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Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

893 Words4 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. However, at the same time, McCandless was deeply driven by a need for human connection …show more content…

McCandless sought to escape the constraints of modern society and live a life of complete freedom in the wilderness. Krakauer writes, "It was the last thing on earth he wanted -- to be held down or defined by the trappings of society" (Krakauer 6). However, despite his desire for freedom, McCandless also sought human connection and formed relationships with people he met on his journey. He shared his experiences with them, and they became an important part of his journey. Krakauer notes, "His intense desire for solitude was inextricably bound up with a desire for companionship" (Krakauer …show more content…

He quotes extensively from McCandless's journals and letters, allowing readers to glimpse into his inner thoughts and feelings. For example, when McCandless reflects on his decision to leave his old life behind, he writes, "Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness...give me truth" (Krakauer 42). Krakauer also uses vivid imagery to describe the natural world that McCandless encounters on his journey. In one passage, he writes, "The high, lonesome moan of the train whistle, screaming across the flats, hammers home the desolation of the landscape... there is nothing to relieve the eye, no contours to give definition to the land" (Krakauer

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McCandless had some controversial ideals and flaws, but the lessons and inspiration he left behind cannot be denied. His unwavering commitment to his ideals is a testament to his inspiring mindset. The unique life he led serves as an inspiration to many but also as a reminder of the importance of considering the impact of one’s actions on others. Everyone can learn a great deal from McCandless’ life and should strive to live with a similar goal: To pursue a life with the freedom to be one’s true self. Works Cited Krakauer, Jon.

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The idea of stepping off the grid and away from modern society to be in the wilderness was an idea that McCandless also shared with Krakauer and Thoreau. McCandless took this idea to an extreme degree, getting rid of his map so that he could live totally off the grid and apart from society. Although Thoreau shared this value he did not take this idea to the same level, instead he enjoyed smaller scale wilderness trips. In the epigraph, Thoreau states, “It can never become familiar, you are lost the moment you set out,” which shows his free-spiritedness that once he is out in the world he is lost in nature as he becomes detached from traditional societal life. Additionally in this chapter, as Krakauer shares his experience climbing the Devil Thumb he shares, “Those mountains heralded the approach of my desideratum (ITW 137).”

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Mccandless wanted to find

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He was a person who followed his natural calling and acted on his beliefs. McCandless is often compared to Everett Ruess--a solo traveler like Chris-- who “went out and did the things he dreamed about” (90). Men like McCandless and Ruess are motivating because they actually had the courage to break away from the norms of society and do what it takes to become truly self-reliant. McCandless knew that when he graduated college that he needed to find time and a safe place to understand himself. As an experienced traveler himself, Krakauer described the trek into the wild as, “ a trancelike state settles over your efforts; the climb becomes a clear-eyed dream.

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McCandless, a compassionate young man who stole the hearts of everyone he met, possesses a thirst for adventure. Numerous individuals have misinterpreted McCandless as a reckless idiot who had squandered his life away; however, after deep scrutiny of Jon Krakauer’s work, McCandless is better characterized as a non conformed sensation seeker. Furthermore, McCandless could distinct with his virtuous actions he had perpetrated throughout his non conformed life. McCandless should be acknowledged for his non conformed lifestyle, adamant state of mind, and charismatic personality. To commence, McCandless is contemplated as a sensation seeker due to his idiosyncratic strives towards a non conformed life.

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The inspiration another influence can have on someone’s life is immeasurable and intense; changing whole life paths. This phenomenon is exemplified by Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. In this novel, the main character, Chris McCandless assumes a new identity, hitchhikes to Alaska, and eventually succumbs as starvation claims his life in the Alaskan bush. This morbid ending does not stop many young people from connecting to his charismatic ideas and following in Chris’s footsteps. The legacy that Chris left on the minds of America is a more lasting one than he could have ever imagined.

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His persistence carries him through his journey into the wild, but also gives him trouble in later life when he gets a job at McDonald’s but leaves because they want him to wear socks while working (Krakauer 39-41). However, although McCandless has a few good morals, he lacks the belief of valuing family. This is evident when he states that, “I’m going to completely knock [my parents] out of my life… and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live” (Krakauer 64). McCandless’s beliefs give him a platform for his identity as a stubborn person that is hungry for something challenging, but also provides him with hardships and trouble along the

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The use of these contrasting phrases adds depth to McCandless's character, making him a more complex and multifaceted

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The book Into the Wild is a true story written by Jon Krakauer. Into the Wild tells the true story of 24-year-old Christopher McCandless in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve, where he starved to death in an abandoned bus after spending four months foraging and hunting game. Intelligent but burdened by anger at his brilliant but overbearing and imperfect father, McCandless went entirely without human contact for four months in an attempt to purify himself of

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Krakauer then uses this to his advantage in order to portray just how joyous an individual can feel when immersed in the expansive

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Jon Krakauer wrote, “Into the Wild” about a young man named Chris McCandless. The book follows Chris McCandless, on his independent voyages in the wild. Chris was a young man with a venturesome personality, who died in a profound way. Chris was a figure both admired and criticized in the years following his death. Author Jon Krakauer states, “Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.

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Krakauer describes McCandless as "an extremely intense young man... (with) a streak of stubborn idealism that did not mesh readily with modern existence". When he set off on his journey, "he entertained no illusions... peril, adversity, and Tolstoyan renunciation were precisely what he was

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Anyone can have a story in their life and can turn it into a book. Jon Krakauer wrote Into the Wild on what happened to Christopher McCandless and turned his story into a novel. Jon Krakauer´s structure his novel to let the reader have their own opinions on Christopher McCandless by stating the book is on his bias viewpoint, putting it in non-chronological order, and wrote about his own background life story, which is all important to strengthen Krakauer 's motive of writing his book. Into the Wild, focuses on the young individual named Christopher McCandless who hitchhiked to Alaska. Along the way, in his journey, he met new people and traveled in many places.

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In addition, in a journal entry, McCandless writes, “It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive! Thank you. Thank you” (Krakauer 37). This excerpt shows that McCandless sincerely is at peace with himself and the world because of where his ideals have taken him.

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When McCandless graduated from college, he found the possibility to go away for a while, “He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family” (Krakauer 55). McCandless could finally go away looking for a journey full of adventures, but he wasn’t going to five stars hotels or luxurious places. His journey was precarious and wild, that was exactly what he was looking for. Places that were difficult for someone to reach and loneliness was abundant, the only interaction was with nature and savage animals. Happiness engulfed McCandless when backpacking anywhere, it was his joy.

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