down. I have known to much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.” Both lives were full of adventures and challenges. The two men share many similar qualities and motives. They both were addicted to adventure and the freedom of the wild. The longer they lived that way, the harder it was to stop. They changed their lifestyle to become one with nature. This would bring them a more full, happy life. Alex wrote in his letter to Franz, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences…” (57) Both Alex and Everett could never have settled down and gone back to their old lifestyles, because they are what drove them into the wild in the first place. Even if they could settle down, they would never want to, because they could not be happy without the adventure and thrills they craved throughout their lives.
After breaking down the quote from page 87 into pieces, it is easy to see how significant it is to the story. The writing of Everett Ruess makes it clear why Chris McCandless ventured out into the wild. This quote gives you a head start on analyzing the story, along with all of the other quotes that start chapters. These quotes require a lot of attention, but they are rewarding to the reading experience once you understand them.
In today’s society, people seem to be pushing the envelope more and more. There are individuals that are simply content with their everyday lifestyle. They feel as if they have reached their goals, and are pleased with their accomplishments. On the other hand, there are those who are always searching for something new in life. They aspire bigger challenges in life as a way to gain personal reward.
Chris McCandless, the main character of the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, can be viewed as a successful individual. In Emory University, in Atlanta, Chris was a wonderful student and asset to the school. He was both a columnist, and editor of the school newspaper. He was such a great student that he had a “3.72 grade-point average.”(Krakauer, 20) He had both of his parents, Walt and Billie, and a sister Carine. Although Chris was an over-achiever, there was something queer about him. He was more of a lonesome person; he enjoyed spending time by himself, and also took pleasure in going, “on solo road trips…” (Krakauer, 21) and also had, “a nomadic existence.”(Krakauer, 19)
Randomly, Chris decides to completely leave everything he new, had, and loved behind him, and go hitchhiking into Alaska; a completely unknown, wild place he knew nothing of. The main question that comes to everyone’s mind is, “What would make him leave everything, and why? Apparently, Chris wasn’t the only one who was going through such a confusing time…
Another important character that is interesting as well is Gene Rosellini. He was, “the Mayor of Hippie Cove.”(Krakauer, 73) When Gene was younger, he was an awesome athlete, and a terrific student. Some of his interests included reading, practicing yoga, and later on in life, becoming very skilled at martial arts. He was what you’d call a perfect student, because he maintained, “a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through high school and college,” (Krakauer, 73) and later on, attending the University of Washington and Seattle University. His main goal in life was, “knowing if it was possible to be independent of modern technology.”(Krakauer, 74) Due to that stimulating question that keeps bustling through his mind, “Rosellini purged his life all of but the most primitive tools, which he fashioned from native materials with his own hands.”(Krakauer, 74) Another realization he comes across is that, “He became convinced that humans had developed into progressively inferior beings,” (Krakauer, 74) and feels the need to go back, “to a natural state.”(Krakauer, 74)
Coming back to Chris McCandless, he also wants to somehow leave the world he was once apart of, and go to unfamiliar grounds. By him doing so, it relates to Rosellini’s idea of returning to “a natural state.” This can be observed through his actions: “He changed his name, gave the entire balance of a twenty-four thousand-dollar savings account to charity, abandoned his care and most of his possession, burned all the cash in his wallet.” (Author’s Note, 1) That is when Chris is on his way to discovering a whole new world. He goes to Alaska with the bare minerals, a bag of rice, a riffle, non-waterproof boots, and frayed map- that was all.
Just like Chris, Gene Rosellini was also going into the wilderness with hardly anything too. Gene, “dined on roots, berries, and seaweed, hunted game with spears and snares, dressed in rags, endured the bitter winters. He seemed to relish the hardship.”(Krakauer, 74) Unlike Chris, he did have some sort of roof over his head, but it was a, “windowless hovel, which he built without benefit of a saw or ax.” (Krakauer, 74) Rosellini’s trial lasted for a while and, “eventually he felt the question that inspired it had been answered.”(Krakauer, 75) “I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Rosellini, 75)
One can conclude that both Chris McCandless and Gene Rosellini are extremely similar people, due to their goals in life. They are the type of people who cannot settle with what they have, but have that constant hunger, and drive for more. Their actions demonstrate that they didn’t just go on a camping trip, but on a self-test journey. Based off of how they lived when they were younger, and how they thrived, life may have seemed too easy for them. They may have felt as if they never really worked hard at anything in life, so by going on this expedition, they were expecting to get more in depth results. It is uncertain if in the end, they both found what they were looking for, but at least they dared to take on the challenge.
Into the Wild, a novel written by Jon Krakauer, illustrates a young man, Christopher Johnson McCandless, forfeiting all his possessions to wander into the mysteries of the wild. As Krakauer drives the book through the adventures of McCandless, he contrasts the traditional way of life with the extraordinary way of life such as that of Christopher McCandless. Traveling along the road with McCandless throughout the novel, one has the opportunity to explore what is unknown and what may be curious to themselves.
“…So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.” (Krakauer 56-57), Krakauer includes McCandless’ letter to Ron, a person whom McCandless felt a strong connection with, to show what is happening today in society. More often than not, people would lead their lives desiring to be wealthy and to have the ability to support both themselves and their family. However, because of their goal to strive for “security”, they ignore their own happiness. Hence, they lead a discontented life due to their sacrifice of what they really wanted to do. As McCandless tries to persuade Ron to evolve from his life of “conformity” and instead start to develop his passion to wonder into the unknown, he states, “…The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” (Krakauer 57) By including this passage into the novel, Krakauer strongly reveals that within every single being, their “spirit” only subsists to have adventures. If it was not for new experiences and new encounters, life would be dull and pointless. Therefore, by waking up everyday to something new, one would then fully experience happiness.
“…If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.” (Krakauer 57) Chris McCandless gives Ron a word of recommendation, that by leaving his life of “monotonous security” for “a helter-skelter style of life”, he would see life’s true purpose. McCandless marks his word and guarantees Ron would have no regrets, and in its place be thankful for the life of security that he had left behind. “…But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me.” (Krakauer 57) By writing this statement in his letter, McCandless tries to give Ron a “smack in the face” to be awaken and follow what he desires. Chris makes a stiff differentiation that his own stubbornness is nothing in comparison to Ron’s stubbornness to not follow his passion of adventures. “…You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day.” (Krakauer 57) McCandless stands firm on his persuasion letter to Ron. Chris formulates regret to build up inside of Ron by affirming that however Ron is leading his life, it was all pointless and ridiculous, and McCandless can’t seem to grasp how Ron wanted nothing more but to return to the dull life that he has when there was an opportunity for him to leave it all behind.
Further continuing with the letter, McCandless reaches into the mind of Ron. “…I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.” (Krakauer 57) By doing this, Ron would feel that McCandless knows exactly what is going through his head and be able to actually visualize himself leaving his conform life. McCandless also further aim to generate more regrets for Ron, that if he was to “sit in one place” he would “fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed”. “…You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.” As a final point, Chris McCandless leaves Ron to decide his own happiness by stating that even if Ron doesn’t start having adventures right now, he could still later on since he is still “going to live a long time”. This allows Ron to not feel so restricted to when he should perform his passion for adventures. However, McCandless shows another side by including that if Ron doesn’t act when he has the opportunity to, he would lose a moment to change his life.
Krakauer is strongly impressed of McCandless’ determination of persuading Ron to “…lose [his] inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life…but once…accustomed to such a life [he] will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty…” Krakauer, himself, see eye to eye with McCandless on the situation that, “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.” Therefore, Into the Wild was written to allow the reader to examine themselves, and hopefully do what makes them most happy.
“…So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.” (Into the Wild, Krakauer 56-57)
“I began my adult life with the hypothesis that it would be possible to become a Stone Age native. For over 30 years, I programmed and conditioned myself to this end. In the last 10 of it, I would say I realistically experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age. But to borrow a Buddhist phrase, eventually came a setting Face-to-face with pure reality. I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land” (Krakauer, 75)
Why this is significant:
It’s easy to say that things are right and to preach morals to others, but it is but harder to follow them. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, thinkers such as Gene Rosellini, who parallel transcendentalist thought very closely, both try to establish a way of living and to zealously stick to them. From the passage where Krakauer quotes Rosellini, the reader can see how Rosellini is a well educated, logical man, but also realistic and objective in his points of views. Krakauer shows this to us to establish both these traits in such people as well as the difficulties in keeping to their own aspirations.
Just by his vocabulary and reasoning, it is clear that Rosellini is a highly intelligent man. Take, for example how he uses words like, “hypothesis” (Krakauer, 75) to describe his hope to become one with nature, where he could have used words such as dreamed or hoped or wished. He also didn’t just try to test his theory of people being unable to live in the wild by going out into the woods for a weekend. Instead, Rosellini remained in Alaska for ten years. Also showing dedication to match his intelligence is his preparation, “For over 30 years … to this end” (Krakauer, 75), so that he would be able to truly, “experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age” (Krakauer, 75). Rosellini is also a man who can look at the facts of life objectively. Even though he despised society and its vices, he was still able to come to a conclusion based purely on his experiences from his time in Alaska to, “[Learn] that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land”(Krakauer, 75). Regardless of what he wished or hoped for, he was still able to look at his findings without prejudice. These actions show Rosellini to be a man with a strong belief of life he stuck to, as well as a perspective based solely on logic and reasoning.
This mentality of Rosellini is shown to us by Krakauer to establish the profound characteristics of such thinkers. Krakauer makes the reader aware that all these people who walk away from the security and comfort of their lives to go live in the wilderness are not people of low intelligence. On the contrary, he uses Rosellini to establish that such people can be just as smart, or even smarter, than those who live in society. It also helps show that the main character of Into the Wild, Chris McCandless, is not the only person to ever pursue fulfillment by living a life away from society. Both came from well off families and both had higher education. Both even were superior in almost all the things they pursued. But for some reason, they both did not feel happy living in society By introducing another intelligent character with the same ideals, he helps make Chris McCandless look like a “kook” (Krakauer, 71) for living the way he did. This mindset in the two characters also helps explain why they both came to a premature end. Chris McCandless came to his end by going to Alaska and starving to death after things he did not foresee occurred and left him unable to leave his campsite. Rosellini, coming to terms that he would never be truly free of the snares of society, and also knowing that he could never be happy living within the boundaries it established, decided to take his own life rather than return to society. Both were so attached to nature that they could not live without it, and both preferred to truly live life at the risk of death than to live a half live simply to obtain some security. Krakauer makes these supposed nutcases out to be seen for the astute and dedicated people they truly are.
The thoughts and actions of Rosellini helped Krakauer show both the ideology of such men as well as the prospect that such thinkers are not so uncommon and are not as crazy as some would like to believe. This view and what it signifies is important because it shows the reader of some truths. It shows that people with a different way of looking at the world are not insane for wanting something other than what society offers, and that even thought this way of life is easier, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will make you happier. It also shines light on the reality of the situation. Even if someone is purely dedicated to the escape of society and the established way of living, it is not possible to completely cut off from it. Life is not bound simply to the options society gives people, but in one way or another, people are still bound to society.
“I began my adult life with the hypothesis that it would be possible to become a Stone Age native. For over 30 years, I programmed and conditioned myself to this end. In the last 10 of it, I would say I realistically experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age. But to borrow a Buddhist phrase, eventually came a setting face-to-face with pure reality. I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Krakauer 75)
The Hypocritical Mass
It is often that people find themselves contradictory and somewhat ignorant of their current situation. Such is the tale of Chris McCandless in "In The Wild" by Jon Krakauer. Like many adventurous fellows who seek thrill and excitement, Chris was no different. The nonfiction book tells about the young man’s journey from the continental U.S. to Alaska in order to escape his dependency on society. However, what Chris doesn’t know is that his ignorance and stupidity would soon be the cause of his demise. His death also would go on to represent his hypocritical manner. Ignorance is not bliss and being ignorant of said ignorance can lead to hypocritical behavior.
People often perceive that others are ignorant of their ignorance, meaning they do silly things that they or others do not comprehend. In the chosen quote, the author uses the secondary character, Gene Rosellini, to create a deliberate comparison and contrast against Chris McCandless. Two elements mentioned in the quote are the “Buddhist phrase” (Krakauer 75) and the “Stone Age.” (Krakauer 75) These two elements act as references to both Chris and Gene as they are both alike and different. They are alike in the way that Buddhist life and Stone Age life are simple, primitive ways of living, exactly the way the two characters dreamt when they ventured away from the modern world. However, they are also different because there are variations in both ways of living. Whereas the Buddhist life tends to stay closer to society, Stone Age living was not the norm as it was more secluded. Both elements are contradictory, as they are alike and yet also different. As aforementioned, the two elements are representative of Chris and Gene: walking, talking, “human beings” (Krakauer 75) or hypocritical masses.
Gene Rosellini is also used as a symbol to represent superficial behavior, which is also connected to the previously mentioned ignorant mannerism. It is stated in the quote that Mr. Rosellini “programmed and conditioned [himself]…” (Krakauer 75) to become a “possible…Stone Age native.” (Krakauer 75) This statement, however, is contradictory. By stating that he is being programmed and conditioned, Gene is becoming something that is not and therefore ignorant of what he truly is – someone who can’t live off the land. He is who he is and cannot change that fact. Rosellini eventually comes to a “setting face-to-face with pure reality” (Krakauer 75) as he realizes that he cannot change his being and realizes this fact after spending 30 years of fruitless effort. The words “possible” (Krakauer 75) and “hypothesis” (Krakauer 75) suggest a possible idea or belief. Like Chris, Rosellini went out with the idea that it was possible to become a “Stone Age” native, but later comes back to tell the reader that “it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Krakauer 75) This brings the reader to a two-sided Gene: one that believed it was possible and one that admits defeat. The fact that he acted high and mighty over his “hypothesis”, as represented by his usage of “adult life” and “possible” temporarily revealed his “always right” attitude.
Hypocritical behavior is continually shown by the character Gene as he describes his poor excuse of a journey. The words “borrow” and “Buddhist phrase” (Krakauer 75) signify that Gene received something he did not have originally and could only have temporarily. By the time he ended his journey and realized that it was “not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land,” Gene must have realized his barren efforts were all in vain. To “borrow” a “Buddhist phrase” indicates that he put up a façade, something that he was not at all. “Borrow” also indicates temporary. When people borrow anything, it must be returned later on. Gene may not have realized that fact and when it was too late, he was hit with a “pure reality.” He was ignorant of that fact and ignorant of his life’s adventure.
People are often two-faced. One moment, they say and believe one thing, the next moment, it’s the opposite of everything they’ve ever said and done. It is often stated that “ignorance is bliss.” In the cases of Chris and Gene, however, their ignorance caused their downfalls and their hypocrite-esque behavior added toward that downward spiral to their ends. When all is said and done, there is one thing to realize: there are certain limitations and boundaries (such as dependency on society) that cannot be passed as shown in the cases of Chris and Gene. People in society can be blinded by their own stupidity and not even realize it, leading to their declination and ultimately, become hypocritical.
For decades, some people have spent their entire life in search of the true purpose of life. For some people, they gave away their secured life in the society for a life in the wild in search for an answer. In the novel called, “into the wild,” the author Jon Krakauer gave light to a young man who thought he had figured out the whole purpose of life. This young man goes by the name of Christopher McCandless. He, like many other people, is confused at the true purpose of life. For this very reason, he detaches himself from society and venture into the wild in search of an answer. As his journey proceeds, he is sure of the fact that he had discovered the very core of existence.
In April 1992, a young man goes by the name of Christopher McCandless detaches himself from society and ventures into the wild to look for the meaning of life. From his odyssey, he believed that he had grasped the purpose of life and the reason why that people refuses to search for it. In a letter written to Ron, one of the people who tried to help Chris, he shows full confident in his discovery. Chris wrote that, “So many people lives within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security” (9-11). Chris believes that people don’t take actions to change their mundane life is because they are so used to the warm, safe society in which they build. In the society, people are protected by the unpredictable tragedy such as being torn apart by lions or devoured by scavengers. To them, the society is a place where they can wonder about without having to watch their backs everyone 2 second. While Ron drove Chris back to his home, he noticed that Ron “wanted nothing buy to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation in which you see dad after day” (29-31). From this, Chris concluded that people are naturally scared of unfamiliar places because it is different from what they are accustomed to. It explains why people don’t take the initiative to change their unsatisfied life. It is because people felt safe to be around the same landscape, the same people, and the same life style that they are born with. Just as how Ron can’t wait to home after he picked up Chris in a setting that is not familiar to him. People are so used to security that they are almost brain washed into believing that stepping out of their territory will ultimately bring them to their doom.
McCandless argued that changes are necessary in order to lead a meaningful life. McCandless claims that, ‘there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (17-18). In a way, this idea of his motivated this adventure. He lived a life where he wakes up every morning knowing exactly how his day is going to be. This tells us a lot about his personality. He is the type of a guy that enjoys excitement and new experiences. When he started out on his journey, it haven’t’ got the slightest clue to what he was looking for. However as he digs deeper into the wild, he slowly learns that what he really needs in life is the sense of freedom. The feeling that you can do anything you want and not having to bear any responsibilities. The feeling of excitement of waking up everyday not knowing what might happen. These feels overwhelms him so much that it became who he is. He noted that, “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences” (16). He is clearly stating that the “joy” is the true meaning of life itself. And this feeling of joy can only be obtained by becoming one with the nature.
In search for the meaning of life, McCandless gambled with his life. He put all his processions behind him and started out with few necessities such as food and clothing. Many of us spent majority of us doing the same exact thing over and over again. Is this really the meaning of life? Or is there more to it. For McCandless, he’d found his meaning of life, even if it ultimately took his life.
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
- (Krakauer 56-57)
The passage above is an extremely significant quote from Into the Wild, a novel by Jon Krakauer. The novel tells of a young man, named Alex Supertramp, who walks into the wild; who leaves his past life and possessions; who, after many years of this life, ultimately dies. The passage is important because it helps Krakauer prove the theme of his book to readers. The theme of Into the Wild is: Alex Supertramp is not foolish for following his dream. The passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme by the way it is presented in the book and by being full of key elements of meaning. These key elements of meaning posses both literal and implied meanings. The ways that the passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme frequently reflects Aristotle’s modes of rhetoric. The manner in which the passage is presented in the book helps Krakauer prove the theme of his book in many ways. First, the structure of Into the Wild is built on sequences of quotations followed by text repeated throughout the book. This structure sequence of quotes gives credibility to the text. This increase in credibility due to a credible source reflects Aristotle’s Logos. Since the quotes are from sources other than the author, the credibility of the ideas presented in the book as well as the theme increase. Next, the form, or substructure, of the passage is a large quote. Unlike smaller quotes from Jack London or Henry David Thoreau, this particular quote is extensive. The length of this quote gives the reader a full impression of Supertramp’s ideals, giving further believability to the theme of the book. Also, the style, or word choice, used in this passage helps increase believability of the theme in two ways. One, technically, the choice of words is not the author’s; the supply of the words is from another credible source, Supertramp himself. This fact reflects Aristotle’s Logos. Two, the choice of words exhibit Supertramp’s sentimental passion for the “joy of life [that] comes from … encounters with new experiences.” (57) This increase in credibility due to an application of emotion reflects Aristotle’s Pathos. Finally, the passage is placed in a strategic location of the book. The passage shows up when Alex leaves his friend, Ron. By placing this passage at a sentimental location, Krakauer evokes Pathos, emotionally proving the theme of the novel. Thus, the technique by which the passage is presented in the book helps Krakauer prove the theme of Into the Wild. The passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme by being full of key elements of literal and implicit meaning. For example, the phrase “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation…” (56), demonstrates how Alex is not a fool. Literally, it means that there are many people who do not follow their dreams and live unhappy lives because they did not take action. These people are the true fools of humanity. Implicitly, if you take the inverse of this statement, it turns into, “we few, we happy few,” signifying that Alex took initiative and lived a happy life. Therefore, Alex should not be considered a fool but rather a hard-working martyr. In addition, Alex reasons that, the true fools of humanity are “conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” (57). Plainly, Alex means that the fools of humanity are disillusioned by a ‘secure future’ and that a ‘secure future’ is most damaging to the pursuit of one’s dreams. Figuratively, the last line of the excerpt is a key breakthrough in proving that Alex is not a fool but rather a genius, because he is able to determine the fundamental purpose of his life and the lives of others. In order to understand this, Alex must have been through deep thoughts something fools are incapable of doing. This logical analysis reflects Aristotle’s Logos and increases credibility of Krakauer’s theme. Finally, Alex also says, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon…” (57). Straightforwardly, this line may seem to have an obvious meaning, but there is a hidden example of Aristotle’s Logos in this excerpt. The hidden example is a hidden if-then statement, a geometric proof structure. If Alex is able to think in such a high level of math, he clearly is not a fool but rather a well-educated person who knows what he’s doing. Therefore, the passage aids Krakauer to prove his theme by being alive with key elements of literal and unspoken meaning. To sum it all up, the passage is important because it assists Krakauer to prove that Alex Supertramp is not foolish for following his dream by the way it is placed in the book and by being crammed with key elements of meaning. This is important because many, many people, as Alex says, “live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation.” The only thing that these many, many people have to do is follow their dreams.
"I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure," Westerberg offers, "and that he'wanted to settle down some. He said he was going to write a book about his travels. He liked Carthage. With his education, nobody thought he was going to work at a goddamn. grain elevator the rest of his life. But he definitely intended to come back here for a while, help us out at the elevator, figure out what he was going to do next."
