ipl-logo

Identity In Into The Wild And The Scarlet Letter

607 Words3 Pages

Finding true identity can be very hard or extremely easy depending on the person. In the novels Into The Wild and The Scarlet Letter, both characters struggle to find their true selves, until discovering the real version. The common theme of finding one’s true identity is used in the works of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne uses a theme of true identity as well as “The Scarlet Letter Poem” by Sarita Milliner. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, uses a theme of man vs. nature. Jon Krakauer's writings about the young man Chris McCandless show how Chris was overconfident in his ability to survive the harsh nature of Alaska. Krakauer uses imagery of the wild Alaskan wilderness to contradict Chris’s ability to survive. Krakauer’s description of the wilderness shows McCandless’s unpreparedness to outlast this fierce biome. Along with imagery, Krakauer uses irony to express a man vs. nature theme. In one example, Chris …show more content…

Milliner uses a rhyming scheme in her poem to explain Hester’s confusion about her identity regarding the “A” on her chest. Milliner writes, “The Scarlet Letter, a symbol of guilt, sin and shame, Was meant to torment me and bring me much pain. But once I was set free I discovered the real me, The ‘A’ represented the person that I was destined to be”. Milliner’s use of rhyming explains the true meaning of the embroidered letter, telling the story of the three words it represents for Hester, adultery, able, and angel. Along with a rhythmic sequence, Milliner uses a device known as an anaphora. Anaphora refers to an earlier word, without using repetition. Milliner uses this device when talking about the theme of true self by describing Hester “living in a world of illusions” and “spinning around in confusion”, which shows her not being able to understand the true meaning of her embroidered scarlet

Show More
Related

Examples Of Chris Mccandless Idealism In Into The Wild

1196 Words | 5 Pages

Kyle Yin Ms. Everett ERWC, 2, 10 3 February 2023 Chris McCandless: Idealism and Imperfection In April of 1992, a young man named Chris McCandless walked into the Alaskan wilderness alone and attempted to survive off the land. 113 days later, his body was found by hunters, dead of starvation. Four years later, the author Jon Krakauer picked up on his story and published the book, Into The Wild, detailing McCandless’ story and eventual death. McCandless went into the wild to follow his very specific ideals:

Read More

Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer: Chapter Analysis

1029 Words | 5 Pages

Zoe Engel 6-19-23 Mr. Selfridge Period: 2 Stepping Into the Wilderness The work of nonfiction Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer, tells the true story of Chris McCandless, an adventurous young man, who leaves home to travel around the continent eventually setting foot into the Alaskan wilderness on a journey that becomes fatal. Highlighted throughout this work of nonfiction is the true story of McCandless’s life, along with bits of Krakauer’s personal life as it relates to McCandless’s. Each chapter begins with at least one epigraph that shares common themes with the following chapter. The focus in this paper will be on chapter 14, “The Stikine Ice Cap,” in which Krakauer shares his experience climbing the Devil’s Thumb in Alaska, and the second

Read More

Analysis Of Chris Mccandless In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

606 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the Non-Fiction book “Into the Wild” the author Jon Krakauer traces young McCandless footsteps as he changed from Chris McCandless to Alex. More specially, Krakauer unfolds mysteries as to why McCandless abounded his previous life including his past identity. Young McCandless cuts off all connections with his family and goes into a journey to Alaska, where he encounters various obstacles. Krakauer anecdotes asserts McCandless as an individual lost trying to re-create himself.

Read More

Into The Wild Compare And Contrast

324 Words | 2 Pages

Jon Krakauer has a high amount of respect for Christopher J. McCandless; not only because they have many similarities, but because McCandless searched deep for the meaning of life and did as he pleased. In the book, “Into The Wild,” Krakauer not only tells the story of McCandless, but also of his own life, and how he has been shaped into his own. Krakauer had a deep love for the wild, just as Chris did. Though, the two did not do the same things, they both pursued their passions which made it easier for Krakauer to relate to Chris. Once climbing a mountain, Krakauer had ran into trouble, just as Chris did on his journey.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Into The Wild

920 Words | 4 Pages

Rhetorical Analysis of Jon Krakauer’s “Into the Wild ” Jon Krakauer ’s purpose in writing Into the Wild is to recount Chris McCandless’ journey, physical and metaphysical, from college in Georgia to his death in Alaska, through the use of factual, and anecdotal evidence. Krakauer uses factual evidence to establish that he is a trustworthy narrator capable of giving the reader a realistic scope on the events in the story. Jon uses anecdotal evidence to see into Chris’ psyche from the various perspectives found in the book’s excerpts, including how Jon understands the events.

Read More

Who Is Chris Mccandless Ignorant In Into The Wild

531 Words | 3 Pages

Chris McCandless’s Rational Exploration: To claim that a young 22 year old boy going into the Alaskan wilderness alone is ignorant, witless, and crazy is inaccurate. This is Chris McCandless. McCandless embarked on a two year long, solo journey to break away from societal exceptions, and discover himself, along with the unknowns of the wild that was recorded in the writings of “Into The Wild” by Jon Krakauer. Shaun Callarman, a former police officer and now writer, expressed his disapproval of McCandless’ journey by attesting, “I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his romantic silliness.

