ipl-logo

Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer: Synthesis Essay

1193 Words5 Pages

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, displays a true story about a young man named Christopher McCandless, who left his whole life behind to experience a journey hitchhiking across the country, until he settles on a plan on going to Alaska. Christopher settled to go to Alaska, north of Mountain McKinley to experience the extremes of living in the wilderness with little to nothing of supplies. During Christopher time period at Emory University, he expresses the inspiration he gains from reading books and the understanding of the different idealistic thoughts from Tolstoy, Stegner, Thoreau, Jack London, and Pasternak. That influenced his mindset on wanting to experience the love for nature in a perspective of personal growth and mental development …show more content…

Christopher and other explorers that are included in the book needed to experience the extremes of life and the extremes of the wild for their own personal reason. Jon Krakauer compared Rosselini, Waterman, McCunn, and Reuss to explain the physiological reasoning why Christoper was not the only explorer who maintained this mindset on wanting to leave society for the love of nature and their beliefs. These explorers and Christopher reverted to a primitive existence to express their beliefs and ultimate freedom of what they portrayed the world should be. Becoming connected to nature in a different aspect than living in a society that depends on materialistic items to experience happiness. For example, “The beauty of this country is becoming part of me. I feel more detached from life and somehow gentler...[...] but no one who really understands why I am here or what I do. I don’t know of anyone, though, who would have more than a partial understanding; I have gone too far alone (91).” Out of the explorers named in the book Christopher and Everett Reuss shared a comparison on the connection they wanted with nature and the solitude they felt when they were …show more content…

That started the summer he graduated from high school. His parents explained, “He could be generous and caring to a fault, but he had a darker side as well, characterized by monomania, impatience, and unwavering self-absorption, qualities that seemed to intensify through his college years (120).” The event that created Christopher to become more isolated was the father keeping a secret of having another family. After finding out about his father secret family Christopher started containing a dark side that wanted no part of human contact. He wanted ultimate freedom from individuals and society that led him not wanting to have any long-term intimacy relationships with the individuals he met throughout his journey. Even though he started to enjoy the company of some individuals, he was selfish to not let himself develop those relationships. Until he took a turning point before he was about to die of starvation. He realizes that he wanted human connection and remember Wayne Westerberg's and wrote his last letter to him rather than his father. He admires Wayne when he took him under his wing and gave Christopher a job. As well as the last remark he made about Tolstoy reading of family happiness. That certain happiness is to live with others that you enjoy being around with. Christopher during his last days wanted to reconnect with society and make the connections he once had

Show More
Related

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

    966 Words  | 4 Pages

    The national bestseller Into The Wild written by Jon Krakauer follows one of the best known transcendentalists of the late 20th century, Christopher McCandless, through his journey across the country and into the Alaskan wilderness. The trip helps Chris find pure happiness, and being tested by the elements lets him experience what he believed to be the true beauty of life. In spite of the fact that Chris always seemed to have been drawn to nature, Krakauer hints to other reasons as to why Chris originally left. There are a few reasons for Chris’ departure from civilization, but the push that propelled him away from the only home he ever knew was his parents, Walt and Billie. Despite his overwhelming awe for nature, the most plausible reason

    Read More

  • Chris Mccandless Romantic Appeal In Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    898 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hours slide by like minutes. The accumulated clutter of day-to-day existence-- the lapses of consciousness, the unpaid bills, the bungled opportunities , the dust under the couch, the inescapable prison of your genes-- all of it is temporarily forgotten, crowded from your thoughts by an overpowering clarity of purpose and by the seriousness of the task at hand.” (142-143) The wilderness was perfect for McCandless; it gave him the peace of mind he needed to think clearly and gave him something to appreciate in

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

    1008 Words  | 5 Pages

    “I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life.” Leo Tolstoy “Family Happiness” Jon Krakauer in his nonfiction novel Into the wild, Krakauer depicts the life of Chris McCandless as he made his way into the Alaskan Bush.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    770 Words  | 4 Pages

    “I need to learn how to be content with simply not knowing, and be at peace with the notion that everything does not need an explanation.” I ran across this quote one day while scrolling through my newsfeed on Facebook and my mind immediately went to Into the Wild. The book takes a considerably different approach on sharing the story of a rebellious and ambitious young man who died in the Alaskan wilderness. Writer Jon Krakauer combines his own thoughts along with the accounts of others to the young adventurers’ letters and journal entries to recount the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless, who referred to himself as Alexander Supertramp. He was raised in Annandale, Virginia by a wealthy family.