That spring, however, McCandless's sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity. He sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat. Borah drove him to the Kmart in Mitchell to shop for some last pieces of gear. By mid-April, Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn't even consider it. "Once Alex made up his mind about something, there was no changing it," Westerberg laments. "I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, `No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.' "(Krakauer,66-67)
Into the Text In September of 1992, the frozen body of Chris McCandless was found in his camp in the Alaskan wilderness. Many who heard of the death immediately assumed that McCandless had been insane. After all, he had ventured into Alaska with only some camping equipment, a gun, a large bag of rice, and a survival guide; surely no sane person would have gone to live an isolated life in Alaska with such inadequate supplies. When Jon Krakauer wrote Into The Wild in 1995, one of his main focuses was to dispel the myth of McCandless as an unprepared kook. “When the boy headed off into the Alaska bush, he entertained no illusions that he was trekking into a land of milk and honey…”(Krakauer), Krakauer has asserted. In writing the selected passage on pages 66-67, the author seeks to convince the reader that Chris McCandless was not only entirely sane and well-prepared for his journey, but was also a very intelligent and philosophical individual. When Chris went into Alaska, he was not a fool who expected to be able to figure out how to live in the wilderness once he got there. Before leaving for Alaska, McCandless had, “…sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat,”(Krakauer, 12-13). Evidently, McCandless was no nut who went into his adventure thinking that by living in harmony with nature, nature would feed him like a mother feeding her child. He knew that if he wanted to eat, he would have to know how to take his food from the wilderness and fight for every morsel. McCandless did not view his adventure as an idealistic communion with nature, but as a rigorous, dangerous test of his individual strength. Krakauer also wanted to show that McCandless was not suicidal, as some have suggested. If McCandless wanted to die in Alaska, he would not have prepared himself so thoroughly for the adventure. If he wanted to die there, he would have learned nothing about survival and gone to Alaska with no supplies but the clothes on his back. Chris McCandless was far from a suicidal man or a lunatic, but was instead very prepared had a realistic view of his adventure and wanted to see it through to the end. Chris not only had a full understanding of the rigors he would face in Alaska, but he also found appeal in Alaska as being the most difficult of tests; and he was determined to complete this test by himself. Krakauer proves this by showing that Chris actually rejected any offer of help in completing his trip. When Wayne Westerberg, an employer and friend of McCandless’s, offers to buy Chris a plane ticket to Alaska, Chris replies, “ ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating,’ ”(Krakauer, 23). Chris rejected that ride for two reasons: first, taking a plane ride to Alaska seemed to Chris like climbing Mt. Everest in an elevator; second, he didn’t want to accept a favor from Westerberg or anyone else. In other words, if Chris depends on any person for anything or accepts any convenience, he cannot know for sure that he would have been strong enough to have done it by himself. Krakauer uses the fact that McCandless had a full, cogent philosophy behind his actions to prove that McCandless was not merely a crazy person living in the woods. He was an intelligent individual who wanted to prove his worth by facing whatever difficulties the wilderness could throw at him. Krakauer has also provided the reader with the impressions McCandless’ friends had of him in order to further prove that McCandless was of sound mind. “‘I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure…and that he wanted to settle down some,’”(Krakauer, 1-3) Westerberg is quoted as saying. Westerberg seems to have been rather convinced that Chris would live through his journey. Westerberg goes on to claim that “’[Chris] definitely intended to come back here for a while…’”(Krakauer, 6). If Westerberg knew what Chris’s plans were for after the adventure and allowed Chris to embark upon it, clearly Chris had convinced Westerberg that he was well prepared for his journey and was very likely to survive it. Anyone can start telling his friends that he is about to leave to live in the Alaskan wilderness, but it takes a special kind of individual to tell his friends that he will live in the wilderness and actually convince them to believe that he will be capable of coming back alive. Such an individual must prove, through actions or character, that he has the strength to survive the trip. Chris McCandless must have somehow proven himself to Westerberg. As Krakauer shows, Chris was not a person who had any illusions about what he was getting himself into; even his friends will confirm that he appeared to be capable of life in the wilderness. The Chris McCandless Krakauer portrays is a fascinating young man. Perhaps the greatest difference between the Chris McCandless seen by Krakauer and the McCandless seen by those who assume that he is just a inexperienced fool who got himself in over his head is that the former sees McCandless in many dimensions while the latter sees him in one dimension. Krakauer tries to paint a detailed picture of McCandless by providing the reader with plenty of evidence which shows the depth of McCandless’s preparedness. This evidence comes both from the actions of Chris McCandless and the accounts of Westerberg and others who knew Chris. By giving the reader this information, Krakauer hopes to prevent the reader from taking the one-dimensional view of McCandless (that is, that he was just a loony.) Instead, Krakauer proves to the reader that Chris McCandless was an intelligent person who knew the challenges ahead of him and was fully prepared for them. Chris McCandless may have been headstrong and single-minded, but he cannot be accused of being a fool.
“If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience. You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.” (Krakauer 57)
Imagine waking up in a lonely house, cut off from any form of communication, detached from society and civilization in contrast to the life of Chris McCandless, the protagonist of Into the Wild. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who changed his life from the conventional way of living to a more nomadic style. For years, McCandless was showered with the luxuries of any common man today when suddenly he decided to venture throughout America living isolated and independent from civilization. Krakauer characterizes McCandless as living a life detached from society through McCandless’ radical change to a nomadic lifestyle.
Society tends to rely on one thing; security. Security offers a person comfort and a sense of relief knowing that if they fall they have a net to catch them, but what if that safety net was to disappear? “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one piece of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man that a secure future.” (Krakauer 56-57) Krakauer includes a personal letter from McCandless addressed to Ronald Franz, one of the only people McCandless held a strong relationship with during his voyage into Alaska. This quote is included because Krakauer believes that in society, people sacrifice happiness and joy to fortify their own security. Today people are more concerned with their success and pay more attention to what will protect them rather then enlighten them. “If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy”. (Krakauer 57) Krakauer reinforces his idea that security only offers a hassle upon a person because it restricts them from enjoying their life and venturing. Here, he advises Ron to sacrifice his security and take a risk. Krakauer also includes, “… first appear to you to be crazy.” (Krakauer 57) to emphasize how society is so dependant on a safety net and would be perplexed at the idea of not having that comfort.
McCandless chose to live the nomadic lifestyle, sacrificing everything and anything he possessed. “Move around be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.” (Krakauer 57) In this quote, Krakauer conveys the message that McCandless’ paradise is by living each day with a new adventure. Abandoning everything to fulfill happiness can only be accomplished by detaching oneself from society. After arguing that security is a damper to a person’s happiness, detachment from society could open a new realm to a person because they would be on their own into the wild. Being nomadic; depending only on you. “My point is you don’t need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light to your life.” (Krakauer 57) Krakauer once again reinforces the fact that people in society don’t need to depend on others in order to achieve their goal or happiness. He stresses independence which is McCandless’ main characteristic throughout the entire novel. Judging from McCandless’ attitude toward independence and Krakauer’s writings, independence is the only thing a person can rely on to expand and spread themselves into a new horizon.
A main focus seen throughout the entire novel is McCandless’ decision to isolate him and avoid close relation to everyone- including his own family. He “divorces” his parents and abandons his family leaving them with no clue as to his plan. He only befriends the people he needs for survival such as Wayne and Franz and even at that keeps them at a distance so that he cannot get attached. “… Relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship and all the messy emotional baggage that came with it.” (Krakauer 55) In this quote, Krakauer explains how McCandless refused to seek comfort or a friendship with people because it would weigh him down. Having an emotional attachment with a person creates access baggage and this puts a damper on the character. On the road that McCandless was following, by traveling and never truly settling, he could not afford to have an emotional attachment to anyone. “You are wrong if you think joy emanates only or principally from human relationships.” (Krakauer 57) In this quote, the idea of a human relationship is viewed as more of a luxury then a necessity. In other words, Krakauer reflects on the idea that human intimacy is more of a hassle then a pleasure. If one chooses to become close with another, it leaves the risk of getting hurt which is what McCandless is trying to avoid.
Despite McCandless’ frequent acquaintances such as Franz, the person whom the letter was addressed to, he detached himself from civilization and society. The explication is significant because in order to achieve that horizon which he desired so heavily, Chris McCandless needed to leave everything and everyone behind. He needed to isolate himself from all the technologies and advances of civilization and the influences and restrictions from human intimacy. In the end, Chris McCandless’ detachment from society allowed him to continue on and journey into the wild.
“No man ever followed his genius till it misled him. Though the result were bodily weakness, yet perhaps no one can say that the consequence were to be regretted, for these were a life in conformity to higher principles. If the day and the night are such that you greeted them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, -that is your success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality…The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of rainbow which I have clutched.” (Thoreau, 47)
True Happiness
A mystery that has been puzzling the minds of humans for thousands of years is the age old question: What is the meaning of Life? Many religious persons believe their purpose in life is being one with their religion. Scientists may claim it to be Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest”. In the travel essay, “Into the Wild“, Jon Krakauer writes about Chris McCandless’s journey to seeking true happiness in attempt to find the meaning of life. After reading the essay, controversy erupted as some readers praised McCandless for his adventure, while others criticized his actions. Many questioned and contemplated why a boy with such intelligence and charm would give it all up for just the bare necessities in life. Through a passage from Henry David Thoreau, Krakauer is able to give some insight to the readers of why McCandless felt it so necessary to seek true happiness.
In the first two sentences of the passage, Thoreau shows the connection of the mind and body with happiness. He writes “No man ever followed his genius till it misled him” (Thoreau, 47). The word genius is defined as “an exceptional natural capacity of intellect” (dictionary.com), Thoreau uses this word to specifically refer to those who are able to think about the big questions in life but do not allow themselves to go too deep thinking about the answers to these questions. He continues on to say that following the mind may lead to “bodily weakness… yet perhaps no one can say that the consequences were to be regretted…” (Thoreau, 47). His words can be interpreted as trying to explain that in trying tending to the questions of their minds, people may neglect the well being of their bodies. Given that people outside a situation have a different perspective than those within the it, and not many venture off to where their minds leave them, whose to say that it is regrettable to harm ones self while trying to seek the truth for the mind. The connection of happiness with the mind and body is that the finding true happiness for the mind may result in some sacrifices of the body. Krakauer includes this passage in his essay, to more insight on what Chris McCandless was thinking and how he came to this way of thinking. Thoreau’s style of writing is very persuasive. His words draw readers into thinking about the wonders of being truly happy. He may have been drawn to the idea because unregrettable aspect to it. Even if he sacrifices many things, if in the end he does not regret, why wouldn’t he try and find this happiness. .
In the next three sentences Thoreau depicts the feeling of being truly happy. He writes that “if the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy…that is your success” (Thoreau, 47) A day only consist of day and night. If a person is excited with both the coming of the day and night, then that person must love all parts of the day. He describes success having been achieved in feel as is if “life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet scented herb” (Thoreau, 47). . A flower’s appeal not only comes from its appearance but also its fragrance. There could be the prettiest flower in front of a person, but if the flower had an awful odor, it would lose much of its appeal. Thoreau’s metaphor is used to emphasize the great feeling of being happy and how it makes the appeal of life greater. Although finding happiness is a great achievement, he portrays this success as an individual affair, stating “all nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself” (Thoreau, 47). This holds true to the aspect of happiness because nobody else would understand this feeling unless the person undergone the same occurrences. By including this part of the passage Krakauer shows another reason why Chris was so drawn to the idea of true happiness. He must have known for sure that life under his father’s authority caused him to feel too oppressed to be happy. So, to love life and live everyday loving it must be something he hopes for.
In the last part of the passage, Thoreau expresses the scarcity in having the success of find true happiness. He, himself, claims to have achieved seeking true happiness, which he describes as “a little star dust” (Thoreau, 47) and “a segment of the rainbow” (Thoreau, 47). Both star dust and the rainbow are two objects no man has easily acquired. By using this metaphor, Thoreau is trying to convey the idea of true happiness being a hard thing to achieve. Which, in his opinion is due to the “greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated” (Thoreau, 47). The things that should cherish in life are not appreciated enough, to the extent of even being forgotten. How would people be happy if they don’t cherish the important things in life and regret it later? Krakauer chose to include this part of the passage because it demonstrates that Chris may have been drawn to the idea because the difficulty in succeeding. This gives him a challenge, since he is bored with his life. If he were to succeed he would be one of few who accomplished something great by finding true happiness.
Still today and probably the end of time there is no universal answer for the meaning of life. Many have their own thoughts about it, but the true answer can only be found within oneself, reason being that everyone having their own perspective on life. People may still question Chris McCandless’s sanity in going through with his quest, but through Krakauer’s inclusion of a passage by Thoreau, they are able to understand some of the reasons why Chris made his decision.
“I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City, and hit the road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that god has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience. You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living” (Krakauer 56-57).
What Is The Meaning Of Life? How can one not notice the number of days they live in a life and realize that each day a person is learning new things from different experiences that contribute to who they are in the end? Some people live their lives not knowing who they are. Some people live their lives not knowing that they have not really lived their life fully. They have not done all they have ever wanted to do or did not notice the little things in life that was significant to impact their lives in so many different ways. In Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild Chris McCandless abandons almost everything and everyone but himself and enters a dangerously new territory, Alaska, that his adventurous spirit aches to survive in and he discovers that the meaning of life is to find out deeply who oneself is through all the experiences one has had in their lives, observing and appreciating the beauty of life and nature, and realizing that a life of simplicity is all that is really needed to live because it is easier to understand life without the influence society has on people with their temptations of wealth, technology, and political or conformed ideas. A life of conformity was lived by Chris McCandless until the end of college and this kind of life lived too long can destroy or increase a person’s desire to venture out into unknown territories that can possibly impact their life in a positive way. It depends on if the person is willing enough to struggle through new experiences as if they are starting their life over again. That is what McCandless did, and he even took a new name Alexander Supertramp to mark the start of his new adventurous life. No one can predict the future, but McCandless advises Ron Franz, an traveling companion, “…you should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt” (Krakaeur 56). Franz takes this advice, joins McCandless on his travel, and sells his possessions. If a person does not try, they will probably always ask what if they had tried. How can one person have their last moment on Earth thinking about all they have missed and always wish on doing and having? McCandless writes, “…nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future” (57). So many people are used to fitting in with society and not thinking out of the box. Their minds are not able to explore beyond it has learned. It is never too late for a change so it is best to try before it gets near death because one can never know when they will die. People must live their lives like there is no tomorrow. McCandless has lived a life of high standards by his parents, always was expected of perfection but McCandless wanted to find out if there is more to life than being successful. One cannot truly feel the joy of success if they had not felt the suffering from failure or struggle. Challenging oneself with the unknown is the best way to grow as a person because if one already knows what is expected, they would have a problem being independent and reliable on oneself to conquer all situations. A person truly learns by starting over to experience things themselves, not by just learning about things and observing. A person lives to have many different experiences or adventures. People learn many things from everything and everyone every second of their lives. To have “an endlessly changing horizon” (57) is to always have the potential to exceed what has already been exceeded. People’s ability to work hard affects what they have going for them everyday. People will not know what their limit is everyday but as long as they work hard and are passionate about what they are doing, anything is possible. Chris survived in Alaska for 2 years and he was committed to what he was doing. Even though he had died, he still lived the way he wanted to and learned so much about his life and life in general. He became he who wanted to be and wanted to “get more out of life” to see “its full meaning and its incredible beauty” (57). He simply did not live his life, but was learning by all experiences he had from society and away from society, comparing them to influence him to become his own person without the ideas of others. He had formed his own ideas of what life was about but was influenced by the authors of The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build a Fire,” An Odyssey of the North,” and “The Wit of Porportuk” (44). People are always holding back and being hesitant, scared of failure and aiming for only good enough and not for great. Ron Franz has the ability to have great experiences but he holds back. People are used to getting things done and not taking the time to appreciate things. Franz had a chance to see the Grand Canyon but hurries home instead. This is a bad habit because many people expect to be reaching perfection, and they work so hard that they indulge in things that will make them rush and they not notice that they are missing the real experiences of life. Some people have a specific goal and only have one way of doing things so they will “fail to discover all the wonderful things that god has placed around us to discover” (57). Some people stick to only one dream, one way of living, or one place. If people are so used to possessions or settings, they become too comfortable, taking advantage of things. A person will not see the true beauty and value of the possessions or settings. One truly feels for the value when the possessions or settings would somehow not be available to them. People, places, and ideas are always changing so people should not be comfortable with life. There will always be days when a person has to struggle through something they do not know and in the end, that person will better themselves learning through the hard experiences. People should always be moving and learning to better themselves with each new thing learned. How can a person grow if they stick to the same ideas all the time? McCandless wrote to Franz to “take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience” (57). This is great advice because with more things learned, a person can decide what they agree or disagree on and they improve shaping who they are as a person. A person cannot see happiness only by their social relationships. One must learn to love oneself before loving others. True happiness comes from oneself and is learned by being alone to really value who oneself is. Happiness comes from “everything and anything we might experience” (57). People learn to appreciate what they have and think twice about what they need to live. Possessions can make a person feel happy but only for a while. Living without possessions, like how McCandless had somewhat lived, is the way to live. “Unconventional living” (57) helps a person keep focus on who they are and are not influenced by possessions. They see what is important in to live and to be happy, being free to do what they want. The meaning of life is surely to figure out who people truly are, what they want, where they want to go, when they want to do things, and why they do the things they do. A person will have experiences that will shape their personality and will define what happiness is to them. Chris McCandless had probably died happily because he went on an adventure he had desired for a while. How can a person not be happy for achieving their dreams for about 2 years? McCandless was successful.
"Ron, I really enjoy all the help you have given me and the times that we spent together. I hope that you will not be too depressed by our parting. It may be a very long time before we see each other again. But providing that I get through this Alaskan Deal in one piece you will be hearing from me again in the future. I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton city and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on the earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has place around us to discover. Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience."(Krakauer 56-57)
Throughout his travels, Chris McCandless often meets different people who assist him on his lofty quest. They assist by giving transportation and financial help. But, what would make a man live this kind of lifestyle for which a majority of people would consider so unusual? Jon Krakauer in his book Into the Wild tries to uncover those secrets through a chronological walkthrough of McCandless' travels through the southwest, northern Midwest, and Alaska. On his journey Chris often writes back to the people that he meets usually explaining his situation. But, one letter that Chris wrote to Ron Franz not only explains his situation but another key element to his travels. By including this letter that Chris McCandless had written, Krakauer helps to shed light on the motives of Chris' travels and his thoughts about the ideal life. Chris takes life seriously and make sure that things don't get in the way of his dreams. He is always traveling and is hardly slowed down by an obstacle. Chris just finds another way around it. When his Datsun broke down in Detrital Wash, he just gather up the most important belongings and set out on foot. When he needed to head to somewhere far, he would just hitchhike until he reached the destination. It is those experiences that he draws from so he say to Ron that "I hope that you will not be too depressed by our parting."(Krakauer, 56) Life is always going to present one with unfavorable events and he or she has to deal with those events and then move on. This is something that he indicates that one must be able to do if he or she wants to live an idealistic lifestyle. Chris also believes that radical changes must be made in order to live this ideal that he cherishes so much. he begins that first one must "boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing of been too hesitant to attempt."(Krakauer, 56) For many years up into college, he had been too hesitant to tell his father of his faults. But, by the end of college Chris makes a bold statement to his family by leaving the family to embark on a journey. By leaving his family he was signaling their faults. By embarking on this quest he makes significant changes in the ways he will live out the rest of his life so that is would fit his picture of what the perfect life would be. By what Chris writes indicates that to live his picture of the idealistic life, one must make radical changes from society. Chris puts into perspective his version of the perfect lifestyle. He tells Ron that "the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure."(Krakauer, 57) By this he means that at the heart of every man there is a longing for adventure. "But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within an man than a secure future."(Krakauer, 57) His passion for adventure is great and living without knowing what will happen next is the way he travels. Its only with an uncertain future that he believes will bring true joy. In order to convince Ron to accept this new life style, Chris states that "the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences."(Krarauer, 57) Chris believes that the life that society has impacted on us is too regular and predictable to bring and joy. As a result he decides to live this new lifestyle of his creations. From Chris' point of view our communion with nature has dwindled. Chris tries to restore that. By embarking on his journey, he will be able to experience the incredible beauty that most of us will not see. By traveling he is fulfilling part of his dream life of being able "to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover."(Krakauer, 57) Society ahs been so tied up with technology that we often fail to discover nature's creations. He even recommends that the Grand Canyon should be something that every American should see. Chris is truly fascinated about living in the great outdoors and experiencing nature on a personal scale. It is this aspect of his dream that leads him to all sorts of places all over the U.S. Chris McCandless didn't journey out into the wilderness on impulse but had specific reasons for doing so. He was just following what he thought of as the correct way that human beings should live. By understanding the reasons for what he did, the readers can finally be able to comprehend this complex person. From Chris McCandless' story "You will see things and meet people and there is much to learn from them."(Krakauer, 58)
“McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, championing of the great unwashed- all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fan, “To Build a Fire,” “An Odyssey of the North,” “The Wit of Porportuk.” He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than the actualities of life in the sub arctic wilderness.
Jon Krakaeurs “Into the Wild” is about a young man named Chris McCandless who hitchhikes to Alaska and walks alone into the wilderness. Some people believe he thrives to do this because of his infatuation with the author Jack London (krakaeur 44). Throughout the book Jack London is brought up numerous times. Each time having to do with Chris McCandless. I’m going to look beyond the words of this passage (krakaeur 44) and explain it significance. Along with a number of quotes including Jack London. “Gallien wondered whether he’d picked up one of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London Fantasies.”(krakaeur 44) It’s obvious that McCandless is not the only person who wants to live the life of a Jack London novel. The fact that McCandless loves Jack London is a great reason to live in the wilderness and have a parallel life with Jack London. An infatuation is being awed by a certain someone or something. “McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed- all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions.”(krakaeur 44) It’s obvious that McCandless admired and looked up to Jack London. “Jack London is King”(krakaeur 9) If everything mirrored Chris McCandless’s passions it would make him want to try to live the life of an ill-considered Jack London fantasy even more. Jack London wanted the great unwashed, the common people, to look beyond acquiring possessions and wealth. This is exactly what McCandless was doing. “…gave the entire balance of a twenty-four-thousand-dollar savings account to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions…”(krakaeur authors note) McCandless did all this so he could start a new life and begin with looking beyond the fact of being materialistic. McCandless however was so infatuated with London’s work that he seemed to have forgotten it was all works of fiction. “He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction…”(krakaeur 44) After reading all the novels he read by Jack London and deciding to look beyond being materialistic, McCandless forgot that none of what he read was realistic. It was all fiction. By this time McCandless came up with a new identity for himself, kind of like a character for a Jack London novel. His name was now Alexander Supertramp. Chris McCandless is the elite athlete who had what he needed and was able to spend money without worrying about not having enough. This is who Chris started out with. Alexander Supertramp is the boy who is living out a Jack London fantasy. Alex loves the adventure and excitement of living on his own in the wilderness. Although, when the going gets tough, Alex goes back to the ways of Chris McCandless. For example after Alex’s canoe breaking, he gives up and gets a job a McDonalds. When he fills out the application he puts his birth name and his real social security number. Soon after he gets the job, he quits, and goes back to the ways of Alexander Supretramp. “…London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and died by his own hand on his California estate at age forty…”(krakauer 44) Chris and Jack London had spent about the same time in the wilderness (4-5 months) Chris McCandless did not die of starvation. Well he did, but it wasn’t because he had no other choice, it was because he decided to starve himself to death. This whole time Chris had been living a parallel life with Jack London. Giving away all his possessions and all his money so he could look beyond materialism. Having an intense hate for the government and the way they ran things. After spending the same amount of time as London has in the wilderness, McCandless decided to end his own life, just as Jack London had. McCandless started out with a good life, with money and things he wanted and needed. As his infatuation grew with Jack London, so did his feelings about championing the great-unwashed just as London had. So he decided to live a parallel life with London. Doing so by creating the identity of Alexander Supertramp who lived in the wilderness for 4-5 months and then died “by his own hand”. The choice of living a parallel life with London hadn’t driven him insane; it had just taken him over to believe that he was living the life Jack London himself had lived.
