Chapters 15-epilogue of the novel Into the Wild by Jhon Krakauer wrap up the long journey McCandles took. In chapter 17 titled ‘The Stampede Trail’ Krakauer travels to the fateful bus that McCandles died in. The author describes his tedious hike to the bus. John travels with a few companions to his destination of the bus. This chapter really shows the author's dedication to this book and the storytelling of Chris McCandles journey. The treacherous and tedious path to get to the bus was the first sign of the author's dedication. When John reached the bus he goes inside, evidently still investigating clues to get the most accurate story of McCandles final months. The author relays in very clear details the condition the bus was in. the author talks about McCcandles ‘kmart hiking boots’ and how they were lined up under the stove. Krakauer states “His Kamart hiking boots are arranged neatly beneath the stove, as though he’d soon be returning to lace them up and hit the trail”(179). Krakauer really has a lot invested into this story. He has investigated so deeply into who Chris McCandles was as a person and why he made the decisions he did. John did make it pretty clear as to why he had so much invested into McCandles story; he thought of McCandles as a person just like himself. That is why Krakauer invested so much time and effort into this book, he was passionate about the wasted life of a young man. One example of the dedication John had to this story and its correct telling is the Moose vs. Caribou debate. In McCandles time spent stranded at the bus he killed Moose. It was reported that McCandles had killed a caribou but that he thought he had killed a moose. This fueled spectators of the story to believe that McCandles was a completely and totally unprepared psycho who went to alaska to die. It was then later revealed that McCandles in fact did kill a moose, here's what Krakauer stated “Contrary to what I reported on the Outside, the animal was a moose, as a close examination of the beasts remains now indicate and several of McCandless photographs of the kill later confirmed beyond all doubt. The boy made some mistakes on the Stampede Trail, but confusing a caribou with a moose wasn't among them”(178). Krakauer stands up for the dead boy who so many criticize. Even though Chris was naive, he doesn't deserve degradation. Krakauer stands up for a boy after his own heart. This book was so excellent because of the author, John put a lot into the storytelling and research of this book. Jhon Krakauer wrote an excellent novel everyone can create their own opinions and thoughts about. The way he wrote this book makes it what it is, if it weren't for Krakauer's dedication to McCandles and the truth of his story it never would have gotten told to the world.
Over the course of the book, the looming fact that Chris McCandless would die in the end became harder to face. I was unaware that I began hoping that he would make it out of the Alaskan wilderness fully knowing that he wouldn’t. Just like Mary Westerberg, I was intrigued by his charm and fun nature and was bothered by his death. I think the fact that Chris felt ready to come back to society but was ultimately unable to struck me the most. He might have been ready perhaps to “shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart.” At the beginning of the book, I was confused and slightly annoyed after reading that Chris had died of starvation. I didn’t understand why he was too stubborn to just leave the wild, but I know now that the odds were against him. After 112 days of hunting and living in complete solitude, Chris felt that he fulfilled his dreams but that cost him his life. What’s shocking is that throughout the years he spent living on the road and in nature, he had survived somehow, but his luck finally ran out in the last few days of his great adventure. One aspect that I’m sure made me care for Chris is his bravery and conviction towards his beliefs. I see society, maybe not nearly to the extreme as Chris, in the same light as Chris. The toxic ways of social media and the conformity culture that degrade those who don’t fit societal norms are still as present as ever and continue to get worse. Unlike Chris, I don’t think I could ever drop everything in my life to pursue such a seemingly unrealistic dream to escape the harshness of society. Although I am aware of these issues, I can sometimes be blinded by the need to stay informed and up to date with it and become guilty of conforming to the latest trends. Despite not being able to do it myself, I can support Chris in his battle to “kill the false being within” and to “no longer be poisoned by civilization.” People criticized Chris’s ‘impulsive’ and ‘arrogant’ ways, but I disagree. Yes, he could have been more prepared and taken more time to be knowledgeable of nature, but he followed his dreams which is more than most people can say. Although his desire and demand to live unconventionally ended his life, “His life hummed with meaning and purpose” until his last breath. Even in the last hours of his life, he was simply content with his life and Jon Krakauer even went as far as to that “Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God.” The book mentions how some people who have been brought back from the brink of starvation have said that near the end “the hunger vanishes, the terrible pain dissolves, and the suffering is replaced by a sublime euphoria, a sense of calm accompanied by transcendent mental clarity.” I can only hope that Chris passed away like this. I will always be inspired by Chris’s initiative to act upon his passion and longing to “explore the inner country of his own soul” while most of society is “preoccupied with the humdrum concerns of adulthood.” I’m saddened that his life had to end the way it did, but I think that his legacy will continue to be both a lesson and an inspiration to others who wish to “acquire the simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life; to divest myself of the factitious habits, prejudices and imperfections of civilization;... and find, amidst the solitude and grandeur of the western wilds, more correct views of human nature and of the true interests of man.”
