Into The Wild Compare And Contrast

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The characters featured in Chris Malloy’s documentary, 180 Degrees South, and Chris McCandless in Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, question the value of a traditional and materialistic way of life by being courageous and by having the capability to endure the hardships that occur along the pursuit of the “American Dream.” In 180 Degrees South, Jeff Johnson goes on an adventure to Patagonia with Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins. In Into the Wild, Chris McCandless goes on an trip across the country to the Alaskan wilderness, where he survives for four months then passes away. In both the movie and the novel, the characters have the courage to pursue their dream, which the majority of the world doesn’t have. The traditional way of living is going …show more content…

Everyone is afraid of not knowing what will happen to them if they do something unsafe. These characters continue to have the courage to go into the unknown, which allows them to pursue the “American Dream.” Furthermore, the characters have the capability to endure the hardships that occur on their trips. They understand that it can be difficult, but they persist because they know that what they learn is far more valuable than the completion of the journey. Yvon is a character that went on journeys that were very treacherous. Throughout the many expeditions, he learned that the end result is useless and that it’s more about becoming “a better person” (Yvon Chouinard). The average person would reach the top and be relieved that they made it. On the other hand, Yvon thought about the actual experience and the challenges that he had to face. This is what it takes to live the “American Dream.” Also, according to Yvon, when you compromise the difficulty of the trip by using helicopters to get to the top or having a camp already set up for you, you will be an “asshole when you start out and an asshole when you get back.” What he’s saying is that you shouldn’t make things easier in life because you won’t

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