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices. (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117)
Chris McCandless was a man that is infamous for his adventures and death. In fact, the nature of his death was so fascinating that Jon Krakauer wrote a book where it depicted the voyages of Alex Supertramp, also known as Chris McCandless. Into the Wild is an in depth narration of the wonder that is Chris McCandless. Jon Krakauer weaves the story of a young man that left society as we know it and ventures out into the wild. Unfortunately, McCandless’ eventful odyssey ended in tragedy when he was found dead in an abandoned bus on an Alaskan trail. Although Chris McCandless’ death was a mystery, the reason to why McCandless is so memorable was his lifestyle and his beliefs. Krakauer tries to explain the enigma that is Chris McCandless through the use of purposeful rhetorical organization, clever diction, and intense imagery. In passage above, he uses it to provide insight to the mind of Chris McCandless and how he would perceive the world as Alex Supertramp.
Jon Krakauer wanted to portray Chris McCandless as someone who wanted to find the truth of life. He used passages that he found in books that McCandless read to support his claim of how he choose the life he did and what he was searching for. Thus, the purposeful placement of the passage from Henry David Thoreau was to depict to the readers the reason the McCandless would abandon the life he lived for the life he wanted. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117) As the readers may have noticed, Chris McCandless tried to avoid human relationships. It wasn’t that there wasn’t any opportunities to have a close relationship, whether it was platonic or not, but McCandless didn’t see relationships to be necessary to find what he was looking for. On the contrary, he looked at them as hindering and to a certain extent, troublesome. He displayed his reluctance to have a more meaningful relationship with Franz, “My mother was an only child…so was my father…I’m the end of the line. When I’m gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson.” (Krakauer 55) The author uses this quote from Franz to further display the value of Franz’s offer. The reader now knows that Franz is the last of his family, so by asking Chris to be his grandson he could save his family line and gain the family he had lost. The impact of Franz’s request is amplified even more with McCandless’ reaction, “McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question, ‘We’ll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron.’” (Krakauer 55) The obvious opposition and rejection of the relationship only served to reveal what Krakauer want the readers to see. He wanted them to see that McCandless doesn’t see the purpose of the relationship, or love, and how it would help him in his journey. Also, with the fact that McCandless burns his money whenever he finds no need for it and his reluctance to have a meaningful relationship, the passage that Krakauer picked from Thoreau perfectly describes Chris McCandles’ outlook on life and of truth.
Chris McCandless wasn’t someone who you would say was happy with society, in fact; he found it to be the main reason that the world was slowly becoming a dissolute wasteland. As in the passage by Thoreau, truth, with is the most hospitable nature needed, was lacking in the world, “I sat at a table where rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board.” (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117) McCandless felt that the lack of truth was the truth that everyone needed to become aware of. He saw that those who conform to society is those who don’t see the truth and is ignorant imbeciles. McCandless probably saw that his parents were those who were embedded in society and cannot connect with them. As shown in his letter to his sister, Carine, “I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever.” (Krakauer 64) The diction of that quote gave a sense of strong dislike that the readers has to take notice of it because it was such as great contrast to the Chris McCandless they had read up to now. Words and phrases such as “divorce”, “never speak to” and “idiots” firmly display his animosity towards his parents. The reader notices the harsh words and immediately sees the difference in how he treated someone like Franz in comparison to his parents. Those words show how much he truly wanted to be separated from his parents. When the reader sees words like “divorce”, the immediate thought would be separation and a separation only happens when two parties cannot be in the same roof as each other. Through words and phrases such as those, McCandless shows his detestation towards his parents and revealed how much he valued truth above all else.
Jon Krakauer wrote Into the Wild without the experience of meeting Chris McCandless in person; therefore it seems to be unrealistic to successfully write an entire novel on someone he has never met before. However, Krakauer does a brilliant job of portraying Chris McCandless as the young man he was. It shows how much he values truth from Krakauer’s ingenious use of diction and his careful arrangements of passages. Unfortunately Chris McCandless isn’t alive to .verify whether or not this novel holds the essence of the young vagabond, but from a reader’s view point, Jon Krakauer did a wonderful job in portraying the puzzle that is Chris McCandless.
Jon Krakauer, the author of the book Into the Wild, reports the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who was obsessed with the wild and attempted to live there for long period of time. Between chapters, Krakauer strategically places excerpts from books, articles and other written works from authors such as Jack London, Mark Twain and Paul Shepard. Most quotations the author chose have to do with living in the wild, the nature of men and the need as well as curiosity to become one with nature, God and oneself. The quotation by Paul Shepard in the beginning of chapter four relates to Chris’ identity, and reflects his need to find a reality.
Shepard was “America’s leading ecological philosopher,” and the excerpt taken by Jon Krakauer comes from Man in the Landscape: A Historic View of the Esthetics of Nature. By having such information about this writer, it can be said that Shepard has deep knowledge on topics such as nature. Furthermore, his sophisticated diction proves useful when it comes to believing his interpretation of the desert’s beauty and purpose to go there. Shepard uses words such as “hermits,” and “therapeutic” to explain the need to go and “find reality” in the desert. Shepard’s writings and background make him a worthwhile author; thus, making a real connection to Chris’s mission is certainly adequate.
By mentioning five religious monikers in his quotation, the reader can relate Chris to the quotation for the meanings these names hold. A “prophet,” (line 1) for example is defined by the dictionary as, “somebody who claims to interpret or transmit the commands of a deity.” And a “hermit” (line 1) as “somebody who chooses to live alone and to have little or no social contact” This is held true to Chris’ beliefs because he entered the wild to see what God had offered him. In the letter McCandless wrote Ron Franz he says, ““I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.” (57) Chris interpreted this message from God; he thinks the only way to be a “new man” is by exploring the nature around us, it is the closest we can stand next God. Even though Chris was a very sociable and outgoing man, he needed time in solitude as Ken Sleight approves, “we like companionship, see, but we can’t stand to be around people for very long.” (96) Chris held and strictly followed his own ethics; he went to the wilderness to seek what he was looking for. His journey was religious and was about being one with nature. Being an “exile” also connects to Chris, because he chooses to be absent from his residence for religious reasons, and his journey was religious. Chris is a “prophet,” a “hermit,” a “pilgrim,” a religious leader and an “exile,” therefore the reader’s connection between Shepard’s quotation and Chris are purely religious.
A reason why Chris wanted to uncover nature was to cleanse himself by seeing the simple “esthetic of nature.” (line 6) When Chris planned his trip to Alaska, he was thrilled and shared his blueprint with everyone he spoke to, “I have my soul set entirely on my Alaskan Odyssey.” he would say. (56) McCandless wanted to be alone and experience danger as well as freedom. Throughout his journey he would be able to challenge himself mentally as well as physically. During the times when Chris writes about his travels on a boat, it shows how frustrated he was, but for the length of his trips, the reader can see he was strong and patient as the way seemed obstructed “canals break off in a multitude of directions.” (34) Chris knew he was going to find a way to get to wherever he wanted to get, but he made the mistake to apply the successes of daily tasks into his dangerous journey.
Chris’ obsession for Jack London and other nature writers turned out to be fatal. Before sharing his determination to go to Alaska, Chris had a risky situation as he explored the desert. For this expedition, when Chris was “near the end of the trip, it turned out, Chris had gotten lost in the Mojave Desert and had nearly succumbed to dehydration.” (118) McCandless didn’t watch out for his own life by taking the precautions another person might have, and this lack of self-interest, was a reason for his tragic ending. As the author’s note reports, “In April 1922, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family hitchhikes to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later his decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters.” Chris’ fascination for London, Twain and Thoreau’ writings was so great that he believed their fiction. He had to see if what all these writers promised was true; Chris needed “to find reality.” According to Jan Burres, McCandless was an exceptional man, but he was “Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread the The Call of the Wild, White Fang, ‘To Build a Fire,’ ‘An Odyssey of the North,’ ‘The Wit of Porportuk.’ He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities that with the actualities of life in the subartic wilderness.” (44) Chris McCandless didn’t want “to escape” from his life, but the beauty of nature writers’ works made him want “to find reality.” (line 4) The “reality” provided to him from romantic fiction works and so, he overlooked the dangers of Mother Nature.
Family relations, is a factor the reader gets access to only as the book progresses. McCandless never talks about his family and it is one of the reasons why he wanted to take a break from society. The relationship with his father, for example, was the one that drove him away most. Walt McCandless was a self-made man, he started his life from scratch and as he grew up, he let his ambitions take him where he wished to go. In this field, father proves to be like son. As Chris grew up, he never knew much about his mother’s or father’s past. , but the desire to find truth gave Chris a chance too find out many facts he didn’t know about his parents, “After Chris unearthed the particulars of Walt’s divorce, two years passed before his anger began to leak to the surface, but leak it eventually did.” (122) McCandless kept his emotions to himself, ergo; his family didn’t know why he was so angry all the time. In McCandless’ case and not doubting there exists others, “children can be harsh judges when it comes to their parents.” this is true as he disappeared from his parents’ lives with no remorse. (122) The situation of the McCandless’ got out of hands, as Chris refused to fix relations with his parents and left for the accomplishment of his own goals leaving no trace behind.
Life proved to be more complicated to Chris than it seemed at an earlier stage. The complexity of his everyday life and the passion for nature writers as well as nature itself drove Chris out of the family picture. Chris was desperate “to find [the] reality” (line 4) books offered as well as “spiritual values” and took off. (line 3) Chris died in the place he craved to live all his life as a “prophet”, a “hermit”, a “pilgrim” and an “exile.”
Matthew Urban English 12, H Period 3 September 18, 2007
“Alone Again, Naturally”
In many cases, creativity is born from events in one's life that can be life altering. One way in which a person can handle those events, if they are traumatic, is to become isolated from civilization and society and continue to live as something other than themselves so that they can block out those events. This situation has many pros and cons, depending on the depths of how far the person allows themselves to believe that this is a real escape from the events that have effected them. At the beginning of Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild - a tale that addresses the life of Christopher McCandless and his decision to leave what most would call a good life, for one that was isolated – Krakauer quotes Anthony Storr’s book Solitude: A Return to the Self, stating "It is true that many creative people fail to make mature personal relationships, and some are extremely isolated. It is also true that, in some instances, trauma, in the shape of early separation or bereavement, has steered the potentially creative person away toward developing aspects of his personality which can find fulfillment in comparative isolation." In the case of McCandless, this creativity gained through his isolation was amazing, however, in the end it would prove costly. McCandless had, what most would call, a pretty good childhood. His father, Walt, grew up poor in a small town in Colorado. However, he was a bright kid that had a lot of motivation, earning him an academic scholarship to Colorado State University. But Walt wasn’t just book smart; he was “an inspired musician with considerable natural talent” (103). Walt worked extremely hard, he "moved quickly up the ladder"(106). After earning a master’s degree in antenna theory, he was appointed director of operations of the Surveyor 1 mission at Hughes Aircraft, eventually moving on to work for NASA before opening up his own business. However, as good as he was on the job, he was not such a good husband, leading a double life by having two wives, each with children, at the same time. Like his father, Chris was a fast learner and naturally gifted. In elementary school, he was placed into a program for gifted students, but after the first PTA meeting his teacher told his parents that “Chris marches to a different drummer” (107). Throughout his childhood his best friend, and sister, Carine, recalls that Chris was “very to himself - he wasn’t antisocial…but he could go off and entertain himself for hours” (107). And this entertainment didn’t come from toys or friends; “he could be alone without being lonely” (107). This ‘alone time’ for Chris became frequent, whereas his parents were working all the time. Their being off to work, and him being away from his parents, was the first real trauma he suffered. Chris found a remedy in the wilderness though and on his first trip into Rocky Mountain National Park, Walt noticed, “Chris wanted to keep going to the top. I told him no way… He didn’t think that the odds applied to him. We were always trying to pull him back from the edge.”(109) These little rock climbing excursions turned into countrywide adventures when Chris finally graduated high school. Krakauer explains that Chris’ independent nature led him to flee his parents. He reasons that this was Chris’ way of getting revenge on his parents for causing him the trauma he suffered as a child having been separated from them so much. As his adventures became longer and more distant from his Virginia home, he learned more about his parents and their pasts, including his father’s double marriage. This came to push him the furthest away from any normal life in society, and this is the point that he totally accepts being on his own, isolated from civilization, with only himself to rely on. Ultimately, it is McCandless’ isolation in Alaska that brings out the meaning of Storr’s quote from his book. McCandless found himself in the solitude he created alone in that bus in Alaska. With no one to help him survive and the odds stacked up against him, he found a way to keep on living beyond anyone’s expectations. He had never really created any friends along his trip that could convince him that his way of life was wrong and he trusted his own judgement over anyone’s he met. His early separation from the parents that he should have bonded with made him an independent person, capable of getting along on his own. The life he invented helped him get over the things in his past that haunted him. He was able to explore his idea of living while exploring new territory and that allowed him to become creative and self-reliant. All of these things are valuable characteristics. However, once McCandless recognized what he had accomplished, he also recognized the need to share those discoveries with others in society. At that point, he would find out that his isolation and lack of companionship – those things that had brought out the best in him, would now be the things that would be responsible for his downfall.
“I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April….” (Krakauer 67) Words from Wayne Westerberg, an entrepreneur from Carthage, Alaska, show previously dealt concern for the young Alex McCandless, the new name Chris had given himself while on his adventure. Westerberg had grown close to “Alex”, having picked up the hitchhiker and offering him a job and a place to stay. “My mom doesn’t like a lot of my hired help…and she wasn’t real enthusiastic about meeting Alex, either. But I kept bugging her, telling her “You gotta meet this kid,’ and so she finally had him over for supper.” (Krakauer 67) Wayne Westerberg had insisted on having his mother meet Alex, and after just one night of dinner, there was an immediate connection between the two. “There was something fascinating about him….Everything I said, he’d demand to know more about what I meant, about why I thought this way or that. He was hungry to learn about things.” (Krakauer 67) It’s interesting that these people will take such an immediate liking towards this man after a simple meal together, and yet the people who are with him everyday, his parents, can’t even keep the boy living in society. Why is this? What is it about this Alex McCandless? There was something that these people saw in him that perhaps he didn’t even see himself. “I’ve given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years…Most of them weren’t much good, didn’t really want to work. It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. Didn’t matter what it was, he’d do it.” (Krakauer 17-18) It became clear to everyone that Chris was a hard worker, as well as a surprisingly intelligent young man. They saw potential in him to do great things for himself, whether it be heading a construction yard or operating a station at NASA; they saw a bright future. What they didn’t see what an abandoned school bus, an S.O.S. note, and a sleeping bag holding the remains of Chris’ dead body; he had starved to death well into his Alaskan journey. “I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure….he definitely intended to come back here for a while, help us out at the elevator, figure out what he was going to do next.” (Krakauer 66) What’s interesting as well is that Westerberg shows his belief that Chris was going to come back to Carthage and work after “living free” in Alaska, when even Chris, himself, doubts that he will survive. “This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne…I now walk into the wild.” (Krakauer 69) The introduction and conclusion of this letter from Chris to Westerberg show two things: one, that Chris identifies it as the ‘last time’, and two, that he’s aware of what he is doing by walking into the wild. Why would this charming, young man, who is full of potential and comes from a wealthy family, want to do this to himself? Is it even a question whether or not it’s what he really wanted to do? Again, Chris was aware of the dangers of what he was doing, but why would he bother making connections to these people if he is so willing to just leave them all behind. “He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.” (Krakauer, cover excerpt) Chris made it clear that he no longer had any need to have any type of possession, including people, as he was leaving the rest of the world behind. He then goes on to contradict his “belief” by becoming somewhat attached to certain people, such as Westerberg, and certain places, such as Carthage, and also becomes very attached to Jack London, the man he looks up to—his new God. He follows in the same exact footsteps as this man, for Jack London is King! Why, though, would Chris do this knowing full well of how poor old Jack ended up? To follow in the exact same footsteps as someone and expect a greatly different outcome is insane. Chris, however, knew full well death a sure thing! Why? Why does Chris do this? As previously stated, he’s not insane, he’s just very foolish. “(I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April,) but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” (Krakauer 67) Chris McCandless’ hatred towards people living a life of materialism is derived from his parents, whom he so greatly dislikes. To suggest that flying north is cheating is noble to his cause, but it’s also a cluster of meaningless talk. “Greetings from Seattle! I’m a hobo now! That’s right, I’m riding the rails now. What fun, I wish I had jumped trains earlier…” (Krakauer 53) Notice how he is using the train system here, as well as the fact that there’s a sense of sarcasm in his words. “What fun,” he says. Interesting how, if he wanted to, of course, he could just end this torture he’s putting himself in. The point of the matter, however, is that the more he suffers, the more his parents will suffer; and the more they suffer, the more he wins. “Since they won’t ever take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think that I’m ‘coming around to see their side of things’ and that our relationship is stabilizing. And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt, swift action I’m going to completely knock them out of my life. I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever.” (Krakauer 64) This is the pure basis of everything that drives Chris. It’s all in his own words. This is what makes him so foolish, though. This is such an irrational way to rebel against his parents—childish, even. He doesn’t have to hate a life of materialism and live in the wild to get back at them. It’s not what he really wanted to do, he just became obsessed with the idea of rebelling against society because of his parents. “S.O.S I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I’m all alone, this is no joke…” (Krakauer 12) Chris asks for help. That’s understandable. He made a mistake and he needs help. However, if someone reads this for the first time, it would be ridiculous to assume that this man, who is begging for help, had put himself in this situation. This is why he’s foolish. “Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs.” (Krakauer 67) Again, there’s nothing wrong with living like that, but what if a life of materialism just happens to be someone’s belief; what if it’s how a person wants to live? Chris McCandless is not insane, as most will be quick to assume. He’s a foolish young man who is lost in this world, and who needs others to survive, just as the rest of the world does.
Vagabonds, tramps, and nomads traveled the world throughout history not escaping reality but interpreting it. They became leaders and prophets making their own pilgrimages to Mecca. In Jon Krakauer’s book Into The Wild Alexander Super-Tramp sheds most of the materialistic possessions he owns to experience the ultimate adventure. “ McCandless tramped around the West for the next two months, spellbound by the scale and power of the landscape, thrilled by minor brushes with the law, savoring the intermittent company of other vagabonds he met along the way. Allowing his life to be shaped by circumstance, he hitched to Lake Tahoe, hiked into the Sierra Nevada, and spent a week walking north on the Pacific Crest Trail before exiting the mountains and returning to the pavement. At the end of July, he accepted a ride from a man who called himself Crazy Ernie and offered McCandless a job on a ranch...After working there for eleven days with six other vagabonds, it became clear to McCandless that Ernie had no intention of ever paying him…he resumed a life of constant motion, riding his thumb north and west through red bluff, Weaverville, and Willow Creek.” (P29-30) This quotation depicts most of Chris’ life, always on the run from oppressive society, trying to understand the world through experience. Krakauer’s word choices of “tramped” or to wander from place to place, shows that Chris was captivated or “spellbound” by how influential he found his surroundings to be, enabling him to keep on with his journey. Chris also favored both run-ins with the law and other vagrants. He enjoyed these irregular meetings because he felt it contributed towards his perspective of “shaping his life by circumstance.” He hitch hiked from place to place and found he was experiencing new things. When he got back on the road “at the end of July” he worked for a man named Ernie with other drifters, this was a minor set back. Chris realized that he wasn’t going to get paid and continued onward, proving that he was yet again not held back by the limitations of the world. Krakauer also describes Chris as “riding his thumb.” Instead of riding a car he took the risk of meeting a myriad of people, continually going to new and old places. Traveling was like a drug for Chris; he got “itchy feet” and felt as if he had to get away. When Krakuaer describes McCandless’ as resuming his life in “constant motion” he is describing Alex Super-Tramp. Ready to take on his nomadic side, giving him the freedom from his past life of labels and the typical life style. Through Krakauer’s word choice, style of writing, and description, the reader can tell that Chris feels as if he has the obligation to prove he doesn’t need society. Also through Krakauer’s style of writing, the reader already knows that Chris will die. It’s an important fact to know while following Chris through his journey. Knowing some facts before reading, gives the reader insight to make predictions of what kind of a person Chris may have been. These are not mundane details; even the passages before each chapter have a set purpose. These bring up many questions, such as, “Can people live off the land” (P75.) Does Alex represent a “man of the landscape” (P25) and Chris symbolizing the “severance” of his pervious life, emancipating himself from his past? (P22-23) During the sixties there was a generation gap causing a need for revolution. Teen angst aroused along with many inspiring and world altering events. The Beatles and Bob Dylan left a major impact on the avid minds of a generation liberating itself from the past. Songs such as “You never give me Your Money” and “Like a Rolling Stone” relate to McCandless’ perspective on life. When John Lennon sings, “Out of college money spent. See no future, pay no rent. All the money's gone nowhere to go…But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go.” He adores the idea of feeling like you have nowhere to go, not a place in the world where you belong. Also, in Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” he sings “How does it feel, to be without a home, like a complete unknown. Like a rolling stone?” challenging the artistic conventions of its time, much like what McCandless tried to achieve. By the end of the quotation the reader knows that Chris is anything but your average Joe. Through the authors diction, word choice, and inferences the reader learns that Chris kicked open many doors in people’s minds, challenging the way they thought and lived. Truly an inspiration, this quote sums up how Chris lived and what he stood for. Through Krakauer’s use of little dialect and mainly forwards and flashbacks, McCandless’ beliefs are shown and expound by the reader. Everyone seems to have two personalities. Mainly one you’re born with and one the world enables you to attain.