Chris Mccandles’s story was very inspiring. I think the way people reacted was harsh and unempathetic. So many people swore that he had mental issues and called him crazy, but in all reality, he was just an overly inspired kid who wanted to live life in the best way possible. I admire his drive and perseverance through his entire journey. I can understand why he wanted to live so freely and without rule, but his lack of knowledge, supplies, and other necessities, is what eventually killed him. What bothered me the most was the fact that he was so close to civilization, yet didn’t have access to a map. The narrator talked about Chris having an epiphany on his journey. He highlights and writes in his journal and a variety of books. “Now, you can’t advance in this direction without a certain faith. You can’t make such discoveries without spiritual equipment. And the basic elements of this equipment are in the Gospels. What are they? To begin with, love of one’s neighbor, which is the supreme form of vital energy” (Krakauer 187). He comes to the realization that one’s true happiness exists in the happiness and love given to others. He also says “I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them… then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor- such is my idea of happiness”(Krakauer 168). In my opinion, happiness is the meaning of life. When you are happy, doing whatever it is that brings you joy, that is when you have reached success and “conquered” life. Mccandles was on a journey to find his own meaning, and this except really touched me because it seems that he finally realized what he wanted from life. I think before his journey, Chris was lost. He wasn’t sure what he wanted or what exactly he was looking for. From writings in his journal, documenting his last days, we can see that he was finally making a plan for himself. It breaks my heart that he died before he could live out his wishes. At the very end, Krakauer returns to the bus with Chris’s parents. I thought this was very touching and a great way to end the book. While there is no way to truly “get over” a loved one’s death, I think his parents were able to find some closure traveling there. They were able to say goodbye and connect with him by visiting the place where he lived out his last days. I think that if there is anything people should take away from this story, it should be: While it’s okay to be alone sometimes, the reality is that we need people in our lives in order to truly be happy. We need society and structure to keep from going insane.
While reading, processing and really connecting to the true story of Into the Wild, I began to see truly how much the literature and authors of that literature we’ve been reading in American Lit have impacted the lives of millions, including McCandless. Without giving the writers of the transcendentalist era too much credit, McCandless was clearly captivated by the same ideals as writers like Emerson and Thoreau. The ideals being referenced include the desire of simplicity and a sort of enlightenment to find a true purpose in this life of ours. It is clear Chris did not accept his ‘purpose’ of life that he was supposedly born with: to graduate college, become rich, and encourage the blood-hungry capitalist society that he was born into. This nonacceptance is seen multiple times in his criticisms of modern society and civilization. “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 conservation...” The use of the pronoun ‘they’ instead of ‘we’ or ‘us’ completely disassociates himself from the rest of society which was his entire goal in the first place. This dissociation implies that he himself is currently perfectly happy living off of one backpack, his journal, and his reckless ambition. McCandless does not have a home, which is exactly how he likes it. He doesn’t have any familiarity, which he does not even want anyways and believes is what holds the rest of society back from doing things that make them happy or fulfilled. A man’s purpose in life “comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” This greatly reflects the transcendental idea that a human’s purpose in life is to achieve “human perfection” or in other words, find the ability to understand oneself and achieve mental greatness. McCandless attempted this feat in the way he believed would work best for him: avoiding conformity and experiencing everything possible to expand the knowledge of the world around him. On a less serious, but more damning note for McCandless, he also stubbornly believed in the idea of minimalism, which may have cost him his life. Thoreau once said “Minimalism! Minimalism! Minimalism!” which may have been true with his natural abilities, and those who may have bought an unnecessary nick-knack from somewhere, however, this cannot be true for a man with very little experience in the wilderness, the Alaskan Bush no less. McCandless admitted to Jim Gallien (the man to drive Chris to the Stampede Trail) that “the only food in his bag was a ten-pound bag of rice.” His gear also was not suitable for Alaskan conditions, as his boots were “neither water-proof or well-insulated”. Throughout McCandless’ journey, it’s believed that he genuinely believes he is expecting to make it out of this endeavor alive, maybe very much malnourished, but alive. Why else would he write an S.O.S note hoping to be saved! However, this belief is questioned by the facts of his gear and materials he brought along with him. Even someone with barely any wilderness experience would have been able to tell this a bag of rice would never sustain a grown man for at least six months. This raises the question of: Did he genuinely think this would be sufficient? Or perhaps he was so adapted to the minimalist lifestyle that he thought that he would be able to survive since he already survived off of this type of ideal for the last couple of years.
