Analysis Of The Book Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

1153 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about chris mccandless

No one is perfect, not even those who feel superior to others; however those who wish to follow their dreams are more alive than ever. Of course, no one makes wise choices but following your own aspiration makes a person more alive. The reason for this is because they are following their own dreams. In fact, the people who go out and follow their dreams are explorer or achievers but the vision of their dreams can become fatal. Chris McCandless was a hitchhiker who went out to Alaska to get away from society. Unfortunately, he died, but along the book Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, he takes the readers through Chris’s thoughts and journeys before he heads to Alaska. Naturally Chris had knowledge, skills, and independence but he had some …show more content…

With the knowledge Chris had, he could have been someone greater in life instead, he chose the path to follow “his great Alaskan odyssey.” Not only was Chris academically smart, he was a great drummer not greater than his sister, Carine, and great in running but wasn’t great on getting taught. In third grade, Chris place a high score on a standardized achievement test and was placed in an accelerated program. Although being fully aware he was academically smart he refused to do any extra work. Billie, Chris’s mother, stated “ He wasn’t happy about it because he had to do extra schoolwork (Krakauer 107)” Chris didn’t have to work hard like most of his grade but hated following stupid rule formats. While getting A’s and B’s without any effort Chris got good grades but got only one bad grade by his physics teacher. Chris refused to follow his format rule which lowered his grade. When Walt McCandless, Chris father, went to talk to Chris’s physic teacher his father agreed with him. Walt McCandless mention, “he got the grade he deserved (109).” Chris didn’t follow many rules but his own, which is why he got himself in horrible situations. For example, when he lost his Datsun car, especially when he refused to follow his teacher’s format. If he’d follow rules maybe he would be more prepared when he went to Alaska; to follow the Basic 101 …show more content…

There is always going to be a ‘what if’ in Krakauer’s book Into the Wild Chris lead himself in a direction no one else could but himself. Unfortunately, the route he decided to take took him to his death but he was more alive than he ever was. His dreams were, in fact, wise and risky but with the knowledge Chris had, he knew best he could have read more or go more into detail of the Alaskan wild but instead, he just read the book Tanaina Plantlore: An Ethnobotany of the Dena 'ina Indians of Southcentral Alaska, by Priscilla Russell Kari. Also, with the skill he experiences while hitchhiking, he could of acknowledge the difference in the environments. Lastly, with the independence he closer himself with could of help finding him into safety. The fact he didn’t let his family know of his odyssey lead him to a death he is only responsible

Show More
Related

  • Jon Krakauer's Use of Ethos, Logos and Pathos When Writting Into the Wild

    1084 Words  | 3 Pages

    Into the Wild by John Krakauer is a rare book in which its author freely admits his bias within the first few pages. “I won't claim to be an impartial biographer,” states Krakauer in the author’s note, and indeed he is not. Although it is not revealed in the author's note whether Krakauer's bias will be positive or negative, it can be easily inferred. Krakauer's explanation of his obsession with McCandless's story makes it evident that Into the Wild was written to persuade the reader to view him as the author does; as remarkably intelligent, driven, and spirited. This differs greatly from the opinion many people hold that McCandless was a simply a foolhardy kid in way over his head. Some even go as far as saying that his recklessness was due to an apparent death-wish. Krakauer uses a combination of ethos, logos and pathos throughout his rendition of McCandless’s story to dispute these negative outlooks while also giving readers new to this enigmatic adventure a proper introduction.

    Read More

  • Epigraphs In Into The Wild

    946 Words  | 2 Pages

    The epigraphs presented by Krakauer before each chapter of the memoir Into the Wild dive deep into the life of Chris McCandless before and after his journey into the Alaskan wilderness. They compare him to famous “coming of age characters” and specific ideas written by some of his favorite philosophers. These give the reader a stronger sense of who Chris was and why he made the decision to ultimately walk alone into the wild.