Over the course of the year, we will explore various works of literature through the lens of human truths. We will attempt to identify the questions human beings continually ask and continually seek to answer. We will examine how authors use language to communicate messages about human nature in subtle ways.
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Quote For Explication
“Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt’s authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled – and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” (Krakauer 64)
Why Chris McCandless ran away?
One of the questions raised in “Into the Wild”, by Jon Krakauer, is why would someone put his life into the risk of starving to death in cold lands without any experience with the wildlife. The excerpt previously presented, from p.64, the author explains Chris McCandless’ motivations to leave the life he had behind and wander aimlessly in the world, surviving with the bare minimum and then going off completely into the wild to live off the land. The author explains that Chris rebelled in his own way because he could not accept the idea of parents, and how it is their job to control their offspring’s life for a period of time so they can be ready to rule themselves when it is time for them to go out into the civilized world without anyone’s help. The passage can be broken in three parts. The first part is the introduction of the passage, where the author describes and contrasts Chris and his father. The second part relates to how Chris dealt with the differences he had with his father for most of his life. Finally, the third part is the conclusion, it explains what happened to Chris when his feeling of oppression burst out in form of an adventure, which led him to his demise.
The first part of the passage introduces what the author wants to say about Chris and the differences he had with his father. This part says, “Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable.” He first describes them as “stubborn” and “high-strung”, their stubbornness caused much disagreement between the two, and these disagreements turned into enormous fights due to their tendency to become easily stressed. Walt, Chris’s father, felt the need to always be in control over his son, which was his job as a parent. And Chris had an “extravagantly independent nature”, which was another conflict zone between the two. The word extravagant in this phrase of the passage signifies bizarre, or crazy, so Chris’s bizarre, self-ruling nature would always be in conflict with Walt’s need to control him, which caused the “polarization”, or the repulsion that happened between them. Father and son could not get along because of their opposing personalities, usually opposites attract each other, but in this case, these two man could not find a away to be together and happy at the same time, especially for Chris.
On the second part, the author explains how Chris dealt with the polarization with his father. The author states, “Chris submitted to Walt’s authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while.” This part says that Chris was capable of accepting, or pretending to accept, Walt’s rule throughout high school and college. He says that Chris accepted this “authority” to a “surprising degree”, which means that he went along with his father’s controlling personality for longer than any other time he felt oppressed. If he allowed his feelings to burst out early, and avoided all the rage to pile up, he possibly wouldn’t have acted the way he did once he acquired that new type of freedom, being in control of his own life, once he graduated from college. But, as the author says, “the boy raged inwardly all the while”, he kept all the rage he had for his father’s control inside the whole time he felt oppressed. Trapping feelings inside are not considered to be healthy by most doctors and psychiatrists, therefore it might have been those feelings that caused some form of mental insanity and led him to this adventure.
On the last part, the author concludes the passage affirming that Chris could not stand such oppression and once he got the taste for a new independence, he decided to go on his journey. The author narrates, “He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled – and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” Chris lamented what he believed to be his father deficiency, or “shortcoming”. His father only wanted the best for Chris, like any other parent, but Chris believed that he wanted control over his life. “The tyranny of their conditional love”, the way his parents treated him so he would be a better person, or maybe just a safe person, that is what the “conditional love” of any parent wants. But Chris saw that as a way his parents found to control his life. All the rules they set for him, all the goals they wanted him to achieve in order to be successful, he claimed it to be a way for his parents to dominate his life. In the end of the passage, the author says that Chris rebelled with “characteristic immoderation”. He saw this journey as a way to get back at his parents, or to just get rid of their “oppression”. The author describes Chris’s way of rebelling extreme, with “immoderation. He says that it was “characteristic”, or original, of Chris to do such things extremely. Since this immoderation was characteristic of Chris, everyone knew he was capable of doing anything in very unique manner to get what he wanted, so that’s why it took so long for his parents to truthfully worry about his well-being after he left on his journey.
The author developed this simple passage to explain to the reader why Chris
McCandless ran away from everything he left to live with the bear minimal and survive on his own. Chris could not deal with the idea that two people felt the need to control his life. Chris never accepted the idea of parenthood, and that’s why he went off on this journey. The excerpt also explains that he was extreme and probably not mentally fit when he went out on this adventure towards his own death. He was insane and extreme, he went out towards his end because of something that most people has to go through for a period of their life, the supremacy of parenthood.
Detective Style: Uncovering McCandless’s Death
“On the northern margin of the Alaska Range, just before the hulking ramparts of Mt. McKinley and its satellites surrender to the low Kantishna plain, a series of lesser ridges, known as the Outer Range, sprawls across the flats like a rumpled blanket on an unmade bed. Between the flinty crests of the two outermost escarpments of the Outer Range runs an east-west trough, maybe five miles across, carpeted in a boggy amalgam of muskeg, alder thickets, and veins of scrawny spruce. Meandering through the tangled, rolling bottomland is the Stampede Trail, the route Chris McCandless followed into the wilderness. The trail was blazed in the 1930’s by a legendary Alaska miner named Earl Pilgrim; it led to antimony claims he’d staked on Stampede Creek, above Clearwater Fork of the Toklat River. In 1961, a Fairbanks company, Yutan Construction, won a contract from the new state of Alaska (statehood having been granted just two years earlier) to upgrade the trail, building it into a road on which trucks could haul ore from the mine year-round. To house construction workers while the road was going in, Yutan purchased three junk buses, outfitted each with bunks and a simple barrel stove, and skidded them into the wilderness behind a D-9 Caterpillar. The project was halted in 1963: some fifty miles of road were eventually built, but no bridges were ever erected over the many rivers it transected, and the route was shortly rendered impassible by thawing permafrost and seasonal floods. Yutan hauled two of the buses back to the highway. The third bus was left about halfway out the trail to serve as backcountry shelter for hunters and trappers. In the three decades since construction ended, much of the roadbed has been obliterated by washouts, brush, and beaver ponds, but the bus is still there” (Krakauer, Into the Wild 9-10).
In April 1995, an author published Into the Wild, a narrative chronicling the passionate odyssey and untimely death of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a defiant yet brilliant, young man who entered the wild due to his masculine passion for nature and adventure. This author, Jon Krakauer, weaves the story of McCandless’s hegira with a particular emphasis on McCandless’s surroundings in the introduction of Chapter 2 (reproduced above). He portrays McCandless’s unintentional resting place, the Stampede Trail, as an unmercifully rough, uncertain terrain by employing intentional juxtaposition of his text, purposeful details, and negatively implicative diction. In doing so, Krakauer sways the reader to believe that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s dark, cold death.
Krakauer begins by positioning Chapter 2’s introduction in such a way that the reader views the wilderness as McCandless’s killer. The preceding chapter, Chapter 1, tells of how Gallien, an Alaskan union electrician, picks up McCandless along the highway and attempts to dissuade McCandless from going into the wild. Despite Gallien’s warnings, McCandless leaves for his Alaskan adventure. Krakauer writes, “Then, smiling broadly, he disappeared down the snow-covered track” (7). The last thing the reader remembers, before continuing onto Chapter 2, is McCandless walking into the wilderness. Reading past the introductory paragraphs of Chapter 2, the reader learns of McCandless’s lonesome death in the wilderness: “Chris McCandless had been dead for two and a half weeks” (13). The reader is now aware that McCandless walked into the wilderness and died afterwards. Situated perfectly between these two ideas is the introduction of Chapter 2. It informs the reader of the Alaskan landscape, focusing on the Stampede Trail. Krakauer places the description of the Stampede Trail, as a representative of the Alaskan wilderness, in between McCandless’s last human interaction and death, because the reader will connect the wilderness as the cause of an effect; in this case, McCandless’s death. This juxtaposition of Chapter 2 with the beginning and end of McCandless’s Alaskan adventure directly expresses Krakauer’s idea that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s death.
Like the position of the entire introduction, Krakauer handpicks details that work to undermine the safety of the Stampede Trail. Among the facts Krakauer presents are those concerning the trail’s founding and use. Krakauer writes, “The trail was blazed in the 1930s...it led to antimony claims he’d staked on Stampede Creek...Yutan Construction, won a contract...to upgrade the trail, building it into a road on which trucks could haul ore from the mine year-round” (10). Prior knowledge tells the reader that trails are initially built for recreational hiking. Krakauer rejects this and tells the reader that the Stampede Trail was intended to be a business trail, not a recreational one. The reader then knows that the trail is unsuitable for supporting hikers and explorers like McCandless. Following that, Krakauer shows a sense of uncertainty about the trail itself and its safety. He writes that “some fifty miles of road were eventually built, but no bridges were erected over the many rivers it transected” (10). Krakauer uses uncertain dimensions when describing the trail, indicating that he and his sources are not certain about the trail. Krakauer also points out that no bridges were built over the rivers, implying that the trail is incomplete and dangerous to follow. Finally, Krakauer notes the weather-related conditions of the trail, “...the route was shortly rendered impassible by thawing permafrost and seasonal floods” (10). The mention of permafrost and flooding indicate extremely frigid temperatures and imminent, watery danger, both of which are life threatening to anyone on the trail. Throughout the introduction, Krakauer selects not only details, but also words and phrases that portray the trail as unsuitable for sustaining life.
Krakauer employs specific diction to make the terrain seem unmerciful, tough, and uncertain. Near the beginning, Krakauer uses words implying disorder and uncertainty such as “sprawls”, “meander” and “rumpled” (9-10). The implication of disorder indicates the unreliability of using landmarks for visual reference when walking through the trail. Krakauer hints at the randomness of the trail as one reason why McCandless was stranded in the wild. He then returns to the roughness of the trail, picking words like “flinty”, “satellites”, “hulking”, “ridges”, and “amalgam”, all words having connotative meanings of hard, rocky, and jagged (10). “Satellites” does not strike the reader as any of the former. However, the term “satellite” usually refers to an extraterrestrial satellite made up of rocky substances. Similarly, “amalgam” is used to mean mixture, but also means an alloy of two certain metals, one of which is the poisonous mercury, implying a fatal mixture of inflexible, natural surroundings. Moving past the founding of the trail, Krakauer notes how the three service buses were brought to the area using the word “skidded” (10). “Skidded” is related to uncontrolled, unplanned movement. When related to the bus, it makes the service bus seem less like a planned shelter and more like a random landmark. All together, these individual words scrawl an image of a dangerous, randomly laid-out terrain into the mind of the reader.
Krakauer cleverly wrote the introduction of Chapter 2 using certain stylistic devices to sway the reader into thinking that the wild was responsible for McCandless’s fatal starvation. In the scope of the entire narrative, Krakauer uses style along with other devices ultimately to remove criticism and ridicule from McCandless by proving that he was not entirely responsible for his own death. Instead, McCandless’s life was taken by the claws of the cold, relentless wild.
page 64
"Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung. Given Walt's need to exert control and Chris's extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt's authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father's moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent's lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled - and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.
Shortly before he disappeared, Chris complained to Carine that their parents' behavior was "so irrational, so oppressive, disrespectful and insulting that I finally passed my breaking point." He went on:
Since they won't ever take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I'm going to let them think they are right, I'm going to let them think that I'm "coming around to see their side of things" and that our relationship is stabilizing. And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt swift action I'm going to completely knock them out of my life. I'm going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I'll be through with them once and for all, forever."
Family Issues
Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild is about a young man named Chris McCandless who, after college, goes off on his own into the western wilderness and dies on a trip to Alaska. While in the west, Chris rarely mentions his family or other facts about his personal background. The people he meets ask him about his life and his family, but Chris reveals little. Throughout the book, the reader has to ask "What was Chris's family like? Didn't he feel bad about leaving his family?" In this passage from page sixty-four, Krakauer provides insight into the relationship between Chris and his family, especially his father, and to help portray Chris's inner emotions he uses strong, negative words.
The first two sentences of the passage compare and contrast the characteristics of Chris and his father to show why they didn't have a good relationship. Krakauer describes the pair as "stubborn and high-strung". Chris seems like a good person, without many serious flaws. However, this phrase implies that Walt and Chris, not just Walt, had less than perfect qualities. The author then goes on to say that Walt needed to "exert control" while Chris was "independent". Walt wanted Chris to do what he wanted him to do. He wanted Chris to take the path in life that he felt was the right one. Chris wanted to shape his life by his own desires. He didn't want to do exactly what his father expected. Their personalities clashed and "polarization was inevitable". There was no possible way for Chris to live with his controlling father, so their relationship declined and Chris separated himself from Walt. The reader can now see that Chris did not get along with his father, but it wasn't just their differences in personalities that drove them apart.
The following two sentences delve into Chris's actions and inner feelings toward his father. While in school, he "submitted to Walt's authority...to a surprising degree". Chris did what he was told even though it was against his "independent nature" while he was living with his parents or using some of his parent's money. The author says that Chris did so "to a surprising degree". From this phrase, the reader can infer that Chris didn't usually do exactly as he was expected to. During this time, Chris "raged inwardly". Chris did not want to do what his father told him. He seemed calm from the outside, but he was really very angry with his father. Chris "brooded" over Walt's "moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parent's lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love". Chris would dwell on his father's mistakes and his "hypocrisy". He felt oppressed by the knowledge that his parents loved him when he did as they instructed. Here, Krakauer uses words like "moral shortcomings", "hypocrisy" and "tyranny" to emphasize how Chris felt about his parents. Chris didn't just feel that his parents were too controlling, like many adolescents. He saw them as tyrants and hypocrites who had faults in their sense of right and wrong. Chris felt that they were an oppressive power and were trying to hold him down. Even though he felt this way when he was younger, Chris obeyed his parents anyway; however, this changed as he grew older.
The last sentence of this paragraph describes the effect of Walt's authority and transitions into Chris's own account of his parents. After spending his life under his controlling father, "Chris rebelled". He could no longer live under Walt's power, so he went against his father's wishes. He didn't go to law school, like his parents thought he would, but instead traveled west. Krakauer says that Chris's rebellion was of "characteristic immoderation". Chris wasn't a person who, to rebel from his family, would decide to start a career in something completely different than his parents wanted. For his rebellion, Chris went to an extreme which is described in the last paragraph.
The final section contains an excerpt from a letter from Chris to his sister, Carine, about how he plans to stage his rebellion. Chris felt that his parents were "irrational", "oppressive", "disrespectful and insulting". He saw his parents in a very negative way, so he decided to defy them. He tells Carine "I'm going to let them think...our relationship is stabilizing". Chris let his parents think that he was going to be rational and do what they thought was best for him. He continues, saying that with "abrupt swift action" he will "completely knock them out of my life". He will "divorce them as his parents". Chris plans to, without warning, separate himself from his parents completely. He wants nothing to do with Walt and Billie. Chris repeatedly uses phrases such as "once and for all" and "forever". These words show that he never planned to see or contact his parents again. At one point, he refers to his parents as "idiots". Here, the reader can be certain that Chris despises his parents. Chris was sick of his parents and, in response, planned a permanent separation from them. Krakauer shows the reader, in this portion, how Chris felt by letting them read Chris's own words.
This passage is significant because it is one of the first sections that the reader encounters that shows what Chris's family relationships were like. Walt tried to control Chris's life and Chris hated him for it. Because he felt his parents were oppressive, Chris decided to sever ties with his family forever. Chris's feelings are emphasized by terms that are very strong because that is how his personality is. Chris sees things in black and white with no grays and his parents are not exempt from this way of thinking. One of the most pressing questions of this text is "Why did Chris leave home?" A possible answer is that the domineering nature of his parents was too much for him to deal with and his inner anger forced him to take off.
quote for the explication
"When McCandless hugged Borah good-bye, she says, “I noticed he was crying. That frightened me. He wasn’t planning on being gone all that long; I figured he wouldn’t have been crying unless he intended to take some big risks and knew he might not be coming back. That’s when I started having a bad feeling that we wouldn’t never see Alex again.” (Krakauer 68)
"This is the last time you shall hear from me Wanye. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild." (Krakauer 69)
"Hey Guys! This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care, it was great knowing you."(Krakauer 69)
Into the Wild by Jon Kraukauer, the author uses specific words and phrases to show how the main character, Chris J. McCandless also known as Alex, grew up different from most children. He was an intelligent child with such unique ways of thinking. McCandless doesn’t like to be told what to do, instead he follows his own thoughts and dreams, not anyone else’s. Alex lives his life the way he wants it even if it goes against his family and society, not many people would live their dreams like he did. Since he was a child, he has always wanted to go to Alaska and that’s what he plans to do no matter if it cost him his life. Chris knew this last trip can be the ending to his adventurous life, but he thought if he can survive through it then he might plan to settle down and start a family. He is a courageous and brave young man to do what he did.
On the last day before Chris plans to take off to Alaska, he met Mrs. Westerberg, who was Chris’ boss’ mother and the two of them got along so well. They talked all night and had many nice conversations as if it was a last moment of happiness. The next morning when Chris hugs Mrs. Westerberg she realized he was crying. “I noticed he was crying. That frightened me.” (Krakauer 68) She thinks he might never come back because going off into Alaska is dangerous, but there’s no way of stopping Chris from going. When he started this adventurous life into the wild he told himself he would not get too close to anyone because they will somehow stop him from full filling his dreams of living on his own. Chris is glad that he had all these fantastic people come into his life before he finishes his life adventures. Having the chance to talk with Mrs. Westerberg made him cry because he knows it could be his last. “He wasn’t planning on being gone all that long; I figured he wouldn’t have been crying unless he intended to take some big risks and knew he might not be coming back. That’s when I started having a bad feeling that we wouldn’t never see Alex again.” (Krakauer 68) Chris knows this can be the ending to his life, but it’s what his heart tells him to do, so he is going to go through with it no matter what the ending may be. They both know that he might never return and that this might be the very last time of his existence.
McCandless doesn’t listen to what others may suggest him to do with his life. He listens to his own heart and he isn’t scared of losing his life just to follow his dreams. When Chris got to Alaska he wrote to Westerberg. “This is the last time you shall hear from me Wanye. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here.” (Krakauer 69) Chris uses the word “shall” and that is a strong word, as it states that it definitely is going to be the last time they will hear from him. “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” (Krakauer 69) Alex writes to Wayne telling him they might never see each other ever again but he wants Wayne to know he’s thankful for all that he has done for him in the past. This postcard was Chris’ last words, just like people who commitments suicide they leave a note to the people they care for, but in Chris’ case it wasn’t suicide it was following his dreams on how to live his life. It takes a strong person at heart to give up everything including their life to do what they believe in and Chris was one of the few.
Chris also wrote another postcard to two friends who he met during his few years of living on his own. “Hey Guys! This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care, it was great knowing you.” (Krakauer 69) McCandless is happy to know all these people who helped him in achieving his goal of going to Alaska. He uses the word “shall” in the postcard again to let them know this is the very last time he will ever talk to them. Chris is ready to take off and experience the wild life in Alaska which he’s being planning to since he was a child. He is willing to leave all his possessions behind to complete his dreams. Whether his body leaves Alaska dead or alive he’s proud of himself for following his heart and did what he wanted to do with his life because many people won’t.
Chris J. McCandless did what he wanted to do without second thoughts. He made his mind of going to Alaska before settling down with life and maybe having a family of his own, but it’s too bad he never got the chance. Nothing can stop him from completing his hopes and dreams, not even the thought of losing his life. Even though Chris lost his life while living the life he wanted to, he thought it was worth it because he knew from the very beginning he might not come out of Alaska alive. Many people live their life in sadness or under other people’s words. Unlike Chris many just live each day of their life hoping for happiness to come to them instead of going out of their way to search for happiness of their own. They are all afraid of giving up everything and risking life, but for Chris he has no regrets, because he lived life the way he wanted to before God took him away.
There is always been questions regarding the meaning of life and what is the “right” way to live. In the narrative of Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher Mccandless ventures across America by himself climbing dangerous mountains, rafting through water rapids, trotting in extreme climates and remote places. Christopher Mcccandless’s communion with the nature proved to himself that his idealistic way of life style is far more desirable than how the general public lives. Krakauer inputs this letter into the narrative to further emphasize Christopher’s beliefs on the “right” way to live:
“I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly to things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt.1 So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.2 The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.3 This joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.4 If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy.5 But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.6 But I fear that you will ignore my advice.7 You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn that me.8 You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life.9 But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day.10 I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.11 Don’t settle down and sit in one place.12 Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.13 You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.14” (Krakauer 56-57).
Chris’s existence seems to serve as an opposing team of the casual way of life. The letter states that “…because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future2” (Krakauer 57). He rarely conforms to society and shows his disobedience toward authority. For example, shortly before Chris’s disappearance, he wrote to his sister “I’m going to completely knock them out of my life. I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever” (Krakauer 64). Chris never enjoyed living under the same roof with his parents, because his parents’ behavior was “so irrational, so oppressive, disrespectful and insulting that I finally passed my breaking point” (Krakauer 64). Not only did Chris reject his parents’ authority, but he also obstructs the rules outside of his home. According to Chris’s father, “he was a member of the American University Symphony but quit, after objecting to rules imposed by a high school band leader” (Krakauer 110). Chris lives by his own values and beliefs but not what anyone else’s. Thus he does not conform to anyone who has a different perspective in life than his.
Chris Mccandless is trying to find the joy in life. And this joy comes from his idealistic way of living, by encountering with new experiences and live life to its fullest. For instance, as one of Chris’s acquaintance recalled of him, “And he was big-time hungrey… But real happy. Said he’d been surviving on edible plants he identified from the book. Like he was real proud of it. Said he was tramping around the country, having a big old adventure.” (Krakauer 30). Chris did not care if he is living the life of a hobo, because as long as he is living his dream, it was ok. As the letter continues, “if you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy5” (Krakauer 56). Like Chris himself, he wants Ron to enjoy the remaining of his old age by hitting the road and live off nature to experience the new realm of excitement. Human beings were born to live, and because people have limited amount of time to live; it’s reasonable for Chris to not waste any time in a dull formal life and enjoy every second of his life in exciting adventures.
Krakauer points out to the reader that Christopher Mccandless’s life style is different from many of others. There are many ways that one can live his/her life, depending on the choices made. Chris chose his life’s passion and followed it. He was able to fulfill his goals and left no regrets.