In the beginning of "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer I had a hard time really diving into the book. I like books that aren't all laid out on the line within the first couple chapters. I thought Into the Wild was one of those books, within the first couple of chapters I saw McCandless as a spoiled, rich kid who was risking his life just for the sense of adventure. I also knew that he had an impending death wish. But as I got farther and farther into the book I found that it was much more than that. Chris (Alex) McCandless was a kid who cared about so many things, he cared about nature, others, the less fortunate. He was basically a saint. But his parents were not, after he found out about his father's affair he had a change in character. He knew that he needed to get away from his family... he needed to go into the wild. I think he went into the Alaskan wilderness not only because he wanted to get away from his family, but because he wanted to find himself. McCandless was an emotionally detached person. He impacted the lives of many on his way to Alaska, Wayne Westerberg and Ron Franz are two prime examples. Westerberg helped McCandless early on in his travels, and Franz was a driver who graciously gave McCandless a lift. At the time Franz was a recovering alcoholic and when he heard about the death of McCandless it sent him back into his downward spiral of addiction. McCandless knew these people for such a small amount of his and their lives but when he died they reached out to help identify him so his friends and family back home would also know the tragic news. I think that the story of Chris McCandless was able to touch so many people through this book because of Jon Krakauer. Krakauer was the perfect person to write this book. Not only was he interested in the expedition of McCandless but he also had first hand experience doing the same sort of thing. But, Krakauer was luckier than McCandless and made it out alive although he had many near death experiences during his time in the wilderness. McCandless went into the wild unprepared and not knowing what awaited him. But, his passion and his impulse was the reason he touched so many. Chris McCandless went out on his own with no regrets and without looking back. When McCandless was getting ready to leave, to go home. "He seemed to have moved beyond his need to assert so adamantly his autonomy, his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections; maybe he was even prepared to forgive some of his own. McCandless seemed ready, perhaps, to go home," (page 169). Throughout the course of his journey McCandless was able to touch the lives of people around him, find himself, and survive 100 days in the wild! McCandless did things some people can only dream of doing before he really even lived! The story of McCandless is truly amazing and I thank Jon Krakauer for sharing every piece of it and more with us. -Harper Snead
The happiness that McCandless desperately wanted to achieve
Throughout this book, Krakauer gives us insight into Chris McCandless’s story. A very young man takes a journey through the wild because he believes that society is “toxic” and “poisonous”. McCandless did not want to be filled with the thoughts of others and couldn’t care for their opinions either. He wanted to only know his own thoughts and judgment because that’s what was going to bring him absolute happiness, or so he thought. McCandless’s goal throughout his entire journey to be able to find himself in his own little world with no one else around. He wouldn’t have the expectations of his parents, the pressure of friends, nor the pressing words of society to hold him down. He only had himself to tell him how to live his life. There are plenty of stories out there nowadays that show how people went out to find themselves but of the ones that I have heard of, none of them can even begin to compare to McCandless’s story. Chris’s story teaches us that with enough determination and focus, our goals CAN be met and that they aren’t impossible which something that I think young readers and learners need to know today. We are so quick in society to give up when we are knocked down, McCandless and even Krakauer show us how even when we are in the lowest of the lows, we can get up and we can rise again. Although McCandless’s want for happiness and how he gets to it is very inspiring, I still can’t understand some of the things that he did. I never really understand why he couldn’t talk to his sister more. I know that he didn’t want anyone judging him but he even mentions in the book that he goes to her because she is the only one who understands. Meaning, she wouldn’t judge him. And McCandless was definitely confused because in his last days he wrote, “Happiness is only real when shared.” That’s when he realized that he needed his family and all of those people that helped him along with his journey. He realized that he can still be an individual but not in solitude. That reminds of a Thoreau quote, “but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude..." This was the whole lesson that Chris needed throughout his story. Chris was so focused on being happy on his own that his desire to find that, lead to his troubles. He finally realized that he needed others but by the time he did, it was too late for him. He couldn’t go about his life alone. No one can. I think if anyone should take anything from this story it should be that we can’t live life alone. Whether we are people persons are we are not, we cannot be happy without the help of others. Sure, there are ways to make yourself happy but we still need that extra push from our favorite people to sustain it. Otherwise, who knows...maybe we’ll end up like McCandless and wait until it’s too late to appreciate those around us and we’re trapped.