    Read More

  • The Success of Chris McCandless

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout Into the Wild, Krakauer portrays Christopher McCandless as an infallibly eager young man hoping to distance himself from the society he so obviously loathes, to "live off the land," entirely independent of a world which has "conditioned [itself] to a life of security." Chris, contrarily to this depiction, is disparagingly viewed by some as a "reckless idiot" who lacked the sense he needed to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. This derogatory assessment of Chris's mindset is representative of the society he hopes to escape and contains all the ignorance that causes him to feel this way. Nevertheless, he is misjudged by these critics, allowing Krakauer to hold the more accurate interpretation of Chris's character, his goals, and his accomplishments.

    Read More

  • Christopher McCandless: An Admirable Man

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1992, Christopher McCandless set off on an odyssey into the backcountry of Alaska, an adventure that had proved fatal. After McCandless's corpse was found, Jon Krakauer wrote an article on the story of Chris McCandless, which was released in the January 1993 issue of Outside magazine. The article had received a negative response; several readers criticized McCandless for being foolish and ill-prepared, and showed no sympathy or remorse for his death. McCandless has been referred to as a nut, a kook, and a fool. However, McCandless was not a nonsensical man. In 1996, Jon Krakauer's novel, Into the Wild, was published. The novel uncovers more detail of McCandless's story. Into the Wild rebuts the idea of McCandless being someone who is foolish, and speaks of the many occasions where McCandless has demonstrated great perseverance and determination. The novel also proves the intelligence of McCandless, and brings insight into McCandless's psyche. The following examples will illustrate how McCandless was not a fool, but someone to admire.

    Read More

  • The Legacy of Chris McCandless of Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ultimate freedom is an odyssey everyone, at least once in their lifetime, tries to conquer. Chris McCandless did everything in his power to try and capture that freedom he was searching for. He ultimately gave up his own life during that quest. Did he find what he was searching for? We may never know. Very many people have diverse opinions on this character. Chris McCandless was not selfish. He was a young, well-educated boy. His parents handed him everything on a silver platter; he wanted to prove not only to himself but to everyone else he could do things on his own. His possessions did not define who he was as a person. He thought towards everyone else he was just another brick in the wall, a pretty rich boy, and that did not “fly” with him. He had to prove his worth.

    Read More

  • Chris McCandless is a Tragic Hero

    1014 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... every aspect of his life whether it be his education, physical endurance, or making it through the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a rifle, a backpack, and a road map. Chris was aware of his differences and that he did not fit into society. He fully embraced that and and chose to lead his own path. Chris led a happy life according to one of his last journal entries he wrote, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” (Krakauer 199). Chris was willing to risk everything to gain that happiness. His ambition to enter the wilderness, in the end, took his life but that did not stop him. He would have rather died a happy man than lived a miserable one. Chris ventured out into the wilderness and found himself; a tragic story for a tragic hero.

    Read More

  • Christopher Mccaandless Admirable Analysis

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Life is a form of progress- from one stage to another, from one responsibility to another. Studying, getting good grades, and starting the family are common expectations of human life. In the novel Into the Wild, author Jon Krakauer introduced the tragic story of Christopher Johnson McCandless. After graduating from Emory University, McCandless sold of his possessions and ultimately became a wanderer. He hitchhiked to Alaska and walked into the wilderness for nearly 4 months. This journey to the 49th state proved fatal for him, and he lost his life while fulfilling his dream. After reading this novel, some readers admired the boy for his courage and noble ideas, while others fulminated that he was an idiot who perished out of arrogance and

    Read More

  • Chris McCandless is NOT a Hero

    1228 Words  | 3 Pages

    Into the Wild, written by John Krakauer tells of a young man named Chris McCandless who 1deserted his college degree and all his worldly possessions in favor of a primitive transient life in the wilderness. Krakauer first told the story of Chris in an article in Outside Magazine, but went on to write a thorough book, which encompasses his life in the hopes to explain what caused him to venture off alone into the wild. McCandless’ story soon became a national phenomenon, and had many people questioning why a “young man from a well-to-do East Coast family [would] hitchhike to Alaska” (Krakauer i). Chris comes from an affluent household and has parents that strived to create a desirable life for him and his sister. As Chris grows up, he becomes more and more disturbed by society’s ideals and the control they have on everyday life. He made a point of spiting his parents and the lifestyle they lived. This sense of unhappiness continues to build until after Chris has graduated college and decided to leave everything behind for the Alaskan wilderness. Knowing very little about how to survive in the wild, Chris ventures off on his adventure in a state of naïveté. It is obvious that he possessed monumental potential that was wasted on romanticized ideals and a lack of wisdom. Christopher McCandless is a unique and talented young man, but his selfish and ultimately complacent attitude towards life and his successes led to his demise.