1. I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within un happy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. 2. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. 3. If you want to get more out of life, Ron you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty.
Before humans found technology, even before civilization was formed, the human race millions of years ago resided in the wilderness. In the wilderness they learned on their own to fend for themselves. Humans in that era lived life without any temptation because there was no need for out doing one another because everyone was one the same level meaning everyone was equal. However, somewhere along the way, life vanished and people forgot about the true values of nature. Now people view nature as a wasted land that could someday bring in more money in their pockets. On a rare chance where a person is finally feed up with society, they venture into nature to isolate themselves from the competitive and materialistic world. In this passage from Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer presents the reader with Alex Supertramp’s perspective about the true meaning of nature and how it can evolve people to better understand the environment. Alex is trying to persuade Ron to dismiss his old traditional ways of living, so he can open his mind to a new style. For example, in line one, “should make a radical change (Krakauer 56)”, here Alex is trying to explain to Ron that he should start stepping “outside the box” because it will fill the void of emptiness. Alex wants the reader to understand that taking baby steps in the wild will not get a person very far because the person is wasting time planning what he or she wants to happen next. The whole point of going into the wild means living second by second, on impulse. The word radical means drastic even extreme and venturing out in the wild defines all this. When people do not take the time to do something drastic in their life it tends to get predictable and boring. This happens because people are to busy with what they already have planned for the day. Alex wants the reader to understand that living like this is only causing harm not good, when he says “unhappy circumstances (Krakauer 57)”. One major problem people have in this world is relying on comfort; for example, “they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, (Krakauer 57)”, Alex believes that people feel like they need to have stability in their life in order to feel content. However, Alex feels having security is only leading us to defeat because people depend too much on everything being perfect and going their way. When it says, “but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future (Krakauer 57)”, Alex wants the reader to comprehend that people do not usually stay in the same place for long, no matter who that person is, he or she will always be searching within themselves for something more in life. When a person does step foot into the wilderness they experience more than anything society can offer. In line two the reader can see what Alex is trying to explain, “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences (Krakauer 57)”, if we live life not knowing what tomorrow will bring, then we could all live a more satisfied life because nature pushes people to face their fears and test how far they can push themselves. When Krakauer writes, “for each day to have a new and different sun (Krakauer 57)” the author uses “sun” to symbolize life because he is telling the reader to always focus on what nature can gives us; maybe a glance on reality. The sun represents a new day to come or even a real understanding of what is around us. For Alex the sun is his tool, he uses it to guide him on his next adventure. The sun gives us light and it takes the darkness away, it helps us to see what is right in front of us. In order to use such a powerful tool, people have to make the first move because nature is there at our reach. In line three the reader can see that Alex expressed his reasons very clear and he is not turning back on his word. Alex said, “If you want to get more out of life, Ron you must lose your inclination for monotonous security (Krakauer 57)”, he is still fighting for Ron to change his old habits because in the end it is only bring him down. Alex feels everyone was born with a little adventure in his or her soul, but they ignore the little voice that could deliver them some relief. Alex is not asking Ron for much only to give nature a chance because it well leave a lasting effect on him. For example, “But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty (Krakauer 57)”, when people stop thinking about entering the wild in just do it, then their eyes will open up and see the world for what it is. Alex wants the world to stop being so closed-minded and try to do something that is out of character. Perhaps, when people finally campout in the wilderness then they can get more intimate with the land. Alex could have easily given up with Ron because he did not make the time to appreciate what nature had to offer; instead he took his time to convince Ron to view the world as he did. He wanted Ron to have the chance to experience the world outside society and the only way was to remove himself from it. Now people view Alex as a messed up child someone that is lost, irony because he found himself through nature it is the people “inside” that is lost.
Quote
1)“Both father and son were stubborn and high strung. Given Walt’s need to exert control and 2)Chris’s extravagantly independent nature, polarization was inevitable. Chris submitted to Walt’s 3)authority through high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy raged inwardly all 4)the while. He brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s moral shortcomings, the 5)hypocrisy of his parent’s lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love. Eventually, Chris rebelled 6)– and when he finally did, it was with characteristic immoderation.” (Krakauer, Into the Wild, 64)
Throughout the book, “In the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Chris McCandless has always been at odds with his family, specifically his father making this passage very important because it shows why Chris felt he had to leave his life and all who had a part in it. In the quote chosen in page 64, this collision of father versus son is made very apparent. The way the passage was written makes it clear that Chris McCandless and his father, Walt are alike in their stubbornness but are very different because of their opposite views on important aspects of life. They're both very stubborn making it difficult for them to agree on anything and having a very negative impact on Chris's emotions and his personality. Their constant fighting made Chris withdraw from his family and friends and gave him a melancholy perspective on his life. With this kind of tension at home and his cynical view of society, it made it easier for Chris to leave his home and society altogether.
To effectively express Chris's feelings, Krakauer chose his words very carefully to show the reader how much of effect his father had on him. In line 3 the author said that Chris “raged inwardly” to show that Chris had to put up with his father's authority but bottled up his frustration and his anger. Chris having been suppressing his rage for so long was inevitably going to lash out in some reckless and careless way causing irreparable damage to everyone around him. Chris to get leave his life and to some extent get back at his parents, he made some irrational decision and became very unpredictable with his, as Krakauer put it in line 6, “characteristic immoderation”. As the author pointed out, Chris felt that his father has failed morally, in line 4, Krakauer showed Chris's disappointment by mentioning “his father's moral shortcomings”. Along with his disappointment in his father and mother's lifestyle, he felt angry that he was being oppressed by people who had no right to criticize because they were just as bad, or as Chris felt, worse than he was. Chris felt that he will only gain his parents' love and acceptance if he lived by their unjust rules and their hypocritical lifestyle because he only received negative feedback from his parents every time he wanted to follow his own ambitions. “The tyranny of their conditional love” line 5, was how Chris felt about his father and his mother's parenting feeling that they had him backed into a corner and he had no choice but to leave this oppressive setting and find what he considered a freedom of the oppression of society.
Along with his word choices, Krakauer used his descriptions of Chris and his feelings towards his family to present Chris's true feelings. Krakauer often uses his vivid descriptions to reflect Chris's feelings to show Chris's perspective on his life and those who were closest to him. Krakauer pointed out in line 1 that “both father and son were stubborn and high strung”, they could not agree on anything. Both Chris and Walt felt differently on how to live their lives and both had opposing views on how the other should live. Where Walt felt that Chris shouldn't go on his risky and dangerous expeditions into the wild and he should stay somewhere that is civilized, Chris felt that Walt was living a pathetic and hypocritical existence in society. As the passage said in line 2, Chris had a “extravagantly independent nature” and with his father's reluctance to let his son go off on his own often led to clashes. To Chris, these clashes gave him even more of a reason to leave because he felt he had no reason to stay home but to fight and argue. With their beliefs being on two extremes of the spectrum, their fighting wasn't going to end, as the passage states in line 2 “polarization was inevitable”. In addition to their different views on their lifestyles, both Chris and Walt are very stubborn making it very hard to reach an agreement on either side, they're both too proud to give up any ground and will not sway from their stances and that's contributed to Chris's departure from society.
As the McCandless family unraveled at the seams, Krakauer himself had his say on the Chris McCandless issue. As where he uses descriptive and positive words to present Chris, he uses negative words to describe his family. Where his father and mother only have “ tyrannical conditional love” for him and live hypocritical lives, Chris is portrayed as the victim of his mother and father's bad parenting when in reality, Chris has no reason to be angry. Chris feels that his parents wanted to shut him off from the world but from the parents perspective, they just wanted to protect their son from harming himself and thats where Krakauer shows who he favors. “In the Wild” doesn't really takes on the perspective of the family but just shows Chris's perspective and his unfounded reasons for his rage. Any family in the McCandless' situation would have done the same if they had a child who left on extended trips leaving no trail behind to follow. Any decent family would have tried to protect one of their own but where the McCandless family should have been praised for their attempts to protect Chris, Krakauer put in Chris's biased opinions of his family but never really put any attention to the family's good intentions. When Chris gives his harsh and brutal criticisms, there's usually no counter point to his views making his family look very bad in the process.
Chris being the idealistic man felt he was reasonable in leaving everything. He left his family and everything he had in his name to go on his doomed adventure. The passage that was chosen is important to Chris's risky ambitions because it shows how he feels towards everything. The passage shows where Chris's got the impulse to leave and his reasons to forsake his life for his ideals. Chris feeling that society corrupts all who inhabit it and felt that anyone who had any part in society were living a sad existence, left because impart to his fighting with his family and his heroes' beliefs. In the end, the man's ambitions were greater than his abilities sealing his fate to the Alaskan wilderness.
McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed—all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build Fire”, “An Odyssey of the North”, “The Wit of Porportuk”. He was enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subarctic wilderness. McCandless conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that he’d died by his own hand on his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk, obese and pathetic, maintaining a sedentary existence that bore scant resemblance to the ideals he espoused in print. (Krakauer 44)
In life it is important to be able to have priorities, to be determined and not allow yourself to be easily taking away by things. You should be able to understand the difference of fiction from reality and to know the danger when you combine the two. It is great if you have an imagination but the danger of it is, is allowing fiction or your imagination to take over your life and not being able to set aside reality from it. Sometimes people allow themselves to be taking away into another world to try and escape the life they lead, but never really realizing that ending results could be fatal. This leads you to think can fiction have the power to take over a persons train of thought and become there reality.
Chris McCandless from the book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a prime example of what can happen when you allow fiction to become your reality. Chris was talented, athletic, intelligent young man with a very promising future. But it wasn’t until Chris was feeling as if he was missing something in life almost as if he wasn’t living life to its fullest he felt that he should be living the life that he reads in his books. Chris had always loved to read even as a child he would always be reading. A few of his favorite authors were Jack London, Henry David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy. He had always been fascinated by these authors for their captivating adventurous stories but mainly it was that they were willing to leave their life of wealth to wander into the wild and live off nature. In fact he admired them so much that it seemed like he worshipped them like they were his gods and their books were his bible. For example when set out to Bullhead city he wasn’t sure if it met the author’s standards.”...Bullhead city doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would appeal to an adherent of Thoreau and Tolstoy, an ideologue who expressed nothing but contempt for the bourgeois trappings of mainstream America.” (Krakauer 39). Over time Chris became so mesmerized with these authors stories that he also became very stubborn and set out to live off the land with barely any supplies. But we later find out that his stubbornness will be his downfall.
In ways the author and Chris McCandless are alike, but the only thing that separates the two is that the author knows when the story ends and when to come back to reality. When Kraukauer gives a brief description of Chris passion for London we learn something else about Chris’ character.
McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed—all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build Fire”, “An Odyssey of the North”, “The Wit of Porportuk”. He was enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subarctic wilderness. McCandless conveniently overlooked the fact that London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and that he’d died by his own hand on his California estate at the age of forty, a fatuous drunk, obese and pathetic, maintaining a sedentary existence that bore scant resemblance to the ideals he espoused in print. (Krakauer 44)
Chris’ infatuation with these authors is allowing him to be closed-mined to the reality of the situation. He believes that all of what London is saying is what he his looking for in life. But what he was really mesmerized by was this ideal life that was only in fiction. And like I stated before Chris stubbornness would be his downfall, he overlooked the fact that London later ended up killing himself because of the fiction he had written. Throughout most of his journey Chris had complete strangers telling him that what he was trying to do wasn’t safe or smart, but Chris felt as if it wasn’t his choice that he follows those he considered to have greater power. “McCandless could endeavor to explain that he answered to statues of a higher order—that as a latter-day adherent of Henry David Thoreau, he took as gospel the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and thus considered it his moral responsibility to flout the laws of state.” (Krakauer 28) Krakauer uses words like infatuation and mesmerized because to Chris it was more then just liking he became obsessed with this ideal life. Krakauer feels that McCandless actions were very courageous and bold but in most ways when you look at the certain circumstances he wasn’t being sensible.
The passage I have selected is significant to the story because we get a deeper insight into Chris McCandless motivation, learn what the author is trying to prove, but most importantly we learn how Chris came to be so spontaneous and adventurous. The passage gives reasoning as to why he feels so close to the authors and why they inspire him to go on this journey. Chris felt his life was routine so he used this books to escape from reality. But he never realized that he would become as involved with the stories as he did. The author is trying to prove that sometimes it is great to step out of your everyday life and explore but it is also necessary to know your boundaries. I feel as if without this passage we would be left stumped as to what inspired Chris to take on this new task of exploring life into the wild. And to why Chris as taking a liking to these authors.
Life is funny and unexpected. Just when you think you have it all and seen it all there is this feeling you get that tells you need more. Now there is nothing wrong with searching for a little adventure it’s just how you go about finding it. Getting lost in a world of fiction to try and escape the harsh reality’s that one lives in today is acceptable but the only thing is being able to know your limits and not allowing yourself to get caught up that you can not turn back. Chris McCandless just unfortunately happens to be a product of what can happen when the world of fiction and reality worlds collide.
“That spring, however, McCandless’s sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity. He sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat. Borah drove him to the Kmart in Mitchell to shop for some last pieces of gear.
By mid-April, Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn’t even consider it. ‘Once Alex made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.’ Westerberg laments. ‘I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” (Krakauer, Into The Wild, 66-67)
Into the Wild, a travel essay written by Jon Krakauer, has quotes that have deep meanings and significance but one of the quotes stands out from the rest because it has deeper meaning and more significance then other quotes. This quote can be broken down into parts and these parts each show a different aspect of Chris McCandless, the protagonist. One part explains how Chris also known as Alex is very determined to reach Alaska. Another part shows how Alex is hard headed and won’t listen to anybody when they tell him not to go to Alaska because it is dangerous. Nothing can change his mind. The most important part of this quote however is when Alex is asked to stay in a town named Carthage for 10 more days to help Westerberg out. This part of the quote shows how people are fond of Alex and they like having him around even though he is a hitchhiker.
“‘I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure,’ Westerberg offers, ‘and that he wanted to settle down some. He said he was going to write a book about his travels.” (Krakauer, 66) This quote foreshadows an event that the reader read at the beginning of the book. Westerberg is saying how this might be Alex’s last adventure. This may be one of the reasons as to why the people of Carthage want him to stay with them because they are afraid he might not survive if he goes to Alaska. If it was another hitchhiker the townspeople probably wouldn’t care much for him. Alex said that he might want to settle down and stop traveling one day. Westerberg knew that if this was to happen then Alex shouldn’t have gone to Alaska. Having Alex work for him for 10 more days was probably an excuse to keep him around so he would get used to living that type of lifestyle and stay in Carthage longer.
“That spring however, McCandless’s sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity.” (Krakauer, 66) This part of the quote shows how Alex was very determined to go to Alaska. It seems like he was excited and couldn’t wait for his trip to begin. The reader can notice how the author uses the word “unflinchingly” showing that Alex really wants to go on his trip to Alaska. “By mid-April Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn’t even consider it. ‘Once Alex made his mind up about something, there was no changing it,’ Westerberg laments. ‘I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north, Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” The reader might ask himself as to why flying would be cheating. Maybe it’s an excuse McCandless makes up so he can leave for his trip earlier or maybe he really believed that it would be cheating to fly to Alaska. This quote shows how Alex is hard headed and that he won’t change his mind no matter what. He wants to things his way which is why he went on this adventure to get away from rules and society. The reader may also ask is there another reason as to why Westerberg wanted Alex around. There could be another reason. Maybe Westerberg became really good friends with Alex and didn’t want him to leave. Westerberg’s friends became good friends with Alex also. This is probably another reason why Alex wants to leave for Alaska so bad. He doesn’t want to get too emotionally attached with people. Even though Alex is always on the move everywhere he goes people just seem to be fond of him such as the old man that wanted to adopt him or how Jan and Burres wanted him around.
Alex seems to be liked by people almost everywhere he goes. One person that really likes Alex is Westerberg’s mother, Mrs. Westerberg. Westerberg kept bugging his mother to meet Alex but she didn’t really like Westerberg’s hired help. But she finally had him over for supper and they immediately hit it off. They talked non stop for 5 hours. “’There was something fascinating about him,’ explains Mrs. Westerberg, seated at the polished walnut table where McCandless dined that night. ‘Alex struck me as much older then twenty four. Everything I said, he’d demand to know more about what I meant, about why I thought this way or that. He was hungry to learn about things. Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs. ‘We talked for hours about books……Gosh, he was fun to visit with; I didn’t want the night to end.’” The reader can see that Mrs. Westerberg really liked Alex and that she had a lot of fun with him. She explains how Alex was different from people in the town. He liked books and he was the kind of person to live out of his beliefs. She found this really fascinating about him which is why she liked him so much. This would explain why people get to like Alex wherever he goes. People find him fascinating and there’s just something about him that makes him a likeable person. He is also a friendly person. However this is the main reason he goes on his adventure. He doesn’t want to be too attached to any one.
The quote is significant and important mainly because of how the reader can see why Alex is liked by almost every one he meets. He is a friendly person but that’s not the only reason people like him. Everyone he meets says that there is something about him that makes him fascinating. The quote has different parts that each exposes a different aspect of Alex. The reader sees that Alex is determined, hard headed and likeable. These qualities are what make Alex a person that is liked by almost everyone.
“ As to when I shall visit civilization, it will not be soon I
think, I have not yet tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty
and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the
saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the
obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any
paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent
bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I
feel that I belong and am one with the world around me? It is
true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few
with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that
I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am
surrounded with beauty….
Even from your scant description, I know that I could not
bear the routine and humdrum of the life that you are forced to
lead. I don’t think I could ever settle down. I have known too
much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything
to an anticlimax.
THE LAST LETTER EVER RECEIVED FROM EVERETT RUESS,
TO HIS BROTHER, WALDO, DATED NOVEMBER 11, 1934”
(Krauker 87)
Each chapter from “Into The Wild” by Jon Krakuer begins with a quote from another author or book. These quotes are important to the story because they are always relevant to the lives of Alex Supertramp and Chris McCandless. The quotes help to draw conclusions and get a better understanding of the main character. On page 87, the opening quote helps to explain the motives of Alex, and why he chose a life on his own verses the secure, average life he used to know. The quote introduces a topic in the chapter and opens the mind to many different questions and ideas about the reading.
The world continues to progress, becoming more and more advanced and technology based. Some people love it, while others would do anything to get away from it. “I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and the star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities.” The wild is ideal to certain people because it is like living a pure, real life. Preferring simple, old-fashioned things means life was better before much of the new technology came out. The more advanced the world gets, the more corrupted people get, and many start to live for materialistic things, and not for the people and world around them. Living in the wild is a natural lifestyle that brings you closer to the earth, and what some may believe the finer things in life. It is the only way you can free yourself from the corruption and phonies of everyday life.
“Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me? It is true that I miss intelligent companionship, but there are so few with whom I can share the things that mean so much to me that I have learned to contain myself. It is enough that I am surrounded with beauty….” Everybody wants to be wanted somewhere, and to have someone else enjoy his or her company. Everett may have had a difficult time finding a place where he was wanted. When he went to live alone with the world, he gained a sense of belonging. Chris, however, didn’t seem to have any problems with people at all. Not only did he have friends in high school, but also as he journeyed around, many people became extremely attached to him. Although Chris, unlike Everett, had many people who wanted him around, he continued to travel, to become one with the world.
A big part of going into the wild was experiencing freedom and living life as you wanted, not as others forced you to. “Even from your scant description, I know that I could not bear the routine and humdrum of the life that you are forced to lead.” The word forced shows the speakers desire for freedom. The idea of living everyday how someone else tells you to was something Chris couldn’t stand. Especially when he didn’t agree with the way people were and the rules of society. Chris believed day-by-day people lived unhappily, but didn’t have the courage to do anything about that. He found that courage, and he would never go back to that unsatisfying way of life.
Everett Ruess and Alex Supertramp were living exactly the way they wanted to. “I don’t think I could ever settle down. I have known to much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.” Both lives were full of adventures and challenges. The two men share many similar qualities and motives. They both were addicted to adventure and the freedom of the wild. The longer they lived that way, the harder it was to stop. They changed their lifestyle to become one with nature. This would bring them a more full, happy life. Alex wrote in his letter to Franz, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences…” (57) Both Alex and Everett could never have settled down and gone back to their old lifestyles, because they are what drove them into the wild in the first place. Even if they could settle down, they would never want to, because they could not be happy without the adventure and thrills they craved throughout their lives.
After breaking down the quote from page 87 into pieces, it is easy to see how significant it is to the story. The writing of Everett Ruess makes it clear why Chris McCandless ventured out into the wild. This quote gives you a head start on analyzing the story, along with all of the other quotes that start chapters. These quotes require a lot of attention, but they are rewarding to the reading experience once you understand them.
A Desire for Greater Knowledge
In today’s society, people seem to be pushing the envelope more and more. There are individuals that are simply content with their everyday lifestyle. They feel as if they have reached their goals, and are pleased with their accomplishments. On the other hand, there are those who are always searching for something new in life. They aspire bigger challenges in life as a way to gain personal reward.
Chris McCandless, the main character of the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, can be viewed as a successful individual. In Emory University, in Atlanta, Chris was a wonderful student and asset to the school. He was both a columnist, and editor of the school newspaper. He was such a great student that he had a “3.72 grade-point average.”(Krakauer, 20) He had both of his parents, Walt and Billie, and a sister Carine. Although Chris was an over-achiever, there was something queer about him. He was more of a lonesome person; he enjoyed spending time by himself, and also took pleasure in going, “on solo road trips…” (Krakauer, 21) and also had, “a nomadic existence.”(Krakauer, 19)
Randomly, Chris decides to completely leave everything he new, had, and loved behind him, and go hitchhiking into Alaska; a completely unknown, wild place he knew nothing of. The main question that comes to everyone’s mind is, “What would make him leave everything, and why? Apparently, Chris wasn’t the only one who was going through such a confusing time…
Another important character that is interesting as well is Gene Rosellini. He was, “the Mayor of Hippie Cove.”(Krakauer, 73) When Gene was younger, he was an awesome athlete, and a terrific student. Some of his interests included reading, practicing yoga, and later on in life, becoming very skilled at martial arts. He was what you’d call a perfect student, because he maintained, “a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through high school and college,” (Krakauer, 73) and later on, attending the University of Washington and Seattle University. His main goal in life was, “knowing if it was possible to be independent of modern technology.”(Krakauer, 74) Due to that stimulating question that keeps bustling through his mind, “Rosellini purged his life all of but the most primitive tools, which he fashioned from native materials with his own hands.”(Krakauer, 74) Another realization he comes across is that, “He became convinced that humans had developed into progressively inferior beings,” (Krakauer, 74) and feels the need to go back, “to a natural state.”(Krakauer, 74)
Coming back to Chris McCandless, he also wants to somehow leave the world he was once apart of, and go to unfamiliar grounds. By him doing so, it relates to Rosellini’s idea of returning to “a natural state.” This can be observed through his actions: “He changed his name, gave the entire balance of a twenty-four thousand-dollar savings account to charity, abandoned his care and most of his possession, burned all the cash in his wallet.” (Author’s Note, 1) That is when Chris is on his way to discovering a whole new world. He goes to Alaska with the bare minerals, a bag of rice, a riffle, non-waterproof boots, and frayed map- that was all.