Towards the end of the story Into the Wild Krakauer really goes into deeper details of Mcandless death. It was heartbreaking to see Mcandless not make it out alive, he had so much purpose to his journey and for him not die like that built up many emotions. I think it is easy to say Mcandless and Thoreau were very similar and can be compared in many ways. In chapter 17 it says “He was looking for more adventure and freedom than today’s society gives people.” I think this quote speaks from a Thoreau perspective it is the same idea. Being a nonconformist and leaving to find their calling and learn to survive through nature and yourself. It would be hard to find someone who relates so much to Thoreau as much as Mcandless even though their ideas are somewhat crazy. It is so important to point out how society is viewed by both of them. They make it seem like society is holding them back and to really be free you can’t be involved with it. Mcandless having the same values as Thoreau lead him have the best life for a person like Mcandless could ever life, although he didn’t have the happy ending he deserved he still in Thoreau terms “lived life to the fullest”. In the beginning of the book I agreed with the criticism Mcandless was receiving things such as “ignorant” “pathetic” and “stupid” but I completely change my mind when I understood why he made certain decisions. I think if others would have compared Mcandless to Thoreau they would almost feel disrespectful to call him those names. It was unfair for him to get judged before I took a chance to get to know him. Krakauer for sure didn’t want him to be viewed like that and I think towards the end of the book got people to understand what an incredible life Mcandless lived and how he made such an impact on others. I think a key difference between Thoreau and Mcandless is that I feel like Mcandless really accomplished what he set out to do on his adventure despite what others thought of him and for Thoreau he stated “and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” They really did live the same life but at the end of their journey both discovered different things as for Mcandless he did in fact find happiness in life which the ending was not what we hoped for but it gave a sense of peace, Mcandless even says, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.” It made me happy he actually felt this way and didn’t have many regrets about his life unlike Thoreau. He set out into the wild almost expecting to die and it was like his life had greater meaning because he inspired others and lived a good life. The ending wasn’t what I hoped for but still through the story I changed my whole perspective I had on Mcandless and grew respect for him and what he set out to do. Also gave me a better understanding for Thoreau's concepts.
Into the wild was such an interesting read but It took me a very long time to finally cave for the intellectual hitchhiker named Chris Mccandless. At the beginning of the story, we already know Chris’ fate and rather ‘unhappy’ ending to the story. Before his demise, we are run down his wild adventures across the country, leading to his resting place in Alaska. Admittingly, his attitude towards life made me think he was a bit reckless and inconsiderate but I guess it was necessary for him to be this way in order to truly connect within himself. He was a charming person and its evident as he was able to impact so many strangers on his many journeys. The way he viewed personal relationships was a bit cold because he saw it as just more ‘emotional baggage’. It’s not like he had bad intentions in the first place, I think he might have chosen to be more selfish and hermited to let himself grow. That's something I can relate with, I feel like having some time to yourself and to your own thoughts is vital for self-transformation. This being said I think it would be impossible to truly do this alone, and we can see that through the friends and small connections that Chris creates. It seems like Chris was even born with this all or nothing spirit and the dynamics of his Dad's double life seemed to have hit a nerve and burn that passion for exploration even more. It's interesting to think that maybe Chris wouldn’t have left his regular life if he hadn’t found out about his father's infidelity. It seems like he runs on impulse rather than reason, ironically, Since he worships transcendental thinkers and revolves his life around such high thinking philosophy. Even after his death, many saw him as just a crazy kid getting way in over his head, but I liked how the author tried to defend Chris and explore the actual reality of his death. Chris was able to accomplish so many things in Alaska and wasn’t as ignorant as the locals slandered him to be. He died from eating seeds, but not because he was completely oblivious to his surroundings, anyone could have made that mistake. In his final days, he seemed content and relatively at peace within himself. If anything he seemed like he was happy, he achieved what he could and he felt like he had done enough with his life, I felt like he finally realized to let go of the pressure that he had built up. Although I did think it was rather bittersweet when Chris did realize that he was ready for interpersonal relationships and was looking forward to possibly making peace with his family, only to never get the chance to. Overall I thought that it was such an interesting story, It explored not only Chris Mccandless’s life but also others that seemed to share the same ambition in life, to explore the land and explore their selves. I think that just gives Chris and his story more authenticity because it was written by a person who can understand the same emotions and thoughts. It was rather well written and it gave insight into something that most people wouldn't think about too much. It kind of makes me wonder if I could possibly meet a stranger like Chris.
