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Epigraphs In Into The Wild

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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 …show more content…
Some epigraphs used by Krakauer such as “All Hail the Dominant Primordial Beast! And Captain Ahab Too!” were to set up what the chapter may be about next, or attesting to a certain time in Chris’s life. Other epigraphs including “...But this does not mean that solitary, creative pursuits are themselves pathological….Avoidance behavior is a response designed to protect the infant from behavioural disorganization…” represents that Chris’s solidarity could have caused his disorganization, therefore leading to his lack of preparation. Krakauer mentions many times a variety of books that were found with Chris and how only very few were to help with survival, also listing the small amount of items that were found. An epigraph by Wallace Stegner “It should not be denied… that being footloose has always exhilarated us.” Being ill prepared and leaving behind any commitments that may have saved his life Chris’s “footloose” type led him to not only a lack of responsibility but a lack of common sanity for the things he needed to survive, many epigraphs like this throughout Into The WIld help to show readers lunatic is the most proper label for Chris

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