Just like Chris, Gene Rosellini was also going into the wilderness with hardly anything too. Gene, “dined on roots, berries, and seaweed, hunted game with spears and snares, dressed in rags, endured the bitter winters. He seemed to relish the hardship.”(Krakauer, 74) Unlike Chris, he did have some sort of roof over his head, but it was a, “windowless hovel, which he built without benefit of a saw or ax.” (Krakauer, 74) Rosellini’s trial lasted for a while and, “eventually he felt the question that inspired it had been answered.”(Krakauer, 75) “I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Rosellini, 75)
One can conclude that both Chris McCandless and Gene Rosellini are extremely similar people, due to their goals in life. They are the type of people who cannot settle with what they have, but have that constant hunger, and drive for more. Their actions demonstrate that they didn’t just go on a camping trip, but on a self-test journey. Based off of how they lived when they were younger, and how they thrived, life may have seemed too easy for them. They may have felt as if they never really worked hard at anything in life, so by going on this expedition, they were expecting to get more in depth results. It is uncertain if in the end, they both found what they were looking for, but at least they dared to take on the challenge.
The Life Unknown
Into the Wild, a novel written by Jon Krakauer, illustrates a young man, Christopher Johnson McCandless, forfeiting all his possessions to wander into the mysteries of the wild. As Krakauer drives the book through the adventures of McCandless, he contrasts the traditional way of life with the extraordinary way of life such as that of Christopher McCandless. Traveling along the road with McCandless throughout the novel, one has the opportunity to explore what is unknown and what may be curious to themselves.
“…So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.” (Krakauer 56-57), Krakauer includes McCandless’ letter to Ron, a person whom McCandless felt a strong connection with, to show what is happening today in society. More often than not, people would lead their lives desiring to be wealthy and to have the ability to support both themselves and their family. However, because of their goal to strive for “security”, they ignore their own happiness. Hence, they lead a discontented life due to their sacrifice of what they really wanted to do. As McCandless tries to persuade Ron to evolve from his life of “conformity” and instead start to develop his passion to wonder into the unknown, he states, “…The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” (Krakauer 57) By including this passage into the novel, Krakauer strongly reveals that within every single being, their “spirit” only subsists to have adventures. If it was not for new experiences and new encounters, life would be dull and pointless. Therefore, by waking up everyday to something new, one would then fully experience happiness.
“…If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did.” (Krakauer 57) Chris McCandless gives Ron a word of recommendation, that by leaving his life of “monotonous security” for “a helter-skelter style of life”, he would see life’s true purpose. McCandless marks his word and guarantees Ron would have no regrets, and in its place be thankful for the life of security that he had left behind. “…But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me.” (Krakauer 57) By writing this statement in his letter, McCandless tries to give Ron a “smack in the face” to be awaken and follow what he desires. Chris makes a stiff differentiation that his own stubbornness is nothing in comparison to Ron’s stubbornness to not follow his passion of adventures. “…You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day.” (Krakauer 57) McCandless stands firm on his persuasion letter to Ron. Chris formulates regret to build up inside of Ron by affirming that however Ron is leading his life, it was all pointless and ridiculous, and McCandless can’t seem to grasp how Ron wanted nothing more but to return to the dull life that he has when there was an opportunity for him to leave it all behind.
Further continuing with the letter, McCandless reaches into the mind of Ron. “…I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.” (Krakauer 57) By doing this, Ron would feel that McCandless knows exactly what is going through his head and be able to actually visualize himself leaving his conform life. McCandless also further aim to generate more regrets for Ron, that if he was to “sit in one place” he would “fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed”. “…You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.” As a final point, Chris McCandless leaves Ron to decide his own happiness by stating that even if Ron doesn’t start having adventures right now, he could still later on since he is still “going to live a long time”. This allows Ron to not feel so restricted to when he should perform his passion for adventures. However, McCandless shows another side by including that if Ron doesn’t act when he has the opportunity to, he would lose a moment to change his life.
Krakauer is strongly impressed of McCandless’ determination of persuading Ron to “…lose [his] inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life…but once…accustomed to such a life [he] will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty…” Krakauer, himself, see eye to eye with McCandless on the situation that, “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.” Therefore, Into the Wild was written to allow the reader to examine themselves, and hopefully do what makes them most happy.
“…So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience.”
(Into the Wild, Krakauer 56-57)
Explication Quote
“I began my adult life with the hypothesis that it would be possible to become a Stone Age native. For over 30 years, I programmed and conditioned myself to this end. In the last 10 of it, I would say I realistically experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age. But to borrow a Buddhist phrase, eventually came a setting Face-to-face with pure reality. I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land” (Krakauer, 75)
Why this is significant:
It’s easy to say that things are right and to preach morals to others, but it is but harder to follow them. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, thinkers such as Gene Rosellini, who parallel transcendentalist thought very closely, both try to establish a way of living and to zealously stick to them. From the passage where Krakauer quotes Rosellini, the reader can see how Rosellini is a well educated, logical man, but also realistic and objective in his points of views. Krakauer shows this to us to establish both these traits in such people as well as the difficulties in keeping to their own aspirations.
Just by his vocabulary and reasoning, it is clear that Rosellini is a highly intelligent man. Take, for example how he uses words like, “hypothesis” (Krakauer, 75) to describe his hope to become one with nature, where he could have used words such as dreamed or hoped or wished. He also didn’t just try to test his theory of people being unable to live in the wild by going out into the woods for a weekend. Instead, Rosellini remained in Alaska for ten years. Also showing dedication to match his intelligence is his preparation, “For over 30 years … to this end” (Krakauer, 75), so that he would be able to truly, “experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age” (Krakauer, 75). Rosellini is also a man who can look at the facts of life objectively. Even though he despised society and its vices, he was still able to come to a conclusion based purely on his experiences from his time in Alaska to, “[Learn] that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land”(Krakauer, 75). Regardless of what he wished or hoped for, he was still able to look at his findings without prejudice. These actions show Rosellini to be a man with a strong belief of life he stuck to, as well as a perspective based solely on logic and reasoning.
This mentality of Rosellini is shown to us by Krakauer to establish the profound characteristics of such thinkers. Krakauer makes the reader aware that all these people who walk away from the security and comfort of their lives to go live in the wilderness are not people of low intelligence. On the contrary, he uses Rosellini to establish that such people can be just as smart, or even smarter, than those who live in society. It also helps show that the main character of Into the Wild, Chris McCandless, is not the only person to ever pursue fulfillment by living a life away from society. Both came from well off families and both had higher education. Both even were superior in almost all the things they pursued. But for some reason, they both did not feel happy living in society By introducing another intelligent character with the same ideals, he helps make Chris McCandless look like a “kook” (Krakauer, 71) for living the way he did. This mindset in the two characters also helps explain why they both came to a premature end. Chris McCandless came to his end by going to Alaska and starving to death after things he did not foresee occurred and left him unable to leave his campsite. Rosellini, coming to terms that he would never be truly free of the snares of society, and also knowing that he could never be happy living within the boundaries it established, decided to take his own life rather than return to society. Both were so attached to nature that they could not live without it, and both preferred to truly live life at the risk of death than to live a half live simply to obtain some security. Krakauer makes these supposed nutcases out to be seen for the astute and dedicated people they truly are.
The thoughts and actions of Rosellini helped Krakauer show both the ideology of such men as well as the prospect that such thinkers are not so uncommon and are not as crazy as some would like to believe. This view and what it signifies is important because it shows the reader of some truths. It shows that people with a different way of looking at the world are not insane for wanting something other than what society offers, and that even thought this way of life is easier, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will make you happier. It also shines light on the reality of the situation. Even if someone is purely dedicated to the escape of society and the established way of living, it is not possible to completely cut off from it. Life is not bound simply to the options society gives people, but in one way or another, people are still bound to society.
“I began my adult life with the hypothesis that it would be possible to become a Stone Age native. For over 30 years, I programmed and conditioned myself to this end. In the last 10 of it, I would say I realistically experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age. But to borrow a Buddhist phrase, eventually came a setting face-to-face with pure reality. I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Krakauer 75)
The Hypocritical Mass
It is often that people find themselves contradictory and somewhat ignorant of their current situation. Such is the tale of Chris McCandless in "In The Wild" by Jon Krakauer. Like many adventurous fellows who seek thrill and excitement, Chris was no different. The nonfiction book tells about the young man’s journey from the continental U.S. to Alaska in order to escape his dependency on society. However, what Chris doesn’t know is that his ignorance and stupidity would soon be the cause of his demise. His death also would go on to represent his hypocritical manner. Ignorance is not bliss and being ignorant of said ignorance can lead to hypocritical behavior.
People often perceive that others are ignorant of their ignorance, meaning they do silly things that they or others do not comprehend. In the chosen quote, the author uses the secondary character, Gene Rosellini, to create a deliberate comparison and contrast against Chris McCandless. Two elements mentioned in the quote are the “Buddhist phrase” (Krakauer 75) and the “Stone Age.” (Krakauer 75) These two elements act as references to both Chris and Gene as they are both alike and different. They are alike in the way that Buddhist life and Stone Age life are simple, primitive ways of living, exactly the way the two characters dreamt when they ventured away from the modern world. However, they are also different because there are variations in both ways of living. Whereas the Buddhist life tends to stay closer to society, Stone Age living was not the norm as it was more secluded. Both elements are contradictory, as they are alike and yet also different. As aforementioned, the two elements are representative of Chris and Gene: walking, talking, “human beings” (Krakauer 75) or hypocritical masses.
Gene Rosellini is also used as a symbol to represent superficial behavior, which is also connected to the previously mentioned ignorant mannerism. It is stated in the quote that Mr. Rosellini “programmed and conditioned [himself]…” (Krakauer 75) to become a “possible…Stone Age native.” (Krakauer 75) This statement, however, is contradictory. By stating that he is being programmed and conditioned, Gene is becoming something that is not and therefore ignorant of what he truly is – someone who can’t live off the land. He is who he is and cannot change that fact. Rosellini eventually comes to a “setting face-to-face with pure reality” (Krakauer 75) as he realizes that he cannot change his being and realizes this fact after spending 30 years of fruitless effort. The words “possible” (Krakauer 75) and “hypothesis” (Krakauer 75) suggest a possible idea or belief. Like Chris, Rosellini went out with the idea that it was possible to become a “Stone Age” native, but later comes back to tell the reader that “it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land.” (Krakauer 75) This brings the reader to a two-sided Gene: one that believed it was possible and one that admits defeat. The fact that he acted high and mighty over his “hypothesis”, as represented by his usage of “adult life” and “possible” temporarily revealed his “always right” attitude.
Hypocritical behavior is continually shown by the character Gene as he describes his poor excuse of a journey. The words “borrow” and “Buddhist phrase” (Krakauer 75) signify that Gene received something he did not have originally and could only have temporarily. By the time he ended his journey and realized that it was “not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the land,” Gene must have realized his barren efforts were all in vain. To “borrow” a “Buddhist phrase” indicates that he put up a façade, something that he was not at all. “Borrow” also indicates temporary. When people borrow anything, it must be returned later on. Gene may not have realized that fact and when it was too late, he was hit with a “pure reality.” He was ignorant of that fact and ignorant of his life’s adventure.
People are often two-faced. One moment, they say and believe one thing, the next moment, it’s the opposite of everything they’ve ever said and done. It is often stated that “ignorance is bliss.” In the cases of Chris and Gene, however, their ignorance caused their downfalls and their hypocrite-esque behavior added toward that downward spiral to their ends. When all is said and done, there is one thing to realize: there are certain limitations and boundaries (such as dependency on society) that cannot be passed as shown in the cases of Chris and Gene. People in society can be blinded by their own stupidity and not even realize it, leading to their declination and ultimately, become hypocritical.
For decades, some people have spent their entire life in search of the true purpose of life. For some people, they gave away their secured life in the society for a life in the wild in search for an answer. In the novel called, “into the wild,” the author Jon Krakauer gave light to a young man who thought he had figured out the whole purpose of life. This young man goes by the name of Christopher McCandless. He, like many other people, is confused at the true purpose of life. For this very reason, he detaches himself from society and venture into the wild in search of an answer. As his journey proceeds, he is sure of the fact that he had discovered the very core of existence.
In April 1992, a young man goes by the name of Christopher McCandless detaches himself from society and ventures into the wild to look for the meaning of life. From his odyssey, he believed that he had grasped the purpose of life and the reason why that people refuses to search for it. In a letter written to Ron, one of the people who tried to help Chris, he shows full confident in his discovery. Chris wrote that, “So many people lives within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security” (9-11). Chris believes that people don’t take actions to change their mundane life is because they are so used to the warm, safe society in which they build. In the society, people are protected by the unpredictable tragedy such as being torn apart by lions or devoured by scavengers. To them, the society is a place where they can wonder about without having to watch their backs everyone 2 second. While Ron drove Chris back to his home, he noticed that Ron “wanted nothing buy to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation in which you see dad after day” (29-31). From this, Chris concluded that people are naturally scared of unfamiliar places because it is different from what they are accustomed to. It explains why people don’t take the initiative to change their unsatisfied life. It is because people felt safe to be around the same landscape, the same people, and the same life style that they are born with. Just as how Ron can’t wait to home after he picked up Chris in a setting that is not familiar to him. People are so used to security that they are almost brain washed into believing that stepping out of their territory will ultimately bring them to their doom.
McCandless argued that changes are necessary in order to lead a meaningful life. McCandless claims that, ‘there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (17-18). In a way, this idea of his motivated this adventure. He lived a life where he wakes up every morning knowing exactly how his day is going to be. This tells us a lot about his personality. He is the type of a guy that enjoys excitement and new experiences. When he started out on his journey, it haven’t’ got the slightest clue to what he was looking for. However as he digs deeper into the wild, he slowly learns that what he really needs in life is the sense of freedom. The feeling that you can do anything you want and not having to bear any responsibilities. The feeling of excitement of waking up everyday not knowing what might happen. These feels overwhelms him so much that it became who he is. He noted that, “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences” (16). He is clearly stating that the “joy” is the true meaning of life itself. And this feeling of joy can only be obtained by becoming one with the nature.
In search for the meaning of life, McCandless gambled with his life. He put all his processions behind him and started out with few necessities such as food and clothing. Many of us spent majority of us doing the same exact thing over and over again. Is this really the meaning of life? Or is there more to it. For McCandless, he’d found his meaning of life, even if it ultimately took his life.
"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun."
- (Krakauer 56-57)
The passage above is an extremely significant quote from Into the Wild, a novel by Jon Krakauer. The novel tells of a young man, named Alex Supertramp, who walks into the wild; who leaves his past life and possessions; who, after many years of this life, ultimately dies. The passage is important because it helps Krakauer prove the theme of his book to readers. The theme of Into the Wild is: Alex Supertramp is not foolish for following his dream. The passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme by the way it is presented in the book and by being full of key elements of meaning. These key elements of meaning posses both literal and implied meanings. The ways that the passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme frequently reflects Aristotle’s modes of rhetoric.
The manner in which the passage is presented in the book helps Krakauer prove the theme of his book in many ways. First, the structure of Into the Wild is built on sequences of quotations followed by text repeated throughout the book. This structure sequence of quotes gives credibility to the text. This increase in credibility due to a credible source reflects Aristotle’s Logos. Since the quotes are from sources other than the author, the credibility of the ideas presented in the book as well as the theme increase. Next, the form, or substructure, of the passage is a large quote. Unlike smaller quotes from Jack London or Henry David Thoreau, this particular quote is extensive. The length of this quote gives the reader a full impression of Supertramp’s ideals, giving further believability to the theme of the book. Also, the style, or word choice, used in this passage helps increase believability of the theme in two ways. One, technically, the choice of words is not the author’s; the supply of the words is from another credible source, Supertramp himself. This fact reflects Aristotle’s Logos. Two, the choice of words exhibit Supertramp’s sentimental passion for the “joy of life [that] comes from … encounters with new experiences.” (57) This increase in credibility due to an application of emotion reflects Aristotle’s Pathos. Finally, the passage is placed in a strategic location of the book. The passage shows up when Alex leaves his friend, Ron. By placing this passage at a sentimental location, Krakauer evokes Pathos, emotionally proving the theme of the novel. Thus, the technique by which the passage is presented in the book helps Krakauer prove the theme of Into the Wild.
The passage helps Krakauer to prove his theme by being full of key elements of literal and implicit meaning. For example, the phrase “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation…” (56), demonstrates how Alex is not a fool. Literally, it means that there are many people who do not follow their dreams and live unhappy lives because they did not take action. These people are the true fools of humanity. Implicitly, if you take the inverse of this statement, it turns into, “we few, we happy few,” signifying that Alex took initiative and lived a happy life. Therefore, Alex should not be considered a fool but rather a hard-working martyr. In addition, Alex reasons that, the true fools of humanity are “conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure.” (57). Plainly, Alex means that the fools of humanity are disillusioned by a ‘secure future’ and that a ‘secure future’ is most damaging to the pursuit of one’s dreams. Figuratively, the last line of the excerpt is a key breakthrough in proving that Alex is not a fool but rather a genius, because he is able to determine the fundamental purpose of his life and the lives of others. In order to understand this, Alex must have been through deep thoughts something fools are incapable of doing. This logical analysis reflects Aristotle’s Logos and increases credibility of Krakauer’s theme. Finally, Alex also says, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon…” (57). Straightforwardly, this line may seem to have an obvious meaning, but there is a hidden example of Aristotle’s Logos in this excerpt. The hidden example is a hidden if-then statement, a geometric proof structure. If Alex is able to think in such a high level of math, he clearly is not a fool but rather a well-educated person who knows what he’s doing. Therefore, the passage aids Krakauer to prove his theme by being alive with key elements of literal and unspoken meaning.
To sum it all up, the passage is important because it assists Krakauer to prove that Alex Supertramp is not foolish for following his dream by the way it is placed in the book and by being crammed with key elements of meaning. This is important because many, many people, as Alex says, “live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation.” The only thing that these many, many people have to do is follow their dreams.
"I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure," Westerberg offers, "and that he'wanted to settle down some. He said he was going to write a book about his travels. He liked Carthage. With his education, nobody thought he was going to work at a goddamn. grain elevator the rest of his life. But he definitely intended to come back here for a while, help us out at the elevator, figure out what he was going to do next."
That spring, however, McCandless's sights were fixed unflinchingly on Alaska. He talked about the trip at every opportunity. He sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat. Borah drove him to the Kmart in Mitchell to shop for some last pieces of gear. By mid-April, Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and
work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn't even consider it. "Once Alex made up his mind about something, there was no changing it," Westerberg laments. "I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, `No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.' "(Krakauer,66-67)
Into the Text
In September of 1992, the frozen body of Chris McCandless was found in his camp in the Alaskan wilderness. Many who heard of the death immediately assumed that McCandless had been insane. After all, he had ventured into Alaska with only some camping equipment, a gun, a large bag of rice, and a survival guide; surely no sane person would have gone to live an isolated life in Alaska with such inadequate supplies. When Jon Krakauer wrote Into The Wild in 1995, one of his main focuses was to dispel the myth of McCandless as an unprepared kook. “When the boy headed off into the Alaska bush, he entertained no illusions that he was trekking into a land of milk and honey…”(Krakauer), Krakauer has asserted. In writing the selected passage on pages 66-67, the author seeks to convince the reader that Chris McCandless was not only entirely sane and well-prepared for his journey, but was also a very intelligent and philosophical individual.
When Chris went into Alaska, he was not a fool who expected to be able to figure out how to live in the wilderness once he got there. Before leaving for Alaska, McCandless had, “…sought out experienced hunters around town and asked them for tips about stalking game, dressing animals, curing meat,”(Krakauer, 12-13). Evidently, McCandless was no nut who went into his adventure thinking that by living in harmony with nature, nature would feed him like a mother feeding her child. He knew that if he wanted to eat, he would have to know how to take his food from the wilderness and fight for every morsel. McCandless did not view his adventure as an idealistic communion with nature, but as a rigorous, dangerous test of his individual strength. Krakauer also wanted to show that McCandless was not suicidal, as some have suggested. If McCandless wanted to die in Alaska, he would not have prepared himself so thoroughly for the adventure. If he wanted to die there, he would have learned nothing about survival and gone to Alaska with no supplies but the clothes on his back. Chris McCandless was far from a suicidal man or a lunatic, but was instead very prepared had a realistic view of his adventure and wanted to see it through to the end.
Chris not only had a full understanding of the rigors he would face in Alaska, but he also found appeal in Alaska as being the most difficult of tests; and he was determined to complete this test by himself. Krakauer proves this by showing that Chris actually rejected any offer of help in completing his trip. When Wayne Westerberg, an employer and friend of McCandless’s, offers to buy Chris a plane ticket to Alaska, Chris replies, “ ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating,’ ”(Krakauer, 23). Chris rejected that ride for two reasons: first, taking a plane ride to Alaska seemed to Chris like climbing Mt. Everest in an elevator; second, he didn’t want to accept a favor from Westerberg or anyone else. In other words, if Chris depends on any person for anything or accepts any convenience, he cannot know for sure that he would have been strong enough to have done it by himself. Krakauer uses the fact that McCandless had a full, cogent philosophy behind his actions to prove that McCandless was not merely a crazy person living in the woods. He was an intelligent individual who wanted to prove his worth by facing whatever difficulties the wilderness could throw at him.