    Read More

  • Chris McCandless Was a Fool

    617 Words  | 2 Pages

    In John Krakauer’s novel Into The Wild, the reader follows the life of a young man who, upon learning of his father’s infidelity and bigamy, seems to go off the deep end, isolating himself by traveling into the wild country of Alaska, unprepared for survival, where he died of starvation at 67 pounds.

    Read More

  • Into the Wild: Chris McCandless is a Tragic Hero

    1654 Words  | 4 Pages

    Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society, his final demise in the Alaskan Bush, and his recognition of the truth, to reveal that pure happiness requires sharing it with others.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    What is a perspective? A perspective is someone’s point of view. It could also mean a particular belief toward or a way of regarding something. In Chapter 14 of Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer says, “My suspicion that McCandless’s death was unplanned, that it was a terrible accident, comes from reading those few documents he left behind and from listening to the men and women who spent time with him over the final year of his life. But my sense of Chris McCandless’s intentions comes, too, from a more personal perspective” (134). This personal perspective that Krakauer talks about is his own viewpoint of how McCandless died, “From all the available evidence, there seemed to be little doubt that McCandless- rash and incautious by nature- had committed a careless blunder, confusing one plant for another, and died as a consequence. In the Outside article, I reported with great certainty that H. mackenzii, the wild sweet pea, killed the boy” (192). When comparing the experience of the

    Read More

  • Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

    660 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer goes into great detail to describe the main character, Chris McCandless, who died traveling alone into the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless, whom in the novel renamed himself Alex, left his home and family to travel to Alaska in 1992. In Alaska McCandless planned to live an isolated life in the desolate wilderness, but unfortunately he did not survive. This non-fiction novel portrays his life leading up to his departure and it captures the true essence of what it means to be “in the wild”.

    Read More

  • Theme and Setting of Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Into The Wild” by John Krakauer is a non-fiction biographical novel which is based on the life of a young man, Christopher McCandless. Many readers view Christopher’s journey as an escape from his family and his old life. The setting of a book often has a significant impact on the story itself. The various settings in the book contribute to the main characters’ actions and to the theme as a whole. This can be proven by examining the impact the setting has on the theme of young manhood, the theme of survival and the theme of independent happiness.

    Read More

  • Our Relationship With Nature Explored in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explores the human fascination with the purpose of life and nature. Krakauer documents the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man that embarked on an Odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Like many people, McCandless believed that he could give his life meaning by pursuing a relationship with nature. He also believed that rejecting human relationships, abandoning his materialistic ways, and purchasing a book about wildlife would strengthen his relationship with nature. However, after spending several months enduring the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’ beliefs begin to work against him. He then accepts that he needs humans, cannot escape materialism, and can never fully understand how nature functions. Most importantly, he realizes that human relationships are more valuable than infinite solitude. McCandless’ gradual change of heart demonstrates that exploring the wilderness is a transformative experience. Krakauer uses the life and death of Chris McCandless to convey that humans need to explore nature in order to discover the meaning of life.

    Read More

  • Into The Wild Passage Analysis

    459 Words  | 1 Pages

    Having your life planned out for you is like being chained to a stone wall. The further you try to go, the more the chains pull you back. In the novel, Into The Wild, Jon Krakuer creates a magnificent story of a young man named Chris McCandless. Chris McCandless drops everything he has ever owned and begins to travel in disguise to get away from any expectations society has placed upon him. Into The Wild introduces the rites of passage through Chris McCandless’ journey in life; with every location Chris visited he gained his own independence. Krakuer creates rites of passage with the explanation why he isolated himself from society, and what he needed to go through to gain his supposed ‘independence’.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of The Book Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

Open Document