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The Constraints Of Civilization In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

840 Words4 Pages

The structure of American civilization contains many constraints that guide a person through a normal life in its society. Rejecting the conventions of civilization, the way Chris McCandless did in Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild, is justifiable because it allows one to find happiness in their lives. If someone disagrees with these constraints that exist, they should be allowed to live in a way that satisfies them as long as it lies within or just barely outside of the formal laws established by the U.S. government. Through this rejection, a person should be more concerned with their personal debts rather than social, discover their own solutions to the problems they face, and be able to express themselves in ways they see fit. A person should …show more content…

In the presence of such danger, a person is forced to become creative in their search for solutions because the many safeties of civilization are not available. McCandless’s perspective on life allowed him to do this much more easily than the average American. After losing a lot of his gear to a flash flood, Chris managed to see the positive side of the incident as shown by the quote, “Instead of feeling distraught over this turn of events, moreover, McCandless was exhilarated. He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage (pg.29)”. This positivity allowed him to remain content and ambitious towards his goal because he was able to find his lifestyle to be less strenuous. Without the encompassing force of civilization, Chris was not handed any solutions. This also means that very few restrictions were placed on any ideas that he had and allowed him more creative freedom. A broader range of thinking is also allowed when rejecting civilization. “But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to the dilemma: He simply got rid of the map (pg.174)”. This demonstrates how Chris devised a solution with his divergent thinking, that would be seen as strange or unacceptable within civilization. In society, a map helps guide a person from one point to another and also illustrates their surroundings. By ignoring the map, Chris is rejecting any guidance

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The first Chapter tells the readers about Jim Gallien, a union electrician, and his encounter with a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker introduces himself as Alex from South Dakota, although his real name is Christopher Johnson McCandless, originally from Virginia. Chris tells Gallien that he “want[s] a ride as far as the edge of Denali National Park, where he intend[s] to walk deep into the bush and “live off the land for a few months”” (Krakauer 4). Gallien admits that he believed Chris would be another “of those crackpots from the lower forty-eight who come north to live out ill-considered Jack London fantasies” (Krakauer 4), but he soon realizes that Chris knew exactly what he was letting himself in for.

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Chapter nine of Into the Wild, is about the comparison made by Krakauer between Chris McCandless and Everett Ruess- a legendary artist and adventurer who vanished into the loneliness of David Gulch. At the beginning of the chapter, Krakauer quotes the last letter Everett wrote to his brother, Waldo, and proposes that it could’ve been written years later by another nomad: Chris McCandless. For instance, both McCandless and Ruess changed their names, along with their identities, to leave society behind and surround themselves with a greater beauty. In fact, Ruess went by many different names and referred to himself as Captain Nemo- a fictional character that flees civilization in a Jules Verne novel. As a matter of fact, that was the last title

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If Chris had a map the outcome would have been completely different. Chris goes into the Alaskan bush in the winter while the rivers are still frozen over and are easy to cross. When Chris decides that it is time to leave and he feel like he accomplished what he wanted in total isolation without contacting anyone he knows and scaring his family making them think that he is dead, he tries to leave the same way he came in but the river that had once been frozen over is now a raging river with freezing temperatures from the glaciers and dangerous rapids that will kill him if he attempts to cross. Chris decides that it would be better if he went back to the bus and stayed longer to try and make a plan to get out without dying. Chris first job was to get food he has a wild edible plant encyclopedia that he uses to forage for edible plants.

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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.