Read More

Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

893 Words | 4 Pages

Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, is a non-fiction book based on the real-life story of Christopher McCandless, a young man who leaves his comfortable life behind to live in the wilderness of Alaska. The book is a fascinating exploration of McCandless's motivations and the reasons behind his decision to abandon society and embrace the wilderness. One of the key themes in the book is the tension between the desire for freedom and the need for human connection. Throughout the book, Krakauer explores how McCandless's desire for freedom and independence led him to reject the traditional trappings of society, including money, possessions, and even his own name.

Read More

True Identity In Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter

668 Words | 3 Pages

In conclusion, every character faces conflict with the truth of identity differently because of the various positions the characters are in and the contrasting ways identity is shown or not shown throughout the book. Identity has an important theme by being a constant topic that readers have to go over when evaluating the characters and their emotions. It plays a significant role in The Scarlet Letter and molds the irony of the plot creating the great

Read More

A Summary Of Symbolism In The Scarlet Letter

707 Words | 3 Pages

The Scarlet Letter is an excellent example of how the power of a symbol can be enough for a person to change for better or for worse. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, one of the main characters, Hester, is punished by wearing a scarlet letter “A” as a symbol for the sin of adultery she committed. This novel documents how a small, red symbol can affect someone and how that person changes as a result of it. Throughout the book, Hester visibly changes as a result of the scarlet letter not only mentally, but also physically. In The Scarlet Letter, the scarlet letter changes Hester not only internally changes Hester’s thoughts and actions, but also physically changes Hester’s appearance into a dark, gloomy character.

Read More

Ethos In Into The Wild

806 Words | 4 Pages

Into the Wild tells the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who embarked on an adventure across the U.S. Chris lived for adventure, and sadly met his demise in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris’ death brought about a large debate as to whether Chris was insane or simply idealistic. Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to prove Chris’ sanity and soundly completes that task by using rhetorical devices to persuade his audience. Throughout the book, Krakauer uses ethos to develop Chris’ credibility by providing examples of people who are similar to him. For example, Krakauer provides multiple examples of people who were very similar to Chris, such as Everett Ruess.

Read More

Scarlet Letter: Symbol Of Identity And Society

290 Words | 2 Pages

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Scarlet Letter” he applies symbolism to develop the theme of identity and society. Starting as a symbol of shame, the scarlet letter becomes a symbol of powerful identity to Hester, and the letter goes from meaning “adulterer” to meaning “able.” When the people of Hester’s community first find out what she did they were upset and “with which society frowned heavily upon her sin”(77). The severeness of Hester’s crime causes her to be heavily judged by society, and not in a good way. Even though Hester commits a crime so horrible when around people she “contrives so perfectly” to show off and “ represent the scarlet letter”(93).

Read More

Argumentative Essay On Into The Wild

915 Words | 4 Pages

However, Jon Krakauer proves his argument that McCandless was not arrogant, foolish, antisocial, or crazy by giving examples of other young men who were similar to McCandless to show that his journey wasn’t unprecedented. He also proves that McCandless wasn’t antisocial because he developed personal relationships with Ronald Franz, Wayne Westerberg, and Jan Burres in such a short amount of time and explaining the many times that McCandless respected the Alaskan Bush. Krakauer admits that McCandless may have suffered from hubris; he was still a victim of circumstances. Krakauer proves that McCandless had an intrinsic motivation to discover and that he wasn’t alone because Krakauer too ventured into the Alaskan Bush when he was younger. The Alaskan Bush is a very difficult place to survive if one isn’t prepared for many challenges such as hunting for food or staying warm in the frost ridden

Read More

Rhetorical Analysis Of Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

629 Words | 3 Pages

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild investigates the life and adventures of Chris McCandless. The author provides information about Chris’ life to illuminate his journey. Krakauer also uses rhetorical appeals to defend Chris’ rationale for his journey. Through Krakauer’s use of pathos, ethos, and logos, he persuades the audience that Chris is not foolish; however, Krakauer’s intimacy with Chris and his adventures inhibits his objectivity.

Read More

Scarlet Letter Identity

1231 Words | 5 Pages

Societies build rules to help individuals, but they often harm or repress the individual instead. People face the horror of having their persona and very identity stifled, forcing them to choose between following the law or staying true to themselves. Challenging society instead of following it blindly reveals true greatness within a person; it takes true strength to resist the lifestyle and laws followed by everyone. In his novel The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne conveys the admirable act of defying restrictive laws in favor of staying true to one’s identity through the characterization of Puritan society as harsh and unforgiving with Hester as its sole rebel, through the irony of Hester’s dignity, and through the diction portraying the beauty

Read More

Scarlet Letter Essay: Importance Of Identity In Puritan Society

419 Words | 2 Pages

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet  Letter, Hawthorne illustrates the importance of identity in Puritan society. Hawthorne’s use of symbols, metaphors, and other kinds of figurative language allow the reader to feel sympathetic towards the main characters, especially Hester Prynne. Hester Prynne is introduced as a sinner, the most disgusting thing a person could be in Puritan world, and as a result, Hester is forced to wear the scarlet ‘A’. The ‘A’  was originated to stand for adultery, but as time went on Hester realized that the ‘A’ stood for something positive instead of something negative. Hester changed the definition of the letter from adultery to able and angel because that is how she saw herself as.

Read More

More about Identity In Into The Wild And The Scarlet Letter

Related Topics

Open Document