...one with nature, what would your opinion of him be? Would you think that he’s brave? Reckless? Jon Krakauer in his non-fiction story, Into the Wild tells the journey of a young man by the name of Chris McCandless. Chris, after enduring a childhood where he was given everything in the world besides a loving household decided to leave everything behind, burn and donate all of his money and walk into the brisk wilderness of Alaska’s Denali area after hitchhiking around the continent a couple of years prior. Krakauer is impartial enough to let the reader form their own opinion of McCandless, even though his own opinions slip in at some points. Krakauer uses negative...
Words: 744 - Pages: 3
...In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher Johnson McCandless, who later changed his name to “Alex Supertramp” and is also called “Alex McCandless,” heads West for two years and hitchhikes to Alaska; he was ill-prepared and is found dead due to starvation by a moose hunter after four months in the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley, Alaska. Chris McCandless was an arrogant, selfish, and ignorant person because he left his family and took very little supplies with him to his long journey. McCandless showed that he was selfish when he left his family. It was a selfish act that he did. He left the people that he loved with no warning. The only thing he told them was that he was “going to disappear for a while.” His family loved him so much that they were even confused when they found out he was dead. For example, “his bewildered family was left clutching the shards of a fierce and painful...
Words: 696 - Pages: 3
...Justifying Krakauer’s Argument Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, received strong criticism from many about his work and its depiction of Chris “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless, who journeyed across the United States and ultimately died in the Alaskan wilderness. As a part of his novel, Krakauer counters claims of Chris being “stupid, tragic and inconsiderate,” and instead paints him in a different light, displaying him as a young man with a profound moral compass seeking a higher truth. People such as Peter Christian had their two cents about McCandless; he reasoned from his own life experience that Chris was nothing special. Krakauer, on the other hand, writes to justify McCandless’s behavior, likewise, relating in his encounters...
Words: 484 - Pages: 2
...Within Into The Wild (1996), Jon Krakauer portrays a tone that shifts from formal and indifferent to sorrowful and admiring. Krakauer exhibits this change by remaining unbiased and factual in the beginning, but then becomes more personally connected to the subject (Chris McCandless) in the end. He does this in order to give a neutral, journalistic account of Chris’s death, before burrowing deeper into his life and analyzing the personal choices made that led to his demise. Krakauer directs this text primarily towards other travelers and outdoorsman, speaking to them at first like a journalist, but then providing his own voice and opinions as he examines the story. Early on in the book, Krakauer expresses a formal view on Chris McCandless’...
Words: 1069 - Pages: 5
...Christopher McCandless can be considered one of the most controversial figures of time. As one can see Into The Wild, some thought he was a fool, that he was incompetent, while some thought he was a hero, an idealistic, intelligent man. A critic of Chris's, as the one stated in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild novel, claims "Not only did Chris McCandless die because he was stupid, one Alaska correspondent observed, 'but the scope of his self-styled adventure was so small as to ring pathetic-squatting in a wrecked bus a few miles out of Healy, potting jays and squirrels, mistaking a caribou for a moose (pretty hard to do)...Only one word for the guy:incompetent". Meanwhile there are many who fall in between the distinct line that separates the average critic or supporter of Chris McCandless. This small select group of people would disagree with this critic for multiple reasons. First, the "caribou" was in fact a moose, secondly McCandless's would have survived if it weren't for a miniscule fatal mistake. Thirdly,...
Words: 902 - Pages: 4
...Christopher McCandless, the author of Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild." has been widely regarded as a transcendentalist. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the importance of individualism, nature, and self-reliance. This essay will argue that Chris McCandless fits into being a transcendentalist. Firstly, Chris McCandless embodies the transcendentalist value of individualism. Throughout his journey, he seeks to find his true self and rejects the expectations and constraints of society. He leaves his privileged life behind to live a simple and self-sufficient life in the wilderness. He does not conform to societal norms, nor does he seek approval from others. This pursuit of individualism is a key tenet of transcendentalism,...
Words: 491 - Pages: 2
...man named Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory, donated all of his savings, and embarked on a two year journey, which eventually resulted in his death in the wilderness of Alaska. Prior to his expedition, Chris uncovered the secret of his father's infidelity and of his second family. This cause Chris to separate himself from his parents, and fueled his desire to escape the greedy, complicated nature of society. On his travels across the western United States, Chris befriended many and kept in a distant touch with few, one of those select few being Wayne Westerberg, the owner of a grain elevator in South Dakota. After two years of hike-hiking as far south as Mexico, McCandless reached his final most northern...
Words: 1772 - Pages: 8
...Into the Wild Character Analysis Essay Chris McCandless, the main character in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, is a man with many problem in his life, in which, sets out to find his true self by surrounding himself with nothing but nature in the Alaskan wilderness. In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher Mccandless as foolish and determined. Christopher Mccandless is a guy who sought out nature to find the true meaning of life, but in doing so, it killed him because he was foolish. Chris was going to make the long journey to Alaska by foot, but everyone else knew he would end up needing a ride, but ¨… when they see that [machete]¨(Krakauer, 68), no one's gonna want to. He intended to make his long journey and live off nature...
