To appeal to the sense of credibility, Jon Krakauer implements his own personal experiences in Alaska to express that he understands Chris’s reasons and is credible to tell his story. Krakauer and Chris displayed many similarities such as their inherited ambition and father-son relationship, which led them to isolate themselves from their families and societal standards. The author dedicates a part of the novel to explain his adventure climbing the Devils Thumb and how his life was like growing up. When Krakauer climbed this dangerous mountain, he realized that the wilderness makes all societal conformity “temporarily forgotten, crowded from your thoughts by an overpowering clarity of purpose and by the seriousness of the task at hand”