Krakauer has also provided the reader with the impressions McCandless’ friends had of him in order to further prove that McCandless was of sound mind. “‘I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure…and that he wanted to settle down some,’”(Krakauer, 1-3) Westerberg is quoted as saying. Westerberg seems to have been rather convinced that Chris would live through his journey. Westerberg goes on to claim that “’[Chris] definitely intended to come back here for a while…’”(Krakauer, 6). If Westerberg knew what Chris’s plans were for after the adventure and allowed Chris to embark upon it, clearly Chris had convinced Westerberg that he was well prepared for his journey and was very likely to survive it. Anyone can start telling his friends that he is about to leave to live in the Alaskan wilderness, but it takes a special kind of individual to tell his friends that he will live in the wilderness and actually convince them to believe that he will be capable of coming back alive. Such an individual must prove, through actions or character, that he has the strength to survive the trip. Chris McCandless must have somehow proven himself to Westerberg. As Krakauer shows, Chris was not a person who had any illusions about what he was getting himself into; even his friends will confirm that he appeared to be capable of life in the wilderness.
The Chris McCandless Krakauer portrays is a fascinating young man. Perhaps the greatest difference between the Chris McCandless seen by Krakauer and the McCandless seen by those who assume that he is just a inexperienced fool who got himself in over his head is that the former sees McCandless in many dimensions while the latter sees him in one dimension. Krakauer tries to paint a detailed picture of McCandless by providing the reader with plenty of evidence which shows the depth of McCandless’s preparedness. This evidence comes both from the actions of Chris McCandless and the accounts of Westerberg and others who knew Chris. By giving the reader this information, Krakauer hopes to prevent the reader from taking the one-dimensional view of McCandless (that is, that he was just a loony.) Instead, Krakauer proves to the reader that Chris McCandless was an intelligent person who knew the challenges ahead of him and was fully prepared for them. Chris McCandless may have been headstrong and single-minded, but he cannot be accused of being a fool.
“If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience. You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.” (Krakauer 57)
Imagine waking up in a lonely house, cut off from any form of communication, detached from society and civilization in contrast to the life of Chris McCandless, the protagonist of Into the Wild. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who changed his life from the conventional way of living to a more nomadic style. For years, McCandless was showered with the luxuries of any common man today when suddenly he decided to venture throughout America living isolated and independent from civilization. Krakauer characterizes McCandless as living a life detached from society through McCandless’ radical change to a nomadic lifestyle.
Society tends to rely on one thing; security. Security offers a person comfort and a sense of relief knowing that if they fall they have a net to catch them, but what if that safety net was to disappear? “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one piece of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man that a secure future.” (Krakauer 56-57) Krakauer includes a personal letter from McCandless addressed to Ronald Franz, one of the only people McCandless held a strong relationship with during his voyage into Alaska. This quote is included because Krakauer believes that in society, people sacrifice happiness and joy to fortify their own security. Today people are more concerned with their success and pay more attention to what will protect them rather then enlighten them. “If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy”. (Krakauer 57) Krakauer reinforces his idea that security only offers a hassle upon a person because it restricts them from enjoying their life and venturing. Here, he advises Ron to sacrifice his security and take a risk. Krakauer also includes, “… first appear to you to be crazy.” (Krakauer 57) to emphasize how society is so dependant on a safety net and would be perplexed at the idea of not having that comfort.
McCandless chose to live the nomadic lifestyle, sacrificing everything and anything he possessed. “Move around be nomadic, make each day a new horizon.” (Krakauer 57) In this quote, Krakauer conveys the message that McCandless’ paradise is by living each day with a new adventure. Abandoning everything to fulfill happiness can only be accomplished by detaching oneself from society. After arguing that security is a damper to a person’s happiness, detachment from society could open a new realm to a person because they would be on their own into the wild. Being nomadic; depending only on you. “My point is you don’t need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light to your life.” (Krakauer 57) Krakauer once again reinforces the fact that people in society don’t need to depend on others in order to achieve their goal or happiness. He stresses independence which is McCandless’ main characteristic throughout the entire novel. Judging from McCandless’ attitude toward independence and Krakauer’s writings, independence is the only thing a person can rely on to expand and spread themselves into a new horizon.
A main focus seen throughout the entire novel is McCandless’ decision to isolate him and avoid close relation to everyone- including his own family. He “divorces” his parents and abandons his family leaving them with no clue as to his plan. He only befriends the people he needs for survival such as Wayne and Franz and even at that keeps them at a distance so that he cannot get attached. “… Relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship and all the messy emotional baggage that came with it.” (Krakauer 55) In this quote, Krakauer explains how McCandless refused to seek comfort or a friendship with people because it would weigh him down. Having an emotional attachment with a person creates access baggage and this puts a damper on the character. On the road that McCandless was following, by traveling and never truly settling, he could not afford to have an emotional attachment to anyone. “You are wrong if you think joy emanates only or principally from human relationships.” (Krakauer 57) In this quote, the idea of a human relationship is viewed as more of a luxury then a necessity. In other words, Krakauer reflects on the idea that human intimacy is more of a hassle then a pleasure. If one chooses to become close with another, it leaves the risk of getting hurt which is what McCandless is trying to avoid.
Despite McCandless’ frequent acquaintances such as Franz, the person whom the letter was addressed to, he detached himself from civilization and society. The explication is significant because in order to achieve that horizon which he desired so heavily, Chris McCandless needed to leave everything and everyone behind. He needed to isolate himself from all the technologies and advances of civilization and the influences and restrictions from human intimacy. In the end, Chris McCandless’ detachment from society allowed him to continue on and journey into the wild.
“No man ever followed his genius till it misled him. Though the result were bodily weakness, yet perhaps no one can say that the consequence were to be regretted, for these were a life in conformity to higher principles. If the day and the night are such that you greeted them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal, -that is your success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated.
We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are the highest reality…The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of rainbow which I have clutched.” (Thoreau, 47)
True Happiness
A mystery that has been puzzling the minds of humans for thousands of years is the age old question: What is the meaning of Life? Many religious persons believe their purpose in life is being one with their religion. Scientists may claim it to be Darwin’s theory of “survival of the fittest”. In the travel essay, “Into the Wild“, Jon Krakauer writes about Chris McCandless’s journey to seeking true happiness in attempt to find the meaning of life. After reading the essay, controversy erupted as some readers praised McCandless for his adventure, while others criticized his actions. Many questioned and contemplated why a boy with such intelligence and charm would give it all up for just the bare necessities in life. Through a passage from Henry David Thoreau, Krakauer is able to give some insight to the readers of why McCandless felt it so necessary to seek true happiness.
In the first two sentences of the passage, Thoreau shows the connection of the mind and body with happiness. He writes “No man ever followed his genius till it misled him” (Thoreau, 47). The word genius is defined as “an exceptional natural capacity of intellect” (dictionary.com), Thoreau uses this word to specifically refer to those who are able to think about the big questions in life but do not allow themselves to go too deep thinking about the answers to these questions. He continues on to say that following the mind may lead to “bodily weakness… yet perhaps no one can say that the consequences were to be regretted…” (Thoreau, 47). His words can be interpreted as trying to explain that in trying tending to the questions of their minds, people may neglect the well being of their bodies. Given that people outside a situation have a different perspective than those within the it, and not many venture off to where their minds leave them, whose to say that it is regrettable to harm ones self while trying to seek the truth for the mind. The connection of happiness with the mind and body is that the finding true happiness for the mind may result in some sacrifices of the body. Krakauer includes this passage in his essay, to more insight on what Chris McCandless was thinking and how he came to this way of thinking. Thoreau’s style of writing is very persuasive. His words draw readers into thinking about the wonders of being truly happy. He may have been drawn to the idea because unregrettable aspect to it. Even if he sacrifices many things, if in the end he does not regret, why wouldn’t he try and find this happiness. .
In the next three sentences Thoreau depicts the feeling of being truly happy. He writes that “if the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy…that is your success” (Thoreau, 47) A day only consist of day and night. If a person is excited with both the coming of the day and night, then that person must love all parts of the day. He describes success having been achieved in feel as is if “life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet scented herb” (Thoreau, 47). . A flower’s appeal not only comes from its appearance but also its fragrance. There could be the prettiest flower in front of a person, but if the flower had an awful odor, it would lose much of its appeal. Thoreau’s metaphor is used to emphasize the great feeling of being happy and how it makes the appeal of life greater. Although finding happiness is a great achievement, he portrays this success as an individual affair, stating “all nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself” (Thoreau, 47). This holds true to the aspect of happiness because nobody else would understand this feeling unless the person undergone the same occurrences. By including this part of the passage Krakauer shows another reason why Chris was so drawn to the idea of true happiness. He must have known for sure that life under his father’s authority caused him to feel too oppressed to be happy. So, to love life and live everyday loving it must be something he hopes for.
In the last part of the passage, Thoreau expresses the scarcity in having the success of find true happiness. He, himself, claims to have achieved seeking true happiness, which he describes as “a little star dust” (Thoreau, 47) and “a segment of the rainbow” (Thoreau, 47). Both star dust and the rainbow are two objects no man has easily acquired. By using this metaphor, Thoreau is trying to convey the idea of true happiness being a hard thing to achieve. Which, in his opinion is due to the “greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated” (Thoreau, 47). The things that should cherish in life are not appreciated enough, to the extent of even being forgotten. How would people be happy if they don’t cherish the important things in life and regret it later? Krakauer chose to include this part of the passage because it demonstrates that Chris may have been drawn to the idea because the difficulty in succeeding. This gives him a challenge, since he is bored with his life. If he were to succeed he would be one of few who accomplished something great by finding true happiness.
Still today and probably the end of time there is no universal answer for the meaning of life. Many have their own thoughts about it, but the true answer can only be found within oneself, reason being that everyone having their own perspective on life. People may still question Chris McCandless’s sanity in going through with his quest, but through Krakauer’s inclusion of a passage by Thoreau, they are able to understand some of the reasons why Chris made his decision.
“I’d like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton City, and hit the road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that god has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience. You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living” (Krakauer 56-57).
What Is The Meaning Of Life?
How can one not notice the number of days they live in a life and realize that each day a person is learning new things from different experiences that contribute to who they are in the end? Some people live their lives not knowing who they are. Some people live their lives not knowing that they have not really lived their life fully. They have not done all they have ever wanted to do or did not notice the little things in life that was significant to impact their lives in so many different ways. In Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild Chris McCandless abandons almost everything and everyone but himself and enters a dangerously new territory, Alaska, that his adventurous spirit aches to survive in and he discovers that the meaning of life is to find out deeply who oneself is through all the experiences one has had in their lives, observing and appreciating the beauty of life and nature, and realizing that a life of simplicity is all that is really needed to live because it is easier to understand life without the influence society has on people with their temptations of wealth, technology, and political or conformed ideas.
A life of conformity was lived by Chris McCandless until the end of college and this kind of life lived too long can destroy or increase a person’s desire to venture out into unknown territories that can possibly impact their life in a positive way. It depends on if the person is willing enough to struggle through new experiences as if they are starting their life over again. That is what McCandless did, and he even took a new name Alexander Supertramp to mark the start of his new adventurous life. No one can predict the future, but McCandless advises Ron Franz, an traveling companion, “…you should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt” (Krakaeur 56). Franz takes this advice, joins McCandless on his travel, and sells his possessions. If a person does not try, they will probably always ask what if they had tried. How can one person have their last moment on Earth thinking about all they have missed and always wish on doing and having? McCandless writes, “…nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future” (57). So many people are used to fitting in with society and not thinking out of the box. Their minds are not able to explore beyond it has learned. It is never too late for a change so it is best to try before it gets near death because one can never know when they will die. People must live their lives like there is no tomorrow. McCandless has lived a life of high standards by his parents, always was expected of perfection but McCandless wanted to find out if there is more to life than being successful. One cannot truly feel the joy of success if they had not felt the suffering from failure or struggle. Challenging oneself with the unknown is the best way to grow as a person because if one already knows what is expected, they would have a problem being independent and reliable on oneself to conquer all situations. A person truly learns by starting over to experience things themselves, not by just learning about things and observing.
A person lives to have many different experiences or adventures. People learn many things from everything and everyone every second of their lives. To have “an endlessly changing horizon” (57) is to always have the potential to exceed what has already been exceeded. People’s ability to work hard affects what they have going for them everyday. People will not know what their limit is everyday but as long as they work hard and are passionate about what they are doing, anything is possible. Chris survived in Alaska for 2 years and he was committed to what he was doing. Even though he had died, he still lived the way he wanted to and learned so much about his life and life in general. He became he who wanted to be and wanted to “get more out of life” to see “its full meaning and its incredible beauty” (57). He simply did not live his life, but was learning by all experiences he had from society and away from society, comparing them to influence him to become his own person without the ideas of others. He had formed his own ideas of what life was about but was influenced by the authors of The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build a Fire,” An Odyssey of the North,” and “The Wit of Porportuk” (44).
People are always holding back and being hesitant, scared of failure and aiming for only good enough and not for great. Ron Franz has the ability to have great experiences but he holds back. People are used to getting things done and not taking the time to appreciate things. Franz had a chance to see the Grand Canyon but hurries home instead. This is a bad habit because many people expect to be reaching perfection, and they work so hard that they indulge in things that will make them rush and they not notice that they are missing the real experiences of life. Some people have a specific goal and only have one way of doing things so they will “fail to discover all the wonderful things that god has placed around us to discover” (57). Some people stick to only one dream, one way of living, or one place. If people are so used to possessions or settings, they become too comfortable, taking advantage of things. A person will not see the true beauty and value of the possessions or settings. One truly feels for the value when the possessions or settings would somehow not be available to them. People, places, and ideas are always changing so people should not be comfortable with life. There will always be days when a person has to struggle through something they do not know and in the end, that person will better themselves learning through the hard experiences. People should always be moving and learning to better themselves with each new thing learned. How can a person grow if they stick to the same ideas all the time? McCandless wrote to Franz to “take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience” (57). This is great advice because with more things learned, a person can decide what they agree or disagree on and they improve shaping who they are as a person. A person cannot see happiness only by their social relationships. One must learn to love oneself before loving others. True happiness comes from oneself and is learned by being alone to really value who oneself is. Happiness comes from “everything and anything we might experience” (57). People learn to appreciate what they have and think twice about what they need to live. Possessions can make a person feel happy but only for a while. Living without possessions, like how McCandless had somewhat lived, is the way to live. “Unconventional living” (57) helps a person keep focus on who they are and are not influenced by possessions. They see what is important in to live and to be happy, being free to do what they want.
The meaning of life is surely to figure out who people truly are, what they want, where they want to go, when they want to do things, and why they do the things they do. A person will have experiences that will shape their personality and will define what happiness is to them. Chris McCandless had probably died happily because he went on an adventure he had desired for a while. How can a person not be happy for achieving their dreams for about 2 years? McCandless was successful.
"Ron, I really enjoy all the help you have given me and the times that we spent together. I hope that you will not be too depressed by our parting. It may be a very long time before we see each other again. But providing that I get through this Alaskan Deal in one piece you will be hearing from me again in the future. I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt. So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun. If you want to get more out of life, Ron, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life that will at first appear to you to be crazy. But once you become accustomed to such a life you will see its full meaning and its incredible beauty. And so, Ron, in short, get out of Salton city and hit the Road. I guarantee you will be very glad you did. But I fear that you will ignore my advice. You think that I am stubborn, but you are even more stubborn than me. You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on the earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life. But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has place around us to discover. Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of experience."(Krakauer 56-57)
Throughout his travels, Chris McCandless often meets different people who assist him on his lofty quest. They assist by giving transportation and financial help. But, what would make a man live this kind of lifestyle for which a majority of people would consider so unusual? Jon Krakauer in his book Into the Wild tries to uncover those secrets through a chronological walkthrough of McCandless' travels through the southwest, northern Midwest, and Alaska. On his journey Chris often writes back to the people that he meets usually explaining his situation. But, one letter that Chris wrote to Ron Franz not only explains his situation but another key element to his travels. By including this letter that Chris McCandless had written, Krakauer helps to shed light on the motives of Chris' travels and his thoughts about the ideal life.
Chris takes life seriously and make sure that things don't get in the way of his dreams. He is always traveling and is hardly slowed down by an obstacle. Chris just finds another way around it. When his Datsun broke down in Detrital Wash, he just gather up the most important belongings and set out on foot. When he needed to head to somewhere far, he would just hitchhike until he reached the destination. It is those experiences that he draws from so he say to Ron that "I hope that you will not be too depressed by our parting."(Krakauer, 56) Life is always going to present one with unfavorable events and he or she has to deal with those events and then move on. This is something that he indicates that one must be able to do if he or she wants to live an idealistic lifestyle.
Chris also believes that radical changes must be made in order to live this ideal that he cherishes so much. he begins that first one must "boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing of been too hesitant to attempt."(Krakauer, 56) For many years up into college, he had been too hesitant to tell his father of his faults. But, by the end of college Chris makes a bold statement to his family by leaving the family to embark on a journey. By leaving his family he was signaling their faults. By embarking on this quest he makes significant changes in the ways he will live out the rest of his life so that is would fit his picture of what the perfect life would be. By what Chris writes indicates that to live his picture of the idealistic life, one must make radical changes from society.
Chris puts into perspective his version of the perfect lifestyle. He tells Ron that "the very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure."(Krakauer, 57) By this he means that at the heart of every man there is a longing for adventure. "But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within an man than a secure future."(Krakauer, 57) His passion for adventure is great and living without knowing what will happen next is the way he travels. Its only with an uncertain future that he believes will bring true joy. In order to convince Ron to accept this new life style, Chris states that "the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences."(Krarauer, 57) Chris believes that the life that society has impacted on us is too regular and predictable to bring and joy. As a result he decides to live this new lifestyle of his creations.
From Chris' point of view our communion with nature has dwindled. Chris tries to restore that. By embarking on his journey, he will be able to experience the incredible beauty that most of us will not see. By traveling he is fulfilling part of his dream life of being able "to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover."(Krakauer, 57) Society ahs been so tied up with technology that we often fail to discover nature's creations. He even recommends that the Grand Canyon should be something that every American should see. Chris is truly fascinated about living in the great outdoors and experiencing nature on a personal scale. It is this aspect of his dream that leads him to all sorts of places all over the U.S.
Chris McCandless didn't journey out into the wilderness on impulse but had specific reasons for doing so. He was just following what he thought of as the correct way that human beings should live. By understanding the reasons for what he did, the readers can finally be able to comprehend this complex person. From Chris McCandless' story "You will see things and meet people and there is much to learn from them."(Krakauer, 58)
“McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of the primordial world, championing of the great unwashed- all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions. Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread The Call of the Wild, White Fan, “To Build a Fire,” “An Odyssey of the North,” “The Wit of Porportuk.” He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities than the actualities of life in the sub arctic wilderness.
Jon Krakaeurs “Into the Wild” is about a young man named Chris McCandless who hitchhikes to Alaska and walks alone into the wilderness. Some people believe he thrives to do this because of his infatuation with the author Jack London (krakaeur 44). Throughout the book Jack London is brought up numerous times. Each time having to do with Chris McCandless. I’m going to look beyond the words of this passage (krakaeur 44) and explain it significance. Along with a number of quotes including Jack London.
“Gallien wondered whether he’d picked up one of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London Fantasies.”(krakaeur 44) It’s obvious that McCandless is not the only person who wants to live the life of a Jack London novel. The fact that McCandless loves Jack London is a great reason to live in the wilderness and have a parallel life with Jack London.
An infatuation is being awed by a certain someone or something. “McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood. London’s fervent condemnation of capitalist society, his glorification of primordial world, his championing of the great unwashed- all of it mirrored McCandless’s passions.”(krakaeur 44) It’s obvious that McCandless admired and looked up to Jack London. “Jack London is King”(krakaeur 9) If everything mirrored Chris McCandless’s passions it would make him want to try to live the life of an ill-considered Jack London fantasy even more. Jack London wanted the great unwashed, the common people, to look beyond acquiring possessions and wealth. This is exactly what McCandless was doing. “…gave the entire balance of a twenty-four-thousand-dollar savings account to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions…”(krakaeur authors note) McCandless did all this so he could start a new life and begin with looking beyond the fact of being materialistic.
McCandless however was so infatuated with London’s work that he seemed to have forgotten it was all works of fiction. “He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction…”(krakaeur 44) After reading all the novels he read by Jack London and deciding to look beyond being materialistic, McCandless forgot that none of what he read was realistic. It was all fiction. By this time McCandless came up with a new identity for himself, kind of like a character for a Jack London novel. His name was now Alexander Supertramp. Chris McCandless is the elite athlete who had what he needed and was able to spend money without worrying about not having enough. This is who Chris started out with. Alexander Supertramp is the boy who is living out a Jack London fantasy. Alex loves the adventure and excitement of living on his own in the wilderness. Although, when the going gets tough, Alex goes back to the ways of Chris McCandless. For example after Alex’s canoe breaking, he gives up and gets a job a McDonalds. When he fills out the application he puts his birth name and his real social security number. Soon after he gets the job, he quits, and goes back to the ways of Alexander Supretramp.
“…London himself had spent just a single winter in the North and died by his own hand on his California estate at age forty…”(krakauer 44) Chris and Jack London had spent about the same time in the wilderness (4-5 months) Chris McCandless did not die of starvation. Well he did, but it wasn’t because he had no other choice, it was because he decided to starve himself to death. This whole time Chris had been living a parallel life with Jack London. Giving away all his possessions and all his money so he could look beyond materialism. Having an intense hate for the government and the way they ran things. After spending the same amount of time as London has in the wilderness, McCandless decided to end his own life, just as Jack London had.
McCandless started out with a good life, with money and things he wanted and needed. As his infatuation grew with Jack London, so did his feelings about championing the great-unwashed just as London had. So he decided to live a parallel life with London. Doing so by creating the identity of Alexander Supertramp who lived in the wilderness for 4-5 months and then died “by his own hand”. The choice of living a parallel life with London hadn’t driven him insane; it had just taken him over to believe that he was living the life Jack London himself had lived.
The Truth of the Matter
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices. (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117)
Chris McCandless was a man that is infamous for his adventures and death. In fact, the nature of his death was so fascinating that Jon Krakauer wrote a book where it depicted the voyages of Alex Supertramp, also known as Chris McCandless. Into the Wild is an in depth narration of the wonder that is Chris McCandless. Jon Krakauer weaves the story of a young man that left society as we know it and ventures out into the wild. Unfortunately, McCandless’ eventful odyssey ended in tragedy when he was found dead in an abandoned bus on an Alaskan trail. Although Chris McCandless’ death was a mystery, the reason to why McCandless is so memorable was his lifestyle and his beliefs. Krakauer tries to explain the enigma that is Chris McCandless through the use of purposeful rhetorical organization, clever diction, and intense imagery. In passage above, he uses it to provide insight to the mind of Chris McCandless and how he would perceive the world as Alex Supertramp.
