Into The Wild Figurative Language

Concrete Details/Imagery Gallien starts to notice the settings around him while he is on his way to drop Alex off. “For the first few miles the stampede trail was well graded and led past cabins scattered among weedy stands of spruce and aspen. Beyond the last of the log shacks, however, the road rapidly deteriorated” (Kraukaur 2). This quote creates of visual of the quick change from rural civilization to deep and dense forest. It also exemplifies the jurastic difference between the peaceful areas of the forest and the extreme woods in Alaska. One moment there can be a nice little open field and the next you cannot see ten feet without a tree getting in your way. From that the reader can easily foreshadow the events to come in Alex’s

Kraukaur uses the simile “hours fly by like minutes.” (Page 142). This example create a visual that out in the wildnerness time flies and it truely is a great escape. Chris goes here to get away from his problems and the passing of time helps him to do so. When in this dense and jagged forrest it is crucual to stay focused and alert. Whenever you are focused and ready, time goes by much faster and that is what this simile is referring to. The mountain is described as a “huge fin of exfoliated tone.” (Page 135). This metaphor shows the difficulty of the journey to come and what this trek really will bring. Alex knows going into the wild that it will be a formidable task, however he is willing and feels he does not have much to lose with what is going on in his life at the time. This truely is a great escape for Alex and the tough task will eventually lead to his demise. The task indeed proved to be too much for this unprepared boy ready for his freedom from his life and the feeling of being held down. Figurative language in this novel can be small, but with it comes a far deeper meaning that adds to the powerful