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The man who took McCandless to the edge of Denali Park, Jim Gallien, was concerned for McCandless because he knows, as an “accomplished hunter and woodsman,” that this backpack was “an improbably light load for a stay of several months in the backcountry,” (Krakauer 5). He offered to take Chris to get more supplies and food for his trip, but Chris declined and stated, “I’ll be fine with what I’ve got,” (Krakauer 6). Chris believed that all he needed in order to survive was the few supplies he brought with him and his natural instincts. In “Self Reliance,” Emerson applauds this type of thinking. He states “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

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In Chris McCandless’ final weeks, he had matured to the point of possibly returning back to society. There is some evidence to prove this including the passage from Tolstoy regarding having a mate as well as children. Unfortunately, Chris is unable to live out any of these because of his lack of preparation before venturing into the wilderness. Even though Chris may have been emotionally, and mentally ready, his physical state was far from being ready to do so. If Chris simply just took a map with him, he would have raised his chances of survival so he could live out some of the moments he longed

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So it could be seen that Chris’s risk of entering the wilderness unaware of the consequences and unprepared, with not enough food and nutrition lead him to death, and thus he faced the harsh reality of his risky decision. In spite of this, he had already fully accepted his choice on leaving his home long before, and he was fully aware of the consequences that he had faced. “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless us all!”. These were the last words Mccandless had written down when he died in bus 142.

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McCandless set off into the Alaskan depths to test himself, to find himself, and to free himself from society’s values. Because of Chris’s radical ideas and his purpose in life to push him into the unexplored, he believed that life is not about the materialistic

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The story is about Krakouer going to reach the summit because it was his dream and when he got an offer to climb it for his job he accepted without question then a bunch of people start dying when a massive storm hits. he reaches the bottom with depression and guilt smokes some weed and eventually overcomes most of his depression. Tension is anxiety when confronting an unusual situation. suspense is not knowing what's going to happen next. Jon krakauer creates foreshadowing, pacing, and flashbacks to create suspense and tension Krakouer uses foreshadowing to express the dangers ahead.

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He wanted to go in there without really anything so that he can make things that were in the nature. “Chris didn’t think twice about risking his own life…”(Carine McCandless 128). I absolutely think that this quote about Chris is very true because he was so into finding new adventures to take, to enjoy and be happy with

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In the widely popular novel, Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer justifies Chris McCandless's actions through a developed, in-depth personal narrative. McCandless’s quest into the wilderness encountered the unlucky side of fate when Mccandless was found dead in bus 142 on the Stampede Trail. Krakauer addresses a majority audience that has an unfavorable perception of McCandless, seeing him as one of the “others”, a category of mad adventurers whose suicidal predispositions lead them to their fate in the wild. Using an array of rhetorical strategies, Krakauer explores Mccandless’s journey, proving he was not merely a crazy, arrogant, and ignorant kid. His journey into the wild had good intentions, however sometimes you get the short end of the stick.

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The quote “It’s not always necessary to be strong, but to feel strong.” (Into the Wild Quotes, page 1) describes how Chris was confident in himself. He was so confident in himself that he planned on emulating Henry David Thoreau length of time in the wilderness and anticipated being able to stay a couple years out in the Alaskan wilderness. He was confident in the things he brought, such as a gun, fishing net, and sleeping bag even though he did not bring a map or compass. In his mind and with his lack of sophistication, Chris believed that he would allow himself a kind of delusion and almost illusion in thinking he could wander aimlessly and perhaps even safely if he would devoid himself of a map.

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Chris McCandless took an adventure into Alaska and walked miles through nature knowing he is risking his life in the middle of nowhere. Chris truly wanted to live in Alaska nature and explore the wilderness. Christ risked his life willingly going into the wild. Chris knowingly went into the wild unprepared and not even close to having everything he needed to go into the wild. Shaun explained that “ He had no common sense” and i agree that he was not thinking and planning what he was supposed to do and know.

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He argues that: “He (Chris) had a need to test himself in ways, as he was fond of saying things that mattered. He possessed grand-some would say grandiose-spiritual ambitions” (Ch. 7, Krakauer). Chris had a very ambitious personality that took roots from his high self-esteem adjoining with arrogance. While playing with the fire he didn’t think he can get burned by it. Even when his ambitions were too unrealistic to achieve, he continued to follow them, relying oh his belief of his own exceptionality.

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THANK YOU, CHRIS MCCANDLESS. AUGUST?’” (PG 12) This quote relates to the statement because Chris was so focused on surviving that he wasn’t loyal to his real wishes which were surviving off the land, and proving a point. Instead of Chris proving a point, nature decided to prove a point to Chris.

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