Jon Krakauer wanted to portray Chris McCandless as someone who wanted to find the truth of life. He used passages that he found in books that McCandless read to support his claim of how he choose the life he did and what he was searching for. Thus, the purposeful placement of the passage from Henry David Thoreau was to depict to the readers the reason the McCandless would abandon the life he lived for the life he wanted. “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117) As the readers may have noticed, Chris McCandless tried to avoid human relationships. It wasn’t that there wasn’t any opportunities to have a close relationship, whether it was platonic or not, but McCandless didn’t see relationships to be necessary to find what he was looking for. On the contrary, he looked at them as hindering and to a certain extent, troublesome. He displayed his reluctance to have a more meaningful relationship with Franz, “My mother was an only child…so was my father…I’m the end of the line. When I’m gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson.” (Krakauer 55) The author uses this quote from Franz to further display the value of Franz’s offer. The reader now knows that Franz is the last of his family, so by asking Chris to be his grandson he could save his family line and gain the family he had lost. The impact of Franz’s request is amplified even more with McCandless’ reaction, “McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question, ‘We’ll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron.’” (Krakauer 55) The obvious opposition and rejection of the relationship only served to reveal what Krakauer want the readers to see. He wanted them to see that McCandless doesn’t see the purpose of the relationship, or love, and how it would help him in his journey. Also, with the fact that McCandless burns his money whenever he finds no need for it and his reluctance to have a meaningful relationship, the passage that Krakauer picked from Thoreau perfectly describes Chris McCandles’ outlook on life and of truth.
Chris McCandless wasn’t someone who you would say was happy with society, in fact; he found it to be the main reason that the world was slowly becoming a dissolute wasteland. As in the passage by Thoreau, truth, with is the most hospitable nature needed, was lacking in the world, “I sat at a table where rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board.” (Thoreau, Into the Wild, 117) McCandless felt that the lack of truth was the truth that everyone needed to become aware of. He saw that those who conform to society is those who don’t see the truth and is ignorant imbeciles. McCandless probably saw that his parents were those who were embedded in society and cannot connect with them. As shown in his letter to his sister, Carine, “I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever.” (Krakauer 64) The diction of that quote gave a sense of strong dislike that the readers has to take notice of it because it was such as great contrast to the Chris McCandless they had read up to now. Words and phrases such as “divorce”, “never speak to” and “idiots” firmly display his animosity towards his parents. The reader notices the harsh words and immediately sees the difference in how he treated someone like Franz in comparison to his parents. Those words show how much he truly wanted to be separated from his parents. When the reader sees words like “divorce”, the immediate thought would be separation and a separation only happens when two parties cannot be in the same roof as each other. Through words and phrases such as those, McCandless shows his detestation towards his parents and revealed how much he valued truth above all else.
Jon Krakauer wrote Into the Wild without the experience of meeting Chris McCandless in person; therefore it seems to be unrealistic to successfully write an entire novel on someone he has never met before. However, Krakauer does a brilliant job of portraying Chris McCandless as the young man he was. It shows how much he values truth from Krakauer’s ingenious use of diction and his careful arrangements of passages. Unfortunately Chris McCandless isn’t alive to .verify whether or not this novel holds the essence of the young vagabond, but from a reader’s view point, Jon Krakauer did a wonderful job in portraying the puzzle that is Chris McCandless.
Being One with God and Nature
Jon Krakauer, the author of the book Into the Wild, reports the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who was obsessed with the wild and attempted to live there for long period of time. Between chapters, Krakauer strategically places excerpts from books, articles and other written works from authors such as Jack London, Mark Twain and Paul Shepard. Most quotations the author chose have to do with living in the wild, the nature of men and the need as well as curiosity to become one with nature, God and oneself. The quotation by Paul Shepard in the beginning of chapter four relates to Chris’ identity, and reflects his need to find a reality.
Shepard was “America’s leading ecological philosopher,” and the excerpt taken by Jon Krakauer comes from Man in the Landscape: A Historic View of the Esthetics of Nature. By having such information about this writer, it can be said that Shepard has deep knowledge on topics such as nature. Furthermore, his sophisticated diction proves useful when it comes to believing his interpretation of the desert’s beauty and purpose to go there. Shepard uses words such as “hermits,” and “therapeutic” to explain the need to go and “find reality” in the desert. Shepard’s writings and background make him a worthwhile author; thus, making a real connection to Chris’s mission is certainly adequate.
By mentioning five religious monikers in his quotation, the reader can relate Chris to the quotation for the meanings these names hold. A “prophet,” (line 1) for example is defined by the dictionary as, “somebody who claims to interpret or transmit the commands of a deity.” And a “hermit” (line 1) as “somebody who chooses to live alone and to have little or no social contact” This is held true to Chris’ beliefs because he entered the wild to see what God had offered him. In the letter McCandless wrote Ron Franz he says, ““I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover.” (57) Chris interpreted this message from God; he thinks the only way to be a “new man” is by exploring the nature around us, it is the closest we can stand next God. Even though Chris was a very sociable and outgoing man, he needed time in solitude as Ken Sleight approves, “we like companionship, see, but we can’t stand to be around people for very long.” (96) Chris held and strictly followed his own ethics; he went to the wilderness to seek what he was looking for. His journey was religious and was about being one with nature. Being an “exile” also connects to Chris, because he chooses to be absent from his residence for religious reasons, and his journey was religious. Chris is a “prophet,” a “hermit,” a “pilgrim,” a religious leader and an “exile,” therefore the reader’s connection between Shepard’s quotation and Chris are purely religious.
A reason why Chris wanted to uncover nature was to cleanse himself by seeing the simple “esthetic of nature.” (line 6) When Chris planned his trip to Alaska, he was thrilled and shared his blueprint with everyone he spoke to, “I have my soul set entirely on my Alaskan Odyssey.” he would say. (56) McCandless wanted to be alone and experience danger as well as freedom. Throughout his journey he would be able to challenge himself mentally as well as physically. During the times when Chris writes about his travels on a boat, it shows how frustrated he was, but for the length of his trips, the reader can see he was strong and patient as the way seemed obstructed “canals break off in a multitude of directions.” (34) Chris knew he was going to find a way to get to wherever he wanted to get, but he made the mistake to apply the successes of daily tasks into his dangerous journey.
Chris’ obsession for Jack London and other nature writers turned out to be fatal. Before sharing his determination to go to Alaska, Chris had a risky situation as he explored the desert. For this expedition, when Chris was “near the end of the trip, it turned out, Chris had gotten lost in the Mojave Desert and had nearly succumbed to dehydration.” (118) McCandless didn’t watch out for his own life by taking the precautions another person might have, and this lack of self-interest, was a reason for his tragic ending. As the author’s note reports, “In April 1922, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family hitchhikes to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later his decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters.” Chris’ fascination for London, Twain and Thoreau’ writings was so great that he believed their fiction. He had to see if what all these writers promised was true; Chris needed “to find reality.” According to Jan Burres, McCandless was an exceptional man, but he was
“Mesmerized by London’s turgid portrayal of life in Alaska and the Yukon, McCandless read and reread the The Call of the Wild, White Fang, ‘To Build a Fire,’ ‘An Odyssey of the North,’ ‘The Wit of Porportuk.’ He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London’s romantic sensibilities that with the actualities of life in the subartic wilderness.” (44)
Chris McCandless didn’t want “to escape” from his life, but the beauty of nature writers’ works made him want “to find reality.” (line 4) The “reality” provided to him from romantic fiction works and so, he overlooked the dangers of Mother Nature.
Family relations, is a factor the reader gets access to only as the book progresses. McCandless never talks about his family and it is one of the reasons why he wanted to take a break from society. The relationship with his father, for example, was the one that drove him away most. Walt McCandless was a self-made man, he started his life from scratch and as he grew up, he let his ambitions take him where he wished to go. In this field, father proves to be like son. As Chris grew up, he never knew much about his mother’s or father’s past. , but the desire to find truth gave Chris a chance too find out many facts he didn’t know about his parents, “After Chris unearthed the particulars of Walt’s divorce, two years passed before his anger began to leak to the surface, but leak it eventually did.” (122) McCandless kept his emotions to himself, ergo; his family didn’t know why he was so angry all the time. In McCandless’ case and not doubting there exists others, “children can be harsh judges when it comes to their parents.” this is true as he disappeared from his parents’ lives with no remorse. (122) The situation of the McCandless’ got out of hands, as Chris refused to fix relations with his parents and left for the accomplishment of his own goals leaving no trace behind.
Life proved to be more complicated to Chris than it seemed at an earlier stage. The complexity of his everyday life and the passion for nature writers as well as nature itself drove Chris out of the family picture. Chris was desperate “to find [the] reality” (line 4) books offered as well as “spiritual values” and took off. (line 3) Chris died in the place he craved to live all his life as a “prophet”, a “hermit”, a “pilgrim” and an “exile.”
Matthew Urban
English 12, H
Period 3
September 18, 2007
“Alone Again, Naturally”
In many cases, creativity is born from events in one's life that can be life altering.
One way in which a person can handle those events, if they are traumatic, is to become isolated from civilization and society and continue to live as something other than themselves so that they can block out those events. This situation has many pros and cons, depending on the depths of how far the person allows themselves to believe that this is a real escape from the events that have effected them.
At the beginning of Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild - a tale that addresses the life of Christopher McCandless and his decision to leave what most would call a good life, for one that was isolated – Krakauer quotes Anthony Storr’s book Solitude: A Return to the Self, stating "It is true that many creative people fail to make mature personal relationships, and some are extremely isolated. It is also true that, in some instances, trauma, in the shape of early separation or bereavement, has steered the potentially creative person away toward developing aspects of his personality which can find fulfillment in comparative isolation." In the case of McCandless, this creativity gained through his isolation was amazing, however, in the end it would prove costly.
McCandless had, what most would call, a pretty good childhood. His father, Walt, grew up poor in a small town in Colorado. However, he was a bright kid that had a lot of motivation, earning him an academic scholarship to Colorado State University. But Walt wasn’t just book smart; he was “an inspired musician with considerable natural talent” (103). Walt worked extremely hard, he "moved quickly up the ladder"(106). After earning a master’s degree in antenna theory, he was appointed director of operations of the Surveyor 1 mission at Hughes Aircraft, eventually moving on to work for NASA before opening up his own business. However, as good as he was on the job, he was not such a good husband, leading a double life by having two wives, each with children, at the same time.
Like his father, Chris was a fast learner and naturally gifted. In elementary school, he was placed into a program for gifted students, but after the first PTA meeting his teacher told his parents that “Chris marches to a different drummer” (107). Throughout his childhood his best friend, and sister, Carine, recalls that Chris was “very to himself - he wasn’t antisocial…but he could go off and entertain himself for hours” (107). And this entertainment didn’t come from toys or friends; “he could be alone without being lonely” (107). This ‘alone time’ for Chris became frequent, whereas his parents were working all the time. Their being off to work, and him being away from his parents, was the first real trauma he suffered. Chris found a remedy in the wilderness though and on his first trip into Rocky Mountain National Park, Walt noticed, “Chris wanted to keep going to the top. I told him no way… He didn’t think that the odds applied to him. We were always trying to pull him back from the edge.”(109)
These little rock climbing excursions turned into countrywide adventures when Chris finally graduated high school. Krakauer explains that Chris’ independent nature led him to flee his parents. He reasons that this was Chris’ way of getting revenge on his parents for causing him the trauma he suffered as a child having been separated from them so much. As his adventures became longer and more distant from his Virginia home, he learned more about his parents and their pasts, including his father’s double marriage. This came to push him the furthest away from any normal life in society, and this is the point that he totally accepts being on his own, isolated from civilization, with only himself to rely on.
Ultimately, it is McCandless’ isolation in Alaska that brings out the meaning of Storr’s quote from his book. McCandless found himself in the solitude he created alone in that bus in Alaska. With no one to help him survive and the odds stacked up against him, he found a way to keep on living beyond anyone’s expectations. He had never really created any friends along his trip that could convince him that his way of life was wrong and he trusted his own judgement over anyone’s he met. His early separation from the parents that he should have bonded with made him an independent person, capable of getting along on his own. The life he invented helped him get over the things in his past that haunted him. He was able to explore his idea of living while exploring new territory and that allowed him to become creative and self-reliant. All of these things are valuable characteristics.
However, once McCandless recognized what he had accomplished, he also recognized the need to share those discoveries with others in society. At that point, he would find out that his isolation and lack of companionship – those things that had brought out the best in him, would now be the things that would be responsible for his downfall.
It’s obvious, and very cliché, to say that people will always have different viewpoints on certain things, however, in the case of Chris McCandless, the real life character in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, the situation is slightly unique and different. People will argue with you over something they so desperately believe to be true, and you could be driven to the point of insanity due to the mere fact that you so strongly disagree with them. How can two people think so differently, and why is this such a common occurrence? It is simply because the human mind is undomesticated, untamed, and unrestricted. It’s random, sometimes irrational, and is very unrestraint. Coincidentally, each and every one of those words can also be used to define the word “wild” of “wilderness”, the very thing that Chris McCandless is infatuate d with, and the very thing he set his heart in pursuing. Many of the people Chris had come across in his journey had shared the same opinion: that his mission to live free in the Alaskan Wild was nothing more than suicide, whether it be intentional or unintentional. What these people don’t understand is that young Chris is not insane, as many speculate, but simply an idiot.
“I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April….” (Krakauer 67)
Words from Wayne Westerberg, an entrepreneur from Carthage, Alaska, show previously dealt concern for the young Alex McCandless, the new name Chris had given himself while on his adventure. Westerberg had grown close to “Alex”, having picked up the hitchhiker and offering him a job and a place to stay. “My mom doesn’t like a lot of my hired help…and she wasn’t real enthusiastic about meeting Alex, either. But I kept bugging her, telling her “You gotta meet this kid,’ and so she finally had him over for supper.” (Krakauer 67)
Wayne Westerberg had insisted on having his mother meet Alex, and after just one night of dinner, there was an immediate connection between the two.
“There was something fascinating about him….Everything I said, he’d demand to know more about what I meant, about why I thought this way or that. He was hungry to learn about things.” (Krakauer 67)
It’s interesting that these people will take such an immediate liking towards this man after a simple meal together, and yet the people who are with him everyday, his parents, can’t even keep the boy living in society. Why is this? What is it about this Alex McCandless? There was something that these people saw in him that perhaps he didn’t even see himself.
“I’ve given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years…Most of them weren’t much good, didn’t really want to work. It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. Didn’t matter what it was, he’d do it.” (Krakauer 17-18)
It became clear to everyone that Chris was a hard worker, as well as a surprisingly intelligent young man. They saw potential in him to do great things for himself, whether it be heading a construction yard or operating a station at NASA; they saw a bright future. What they didn’t see what an abandoned school bus, an S.O.S. note, and a sleeping bag holding the remains of Chris’ dead body; he had starved to death well into his Alaskan journey.
“I got the impression that this Alaska escapade was going to be his last big adventure….he definitely intended to come back here for a while, help us out at the elevator, figure out what he was going to do next.” (Krakauer 66)
What’s interesting as well is that Westerberg shows his belief that Chris was going to come back to Carthage and work after “living free” in Alaska, when even Chris, himself, doubts that he will survive.
“This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne…I now walk into the wild.” (Krakauer 69)
The introduction and conclusion of this letter from Chris to Westerberg show two things: one, that Chris identifies it as the ‘last time’, and two, that he’s aware of what he is doing by walking into the wild. Why would this charming, young man, who is full of potential and comes from a wealthy family, want to do this to himself? Is it even a question whether or not it’s what he really wanted to do? Again, Chris was aware of the dangers of what he was doing, but why would he bother making connections to these people if he is so willing to just leave them all behind.
“He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.” (Krakauer, cover excerpt)
Chris made it clear that he no longer had any need to have any type of possession, including people, as he was leaving the rest of the world behind. He then goes on to contradict his “belief” by becoming somewhat attached to certain people, such as Westerberg, and certain places, such as Carthage, and also becomes very attached to Jack London, the man he looks up to—his new God. He follows in the same exact footsteps as this man, for Jack London is King! Why, though, would Chris do this knowing full well of how poor old Jack ended up? To follow in the exact same footsteps as someone and expect a greatly different outcome is insane. Chris, however, knew full well death a sure thing! Why? Why does Chris do this? As previously stated, he’s not insane, he’s just very foolish.
“(I even offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April,) but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.’” (Krakauer 67)
Chris McCandless’ hatred towards people living a life of materialism is derived from his parents, whom he so greatly dislikes. To suggest that flying north is cheating is noble to his cause, but it’s also a cluster of meaningless talk.
“Greetings from Seattle! I’m a hobo now! That’s right, I’m riding the rails now. What fun, I wish I had jumped trains earlier…” (Krakauer 53)
Notice how he is using the train system here, as well as the fact that there’s a sense of sarcasm in his words. “What fun,” he says. Interesting how, if he wanted to, of course, he could just end this torture he’s putting himself in. The point of the matter, however, is that the more he suffers, the more his parents will suffer; and the more they suffer, the more he wins.
“Since they won’t ever take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think that I’m ‘coming around to see their side of things’ and that our relationship is stabilizing. And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt, swift action I’m going to completely knock them out of my life. I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever.” (Krakauer 64)
This is the pure basis of everything that drives Chris. It’s all in his own words. This is what makes him so foolish, though. This is such an irrational way to rebel against his parents—childish, even. He doesn’t have to hate a life of materialism and live in the wild to get back at them. It’s not what he really wanted to do, he just became obsessed with the idea of rebelling against society because of his parents.
“S.O.S I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I’m all alone, this is no joke…” (Krakauer 12)
Chris asks for help. That’s understandable. He made a mistake and he needs help. However, if someone reads this for the first time, it would be ridiculous to assume that this man, who is begging for help, had put himself in this situation. This is why he’s foolish.
“Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs.” (Krakauer 67)
Again, there’s nothing wrong with living like that, but what if a life of materialism just happens to be someone’s belief; what if it’s how a person wants to live?
Chris McCandless is not insane, as most will be quick to assume. He’s a foolish young man who is lost in this world, and who needs others to survive, just as the rest of the world does.
Alexandria Nickerson
English Honors 12
Paper 2
Like a Rolling Stone
Vagabonds, tramps, and nomads traveled the world throughout history not escaping reality but interpreting it. They became leaders and prophets making their own pilgrimages to Mecca. In Jon Krakauer’s book Into The Wild Alexander Super-Tramp sheds most of the materialistic possessions he owns to experience the ultimate adventure. “ McCandless tramped around the West for the next two months, spellbound by the scale and power of the landscape, thrilled by minor brushes with the law, savoring the intermittent company of other vagabonds he met along the way. Allowing his life to be shaped by circumstance, he hitched to Lake Tahoe, hiked into the Sierra Nevada, and spent a week walking north on the Pacific Crest Trail before exiting the mountains and returning to the pavement. At the end of July, he accepted a ride from a man who called himself Crazy Ernie and offered McCandless a job on a ranch...After working there for eleven days with six other vagabonds, it became clear to McCandless that Ernie had no intention of ever paying him…he resumed a life of constant motion, riding his thumb north and west through red bluff, Weaverville, and Willow Creek.” (P29-30)
This quotation depicts most of Chris’ life, always on the run from oppressive society, trying to understand the world through experience. Krakauer’s word choices of “tramped” or to wander from place to place, shows that Chris was captivated or “spellbound” by how influential he found his surroundings to be, enabling him to keep on with his journey. Chris also favored both run-ins with the law and other vagrants. He enjoyed these irregular meetings because he felt it contributed towards his perspective of “shaping his life by circumstance.” He hitch hiked from place to place and found he was experiencing new things.
When he got back on the road “at the end of July” he worked for a man named Ernie with other drifters, this was a minor set back. Chris realized that he wasn’t going to get paid and continued onward, proving that he was yet again not held back by the limitations of the world. Krakauer also describes Chris as “riding his thumb.” Instead of riding a car he took the risk of meeting a myriad of people, continually going to new and old places. Traveling was like a drug for Chris; he got “itchy feet” and felt as if he had to get away. When Krakuaer describes McCandless’ as resuming his life in “constant motion” he is describing Alex Super-Tramp. Ready to take on his nomadic side, giving him the freedom from his past life of labels and the typical life style. Through Krakauer’s word choice, style of writing, and description, the reader can tell that Chris feels as if he has the obligation to prove he doesn’t need society.
Also through Krakauer’s style of writing, the reader already knows that Chris will die. It’s an important fact to know while following Chris through his journey. Knowing some facts before reading, gives the reader insight to make predictions of what kind of a person Chris may have been. These are not mundane details; even the passages before each chapter have a set purpose. These bring up many questions, such as, “Can people live off the land” (P75.) Does Alex represent a “man of the landscape” (P25) and Chris symbolizing the “severance” of his pervious life, emancipating himself from his past? (P22-23)
During the sixties there was a generation gap causing a need for revolution. Teen angst aroused along with many inspiring and world altering events. The Beatles and Bob Dylan left a major impact on the avid minds of a generation liberating itself from the past. Songs such as “You never give me Your Money” and “Like a Rolling Stone” relate to McCandless’ perspective on life. When John Lennon sings, “Out of college money spent. See no future, pay no rent. All the money's gone nowhere to go…But oh, that magic feeling, nowhere to go.” He adores the idea of feeling like you have nowhere to go, not a place in the world where you belong. Also, in Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” he sings “How does it feel, to be without a home, like a complete unknown. Like a rolling stone?” challenging the artistic conventions of its time, much like what McCandless tried to achieve.
By the end of the quotation the reader knows that Chris is anything but your average Joe. Through the authors diction, word choice, and inferences the reader learns that Chris kicked open many doors in people’s minds, challenging the way they thought and lived. Truly an inspiration, this quote sums up how Chris lived and what he stood for. Through Krakauer’s use of little dialect and mainly forwards and flashbacks, McCandless’ beliefs are shown and expound by the reader. Everyone seems to have two personalities. Mainly one you’re born with and one the world enables you to attain.
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