How are the epigraphs related to the chapter?
The two epigraphs Krakauer states in the beginning of chapter fourteen are related because they both provide what McCandless wanted, the desire of wanting something and to see the beauty of life. During the chapter Krakauer provides the last postcard McCandless wrote to Wayne Westerberg which quotes his adventure to Alaska. The first epigraph talks about the want of something more and when it is seen, he pursues it. John M. Edwards noted “But you see at once what I do. I climb” (pg. 133, ch.14). The next epigraph talks about climbing a mountain and seeing the breathtaking view from the tip of the mountain. “It can never become familiar; you are lost the moment you set foot there” Henry Thoreau (pg.133, ch.14). These two epigraphs
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As the chapter progresses, Krakauer compares his adventure to the Devil’s Thumb and McCandless’s Alaskan trip, however the two epigraphs gave us a foreshadowment of climbing and achieving the need of desire. Although McCandless’s achievement was not certain, the epigraphs gave a clue about what the chapter was going to be about.
What is your perspective?
My perspective of the two epigraphs are Krakauer’s small connection to McCandless’s adventure to Alaska. The two epigraphs emphasize the desire of something and climbing to get to their desire, however they both are persistence in finding their desires. John says “It was wanting something more, something tangible” (pg.133, ch.14) while Henry reveals “I cannot now tell exactly, it was long ago, under what