Chris McCandless’s journey into Alaska was plagued by quite a few problems, one big one was food supplies. His food supplies were sometimes very low, and other times they were somewhat high. He had up and downs, but as was stated earlier in the text, his low supplies and preparation eventually caught up with him, and he died of starvation on August 18th, 1992. Chris McCandless’s food supply was talked about quite a bit in Chapter 16 - The Alaska Interior. Chris started his journey into the Stampede Trail and “the only food McCandless carried was a ten-pound bag of long-grained rice—and the two sandwiches and bag of corn chips that Gallien had contributed.” He was confident in his ability to survive off this small amount of food because “A year earlier he’d subsisted for more than a month beside the Gulf of California on five pounds of rice and a bounty of fish caught with a cheap rod and reel,” This made him think there would be enough game to survive in Alaska, and that he would just bring some more rice in case. Even with this preparation, small as it may be, he suffered a fate that sounds very painful - starvation. At first, Chris had some trouble finding food. “He had difficulty killing game, and the daily journal entries during his first week in the bush include ‘Weakness,’ ‘Snowed in,’ and ‘Disaster.’ He saw but did not shoot a grizzly on May 2, shot at but missed some ducks on May 4, and finally killed and ate a spruce grouse on May 5; but he didn’t shoot anything else until May 9, when he bagged a single small squirrel, by which point he’d written ‘4th day famine’ in the journal.” He struggled to get food, and when he did, it was very small amounts. This was to the point where Chris himself described it as famine. After a period of time, Chris began having better luck finding food, since “the snowpack had melted down to bare ground, exposing the previous season’s rose hips and lingonberries, which McCandless gathered and ate in great quantity.” Another thing that was in his favor was that “He also became much more successful at hunting game and for the next six weeks feasted regularly on squirrel, spruce grouse, duck, goose, and porcupine.” With these he was able to survive for as long as he did, which was a miracle. It was crazy to know that he somehow died of starvation even with his turn for the better in food supply. Chris McCandless continued on his journey to the west, even telling Jim Gallien that he “might walk all the way to the Bering Sea.” Eventually, Chris left the Stampede Trail, intentional or not. It was at the bus in which Chris’s body was discovered that he stayed. As the ground thawed, it became harder to continue, and he decided to stay where he was. He didn’t really regret this, according to Jon Krakauer. The bus was quite close to civilization, but also solitary enough “to cost him his life.” Chris McCandless stayed in the Alaska wilderness for almost four whole months. However, he somehow never encountered another person during this time. Maybe if he had survived, Chris would’ve gone home shortly after, and possibly left behind his life of living off the land, never truly eating sufficiently, or for the most part at least. We can’t know this though, as he didn’t survive his trip to the Alaska wilderness, tragic as that may be.
This is one of the best novels that I have read In a while becasue pf how much these last few chapters hit your heart. t the very beginning of the book you thing that Chris is just a whiny and privileged kid that took all that he was given by his parents for granted. You thought that he took his talents, relationships, and love from his parents for granted but by the time that you finish the book you realize he was just a lost man that had to have an extraordinary experience to find the real purpose in his life and find the things that matter the most. When Chris was travelling the world he had nothing but hatred and sadness when he thought of his father. But now that he has had the journey through the wilderness it really shows how much he changed. He felt guilty for how he treated his family becasue he realized that they were only trying to love him the most and that even parents make mistakes sometimes. It really shows how is character had grew throughout the story and into the final chapters. And all of these things makes his death feel even more crushing in the story. When you first find out that he is dead at the beginning of the story you don't feel that bad for him becasue you don't understand his point of view and what he has gone through. You don't know that he regretted going there and wanted to reconcile with his dad and get to hug him one last time. And that credit really goes to the author becasue he is the one who made us think of Chris as a emotional teen to a troubled man that had already wanted to go back to his home by the time he died. To think that if he had only chose one different path or put both of his hands up to the helicopter he could have been saved. At the end you know he was not surviving and that just made the ending so much worse to read. Because you knew the outcome and knew that nothing could change. This is a very good book and I would recommend it to anyone who was even remotely interested in books because it is that good.