Words: 548 - Pages: 3
...The author of the book, Jon Krakauer, has insisted since the writing of the book, that Chris McCandless did not simply die from starvation as the coroner’s findings indicated, but that he was the unfortunate victim of poisoning. It is not clear on what he bases that instance, but it has certainly made for a better story than him dying because he didn’t bring enough food. Over the years Jon Krakauer has put forward several theories for this poisoning, each being scientifically disproven. Recently he published an article in the New Yorker, giving his theory yet another try. You can read the article here. When I read the article myself, it raised a number of questions for me. Krakauer’s conclusions, as conclusive as they were, seemed based on almost no evidence, and the rest of the evidence outright contradicted his conclusions. As a summary, Krakauer believes McCandless was poisoned from eating the seeds of wild potato. He bases that on a note in the journal of Chris McCandless, stating that on day 94 he ate potato seeds, and he was too weak to walk as a result. He combines this note with research done by the Nazis in a concentration camp during WWII, showing that prolonged consumption of such potato seeds over a period of a few months can lead to a debilitating crippling, making it difficult and then eventually impossible for people to use their legs. Krakauer’s conclusions struck me as odd for several reasons. For starters, there is no mention of prolonged consumption...
Words: 368 - Pages: 2
...Chris McCandless is a young man in Jon Krakauer's novel who drops everything to journey into the wilderness and find adventure. Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher McCandless as careless and independant. Chris is described as man descriptive adjectives by many people but one that I believe fits him very well would have to be careless. “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions… Alex didn't seem too worried” (Jon Krakauer 5). Chris went into the wilderness unprepared not ready for what he was about to encounter out there. He was prepared for what he was going to face mentally but not physically definitely not physically. All he had with hi was a pack of rice which probably didn't even last him a week so as you can there is one...
Words: 512 - Pages: 3
...once wrote; “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” What if failure is fatal though? Can we even really call that a success? While reading the story of Chris McCandless’s journey in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild readers are left with did McCandless succeed? And can his travels across the United States and into the Alaskan wilderness be interpreted as a success? Even though he did go out into the wilderness alone with hardly anything at all people think he is a success. However, McCandless was not a success because he went out there with hardly knowing much and practically killed himself and ended up dying. To start off, Chris McCandless did not even know how to cook food properly in a microwave yet alone clean it. In other words, this goes to show he was not very successful. Early in the book Jon Krakauer states that Westerburg “Opened the...
Words: 586 - Pages: 3
...In Jon Krakauer’s, Into the Wild, the main character Chris McCandless ultimately achieves transcendence on his journey. However, this can be argued. At the beginning of the book one of the first things revealed about Chris is his death. So how did he achieve transcendence if he died? Isn’t that failure itself, not succeeding at your task? Even though Chris’s life ends on his journey in Alaska, he found peace before his death. On his deathbed, Chris shows a change of heart. On page 199, he wrote a note, “McCandless penned a brief adios: ‘I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. MAY GOD BLESS ALL.’” This note was a goodbye. Chris was never able to say goodbye to his parents, friends, and other...
Words: 992 - Pages: 4
...Jon Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, follows the story of journalist, Jon Krakauer, as he is trying to investigate the death of Christopher McCandless. A boy who traveled into the Alaskan wilderness and never came out. The author follows the clues Chris left to the final resting place of Chris to uncover the truth behind his death. The book is an extension of the nine thousand word article written in the magazine, Outside. Into the Wild follows many of the 10 elements of journalism provided by the American Press Institute, which are based on truth, loyalty to the public, and the equal viewpoints of both journalist and the public. Throughout Into the Wild, the author's main goal is to spread the truth of Chris McCandless's death. Truth...
Words: 1199 - Pages: 5
...Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild is revolved around Chris McCandless a, 24 year old man who had the dream of living off the land of Alaska, a similar dream of many experienced adventurers around the world. Chris had done many things wrong throughout his failed attempt to survive Alaska, most of which are the exact reason he is dead. Krakauer walks through the journey of Chris and explains to the reader the most important and substantial highlights of the trip. The anecdotal evidence told in Into The Wild by perspective of Jon and others interviewed for the book; and also the epigraphs used throughout the book help to illustrate that Chris could use and abuse people around him to get what he needed with nothing in return, as well as being extremely...
Words: 768 - Pages: 4
...Value of Risk-Taking: A Cross Analysis of Krakauer’s Into the Wild When I was younger, I used to play a lot of soccer; I played midfielder. As the midfielder, I had to decide on whether to move onto defense or attack for possession of the ball when the opposing team had it. Each time I decided between the two, I was left open to the fact that my decision may have been the wrong one. Sometimes I would decide to attack in an attempt to gain possession of the ball. Sometimes I would succeed and gain possession back; Sometimes I would fail and the ball would get past me. I eventually grew out of playing soccer and moved onto other sports and hobbies. I occasionally did more dangerous things, like open-face rock climbing. When rock climbing, it always comes back to the same thing: deciding on if doing this thing is worth it or not. Is attempting to jump across worth it? Should I go back down? Or continue up? Each time you ask these things, you have to decide on what to do. Be it rock climbing, playing soccer, or doing anything that involves some sort of decision making, each decision comes with a varying level of risk. In soccer, that risk is minimal and not very life threatening, but when rock climbing (maybe without a belayer), some decisions can come with more serious consequences; these can be anything like small injuries, or they can cause serious injuries or even death. Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild portrays Chris McCandless as someone who takes serious risks, but...
Words: 1673 - Pages: 7
