Humility In Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild

The wild is a place to push yourself to the limit and take a look at who you truly are inside. “Wilderness areas have value as symbols of unselfishness” (Nash). Roderick Nash’s philosophy states that the wilderness gives people an opportunity to learn humility but they fight this because they do not have a true desire to be humble. Human-kind wants to give out the illusion that they are nature lovers when in reality, they are far from it. “When we go to designated wilderness we are, as the 1964 act says, "visitors" in someone else's home” (Nash). People do not like what they cannot control and nature is uncontrollable. Ecocentrism, the belief that nature is the most important element of life, is not widely accepted. The novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer depicts a young boy who goes on an exploration to teach himself the true concept of humility. Chris McCandless, the protagonist, does not place confidence in the universal ideology that human beings are the most significant species on the planet, anthropocentrism.

Despite the overwhelming pressure to conform to the status quo, Chris centered his life around nature. His thought process and the way he went about his daily life was much different than most. Although he was always kind towards others, he was not happy with the life he was living. “I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly” (Krakauer 91). Chris desired to be isolated away from the outside world and all of the materialistic problems. He followed his dream by going to live in the wild and become one with the land. Despite what the people close to him thought about this rigorous journey, he set forth the adventure without any warning. “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future” (Krakauer 56). Chris didn’t settle for the dispirited life of conformity. He had an authentic love for nature and sought out to find himself in the raw country.
Throughout his expedition, Chris was not in control of his surroundings which taught him humility.

He went through many obstacles that could have proved fatal. From canoeing in the Colorado River to picking the right berries, he was testing his intelligence. Chris had a true confidence in the land and in himself to set out on a mission so dangerous. “Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult that he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exaltation” (Nash; Krakauer 157). Chris longed to escape from society and rely on only mother nature. An innumerable amount of people desire to withdraw from society as Chris did; but they are so comfortable and secure with a normal life they do not dare take such a gutsy

risk.
As Roderick Nash’s philosophy states, people can find humility in nature but this concept is fought because they do not have the true desire to be humble. The human race has a mindset that they are the most powerful and important species. The fact that humans generally think the world revolves around them says something about society today. Chris McCandless did not give in to the influence to comply with the social norm. Unlike the majority of the world, he respected the land and lived off its terms. However, due to his hubris, he was ill prepared which caused him a great deal of trouble toward the end of his travel. Chris wanted to have a real wildlife experience so he avoided bringing a map. If this mistake would have been avoided, he would have discovered a nearby cabin and this would most likely have saved his life. Ultimately Chris’s ecocentric (nature centered) mindset cost him his life. He had such high confidence that the wild would guide him the right way he was not readily inclined for the mission. Some people may look at Chris’s mistake as stupid or juvenile, but the opposite is true.
In order to have the full, raw experience Chris knew he had to come less equipped than most would suggest. “I wished to acquire the simplicity, native feelings; and virtues of savage life; to divest myself of the factitious habits, prejudices, and imperfections of civilization” (Evans; Krakauer 157). To be one with the wild meant exactly that and nothing less. Over-preparing would rob him of the true undomesticated experience he longed for. McCandless didn’t want anything to come easy to him. He wanted to take the longer, more rigorous route. “It is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders; engaging in risky behavior is a rite of passage in our culture no less than in most others. Danger has always had a certain allure” (Krakauer 182). Admitting this to be a heroic quality, without it he would have avoided much inconvenience. His trust in nature blinded him from reality.
Society today would be much different if ecocentrism was the accepted outlook. According to Aldo Leopold, American conservationist, industrialization is causing a huge divide between the human-nature relationship. Technology is becoming so advanced and everyone wants the newest gadget. There is no regard given to the pollution caused and harmful effects that new equipment has on the environment. Nature is not appreciated like it should be and electronics are highly praised.