Throughout the entire book there were many themes that were consistent, one specific theme that caught my eye was the theme of ultimate freedom. For example, Chris had to prove to himself that he could in fact live off the land, no matter the obstacles. He was willing to do anything to prove to himself that he could do it and that no one or anything was going to stand in his way. Chris at the very beginning of his journey was looking to gain freedom not only from his parents but from society entirely. He wanted to see what he could accomplish on his own and how far he could get. He did not want anyone's help intentionally, although that did not stop him from taking help that was being offered to him when he found it convenient. Ultimate freedom is also something that transcendentalist believed could only be achieved if one could part from everything and everyone and become/connect with something bigger than one’s self. This specific way of thinking and living was brought up years before Chris was born and it is interesting to see how much it influenced his decisions. This theme in my opinion was very fitting because it describes Chris’s whole reason for leaving and going to Alaska. “When Gallien asked whether his parents or a friend knew what he was up to— whether there was anyone who would sound the alarm if he got into trouble and was overdue—Alex answered calmly that no, nobody knew of his plans, that in fact he hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years.” this shows how strongly Chris desired to be independent and truly free. He was willing to leave his family and risked his life in a place he knew nothing about just to be free. However the price that Chris paid in order to reach ultimate freedom was very high. Through everything that Chris went his ending was the most heart wrenching. “Starvation is not a pleasant way to expire. In advanced stages of famine, as the body begins to consume itself, the victim suffers muscle pain, heart disturbances, loss of hair, dizziness, shortness of breath, extreme sensitivity to cold, physical and mental exhaustion.” whatever the true reason Chris wanted to leave, this ending in my opinion is too much of a high price for the outcome. The book does state that when in the final stages of starvation your body and mind are so far gone that you are in a euphoric state and I hope that although Chris’s ending began painfully it ended peacefully. I admired Chris and what I admired most was his determination to prove to himself and no one else that he could become truly free. He was influenced by many transcendentalist figures and to me that shows how much literature can persuade and encourage someone years later to challenge not only their mind but their body. The price of ultimate freedom to some, like Chris, is nothing but personally I would never be able to leave my whole life behind and run into the wild.
before i even started this book I was super exited to read it just because i love these kinds of books about survival so this kinda book was right down my ale. now when i actually started reading the book i was not disappointing at all it was amazing i loved it, I could relate to the book in so many ways with the family problems and thinking i can do everything by my self, so i knew what Chris was going through to an extent. Chris went through a lot in the book just because the whole thing was a life or death situation. there were so many times where this book touched my heart but the main time was near the end of the book when Chris was so close to safety, so close to him and his family making up. he was literally 20 minutes away from safety if only he had walked in the other direction he would have been safe but in the end i didn't not work out for him. but also how Chris had such small interactions with everybody he meat but such a big impact on them a big enough one that the called the police station, random people that saw him for a couple minutes cared enough to call the police. into the wild is a emotional roller coaster and a great story to read. its just crazy the choices Chris made.
The main purpose of this book confused me at first. I originally thought it would be an exploration of whether the ideas of Transcendentalism and living alone in the wild were good or not in reality. Instead, I think John Krakauer’s goal in writing this book was not to prove or disprove anything, but just to understand why people like Chriss McCandless do the things that they do. Krakuer is very methodical in his approach to finding the truth about Chriss and his life. You can really see this with how much he researches and investigates one aspect of McCandless’ life; his death. In the afterword of the book, Krakuer writes “Clausen, I realized was right: I couldn’t be absolutely certain the seeds were toxic until I did additional, more sophisticated analysis, and then published the results in a reputable peer-reviewed journal. So I embarked on another round of testing.” This shows that the author was very focused on the truth. It did not matter whether he thought he was right or wrong, he had to find and prove the truth to a point where there was not anymore uncertainty. He was not going to settle for anything else. That is why he spent years and years searching for the answer to that one question even after all the press and buzz about Chriss Mccandless and the the had already died down. That proves his methodology, and that he focuses on understanding why something happens, and not whether it should be the right choice or not. Another part of the book that points to that is where the author diverges from Chriss’s story to discuss other Transcendentalists. In chapter 8, he writes “Some insight into the tragedy of Chris McCandless can be gained by studying predecessors cut from the same exotic cloth. And in order to do that, one must look beyond Alaska, to the bald-rock canyons of southern Utah. There, in 1934, a peculiar twenty-year-old boy walked into the desert and never came out. His name was Everett Ruess.” With Krakauer’s ultimate goal being to understand Mccanless’s mind, it would make sense to try to understand other people’s minds who have done similar things as Chriss. This is exactly what almost half of Krakauer’s book is devoted to. On top of that, a third thing that the author does is not just dive into other people’s minds to gain understanding, but also explore his own mind and history. The one person that someone understands the most is themselves, and Krakauer realizes that. He also realizes that if he can relate to Chriss, then he’d also then would be able to understand him just tham much more. And so that is what he attempts to do with chapter 14. In it he writes “But my sense of Chris McCandless’s intentions comes, too, from a more personal perspective. As a youth, I am told, I was willful, self-absorbed, intermittently reckless, moody. I disappointed my father in the usual ways. Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please. If something captured my undisciplined imagination, I pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession, and from the age of seventeen until my late twenties that something was mountain climbing.” From just this section, much more understanding is brought to light about Chriss. Overall, this book is not about whether Transcendentalism is right or wrong, or even if Chriss himself was right or wrong like I thought it was. It was actually just trying to study and under the person who was Chriss.