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

    708 Words  | 3 Pages

    Transcendentalism is a philosophy that emphasizes a prior condition of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality (Merriam Webster). Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century that included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Amos Bronson Alcott, Fredric Henry Hedge, and Theodore Parker. They were critics of their society for its conformity, and urged that each person find “an original relation to the universe.” Chris McCandless, the focus of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, was a transcendentalist. The author of Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer’s purpose is to spread Chris McCandless’s story while explaining transcendentalist ideas, such as nonconformity.

    Read More

  • Krakauer And Mccandlessness In Into The Wild

    342 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Into the Wild,” contains the story of Christopher Johnson McCandless, an adventurous young man who perished in the Alaskan brush. His story has captured the imaginations of people across the world, perhaps none more so than that of his biographer, Jon Krakauer. Krakauer sees McCandless as an adventurous, possibly brilliant young man who left civilization in search of the greater meaning of life. In the author 's note Krakauer makes it clear that he won 't be an “impartial biographer,” the story is too personal. The similarities between Krakauer and McCandless are difficult to ignore.

    Read More

  • Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

    872 Words  | 4 Pages

    As we continue to follow Chris we see him begin to form relationships with the people he meets along the way. He discovers that home can also be found in the relationships we form with others through all the interactions in his journey. This is shown in a conversation he has with Ron Franz, an elderly man he meets on his journey. Ron asks Chris if he could adopt him as his grandson and he responds, “You're not just an old man to me, Ron. You're a friend.

    Read More

  • Passion And Action In Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    641 Words  | 3 Pages

    In todays fast-paced society, action is often associated with accomplishment; however, the achievement of a goal requires first a dream and a well-constructed plan. Every individual is capable of achieving great things during his or her lifetime, but the seemingly "idle" period that precedes action is crucial to accomplishment as it encourages observation, kindles passion, and lends time to the development of a course of action. Although Frederick Douglass spent many years in slavery before he won his freedom, his years as a compliant slave in Boston allowed him to observe and understand the world around him, which prepared him for his escape years later. As a child, Douglass served the Auld family in the city of Boston, Maryland, and he

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism In Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    “It is easy, when we are young, to believe that what you desire is is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something bad enough, it is your God-given right to have it,” pg. 155 Into the Wild Jon Krakauer. Published in 1996, and made into a move in 2007, Into the Wild is a book about one man’s journey to follow his dreams, and discover who he is. The story is told, mainly, by the people he met along the way and his journal entries. Throughout the book the main character, Chris McCandless, demonstrates multiple characteristics that can be seen as transcendentalist characteristics.

    Read More

  • Chris Mccandless: A Reckless Idiot

    849 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chris went off after he graduated college and “lived off the land”. Chris would travel to the coast of Mexico, the plains of Kansas, and the dunes of Nevada. Chris went on a final expedition to Alaska that cost him everything. In the following paragraphs I will fully detail how Chris was reckless, selfish, and naive. I will also explore how Chris tied his life to the beliefs of transcendentalism.

    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

  • Into The Wild Relationships

    637 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild,” there is a big emphasis on relationships between people—especially between Chris McCandless and his companions—that influence their decision-making and what ultimately happens to them. Chris’ friendships with people he meets after leaving Emory for good can be analyzed through his letters to them, as well as their own accounts of how Chris affected them. Chris became close to many wanderers and travelers, not only because he wanted to get to Alaska, but also because of their personalities. Like him, many of his companions on his journey to Alaska were not content staying in one place, and were constantly moving. Unlike Chris, however, they were willing to accept him, and develop a real relationship with

    Read More

  • Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    847 Words  | 4 Pages

    I believe Chris may have over romanticized the idea of nature and the wild. He thought of it as a getaway to solve all of his problems, and it may have for a short while, nevertheless he eventually realized he could not truly be happy without other people to share his happiness

    Read More

  • Examples Of Marxism In Into The Wild

    1109 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild the main character Christopher Johnson McCandless describes what he is looking for on his Odyssey as “ultimate freedom”. What does it mean to achieve “ultimate freedom”? Well, to everyone it is different, however to Christopher, it is to be free from other people's rules. Throughout McCandless whole life he finds authority, particularly oppressive. To live completely alone, where the only laws he feels the need to follow are those of nature, is to him, “ultimate freedom”.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

    882 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer: Synthesis Essay

Open Document