Chapters 15-epilogue of the novel Into the Wild by Jhon Krakauer wrap up the long journey McCandles took. In chapter 17 titled ‘The Stampede Trail’ Krakauer travels to the fateful bus that McCandles died in. The author describes his tedious hike to the bus. John travels with a few companions to his destination of the bus. This chapter really shows the author's dedication to this book and the storytelling of Chris McCandles journey. The treacherous and tedious path to get to the bus was the first sign of the author's dedication. When John reached the bus he goes inside, evidently still investigating clues to get the most accurate story of McCandles final months. The author relays in very clear details the condition the bus was in. the author talks about McCcandles ‘kmart hiking boots’ and how they were lined up under the stove. Krakauer states “His Kamart hiking boots are arranged neatly beneath the stove, as though he’d soon be returning to lace them up and hit the trail”(179). Krakauer really has a lot invested into this story. He has investigated so deeply into who Chris McCandles was as a person and why he made the decisions he did. John did make it pretty clear as to why he had so much invested into McCandles story; he thought of McCandles as a person just like himself. That is why Krakauer invested so much time and effort into this book, he was passionate about the wasted life of a young man. One example of the dedication John had to this story and its correct telling is the Moose vs. Caribou debate. In McCandles time spent stranded at the bus he killed Moose. It was reported that McCandles had killed a caribou but that he thought he had killed a moose. This fueled spectators of the story to believe that McCandles was a completely and totally unprepared psycho who went to alaska to die. It was then later revealed that McCandles in fact did kill a moose, here's what Krakauer stated “Contrary to what I reported on the Outside, the animal was a moose, as a close examination of the beasts remains now indicate and several of McCandless photographs of the kill later confirmed beyond all doubt. The boy made some mistakes on the Stampede Trail, but confusing a caribou with a moose wasn't among them”(178). Krakauer stands up for the dead boy who so many criticize. Even though Chris was naive, he doesn't deserve degradation. Krakauer stands up for a boy after his own heart. This book was so excellent because of the author, John put a lot into the storytelling and research of this book. Jhon Krakauer wrote an excellent novel everyone can create their own opinions and thoughts about. The way he wrote this book makes it what it is, if it weren't for Krakauer's dedication to McCandles and the truth of his story it never would have gotten told to the world.
ReplyDeleteReese Van Osdel
The legacy of Chris McCandless
ReplyDeleteOver the course of the book, the looming fact that Chris McCandless would die in the end became harder to face. I was unaware that I began hoping that he would make it out of the Alaskan wilderness fully knowing that he wouldn’t. Just like Mary Westerberg, I was intrigued by his charm and fun nature and was bothered by his death. I think the fact that Chris felt ready to come back to society but was ultimately unable to struck me the most. He might have been ready perhaps to “shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart.” At the beginning of the book, I was confused and slightly annoyed after reading that Chris had died of starvation. I didn’t understand why he was too stubborn to just leave the wild, but I know now that the odds were against him. After 112 days of hunting and living in complete solitude, Chris felt that he fulfilled his dreams but that cost him his life. What’s shocking is that throughout the years he spent living on the road and in nature, he had survived somehow, but his luck finally ran out in the last few days of his great adventure.
One aspect that I’m sure made me care for Chris is his bravery and conviction towards his beliefs. I see society, maybe not nearly to the extreme as Chris, in the same light as Chris. The toxic ways of social media and the conformity culture that degrade those who don’t fit societal norms are still as present as ever and continue to get worse. Unlike Chris, I don’t think I could ever drop everything in my life to pursue such a seemingly unrealistic dream to escape the harshness of society. Although I am aware of these issues, I can sometimes be blinded by the need to stay informed and up to date with it and become guilty of conforming to the latest trends. Despite not being able to do it myself, I can support Chris in his battle to “kill the false being within” and to “no longer be poisoned by civilization.” People criticized Chris’s ‘impulsive’ and ‘arrogant’ ways, but I disagree. Yes, he could have been more prepared and taken more time to be knowledgeable of nature, but he followed his dreams which is more than most people can say. Although his desire and demand to live unconventionally ended his life, “His life hummed with meaning and purpose” until his last breath.
Even in the last hours of his life, he was simply content with his life and Jon Krakauer even went as far as to that “Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God.” The book mentions how some people who have been brought back from the brink of starvation have said that near the end “the hunger vanishes, the terrible pain dissolves, and the suffering is replaced by a sublime euphoria, a sense of calm accompanied by transcendent mental clarity.” I can only hope that Chris passed away like this.
I will always be inspired by Chris’s initiative to act upon his passion and longing to “explore the inner country of his own soul” while most of society is “preoccupied with the humdrum concerns of adulthood.” I’m saddened that his life had to end the way it did, but I think that his legacy will continue to be both a lesson and an inspiration to others who wish to “acquire the simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life; to divest myself of the factitious habits, prejudices and imperfections of civilization;... and find, amidst the solitude and grandeur of the western wilds, more correct views of human nature and of the true interests of man.”
Mia Kawamitsu
Chris Mccandles’s story was very inspiring. I think the way people reacted was harsh and unempathetic. So many people swore that he had mental issues and called him crazy, but in all reality, he was just an overly inspired kid who wanted to live life in the best way possible. I admire his drive and perseverance through his entire journey. I can understand why he wanted to live so freely and without rule, but his lack of knowledge, supplies, and other necessities, is what eventually killed him. What bothered me the most was the fact that he was so close to civilization, yet didn’t have access to a map. The narrator talked about Chris having an epiphany on his journey. He highlights and writes in his journal and a variety of books. “Now, you can’t advance in this direction without a certain faith. You can’t make such discoveries without spiritual equipment. And the basic elements of this equipment are in the Gospels. What are they? To begin with, love of one’s neighbor, which is the supreme form of vital energy” (Krakauer 187). He comes to the realization that one’s true happiness exists in the happiness and love given to others. He also says “I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them… then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor- such is my idea of happiness”(Krakauer 168). In my opinion, happiness is the meaning of life. When you are happy, doing whatever it is that brings you joy, that is when you have reached success and “conquered” life. Mccandles was on a journey to find his own meaning, and this except really touched me because it seems that he finally realized what he wanted from life. I think before his journey, Chris was lost. He wasn’t sure what he wanted or what exactly he was looking for. From writings in his journal, documenting his last days, we can see that he was finally making a plan for himself. It breaks my heart that he died before he could live out his wishes. At the very end, Krakauer returns to the bus with Chris’s parents. I thought this was very touching and a great way to end the book. While there is no way to truly “get over” a loved one’s death, I think his parents were able to find some closure traveling there. They were able to say goodbye and connect with him by visiting the place where he lived out his last days. I think that if there is anything people should take away from this story, it should be: While it’s okay to be alone sometimes, the reality is that we need people in our lives in order to truly be happy. We need society and structure to keep from going insane.
ReplyDeleteThe Philosophies of Christopher McCandless
ReplyDeleteWhile reading, processing and really connecting to the true story of Into the Wild, I began to see truly how much the literature and authors of that literature we’ve been reading in American Lit have impacted the lives of millions, including McCandless. Without giving the writers of the transcendentalist era too much credit, McCandless was clearly captivated by the same ideals as writers like Emerson and Thoreau. The ideals being referenced include the desire of simplicity and a sort of enlightenment to find a true purpose in this life of ours. It is clear Chris did not accept his ‘purpose’ of life that he was supposedly born with: to graduate college, become rich, and encourage the blood-hungry capitalist society that he was born into. This nonacceptance is seen multiple times in his criticisms of modern society and civilization. “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 conservation...” The use of the pronoun ‘they’ instead of ‘we’ or ‘us’ completely disassociates himself from the rest of society which was his entire goal in the first place. This dissociation implies that he himself is currently perfectly happy living off of one backpack, his journal, and his reckless ambition. McCandless does not have a home, which is exactly how he likes it. He doesn’t have any familiarity, which he does not even want anyways and believes is what holds the rest of society back from doing things that make them happy or fulfilled. A man’s purpose in life “comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.” This greatly reflects the transcendental idea that a human’s purpose in life is to achieve “human perfection” or in other words, find the ability to understand oneself and achieve mental greatness. McCandless attempted this feat in the way he believed would work best for him: avoiding conformity and experiencing everything possible to expand the knowledge of the world around him.
On a less serious, but more damning note for McCandless, he also stubbornly believed in the idea of minimalism, which may have cost him his life. Thoreau once said “Minimalism! Minimalism! Minimalism!” which may have been true with his natural abilities, and those who may have bought an unnecessary nick-knack from somewhere, however, this cannot be true for a man with very little experience in the wilderness, the Alaskan Bush no less. McCandless admitted to Jim Gallien (the man to drive Chris to the Stampede Trail) that “the only food in his bag was a ten-pound bag of rice.” His gear also was not suitable for Alaskan conditions, as his boots were “neither water-proof or well-insulated”. Throughout McCandless’ journey, it’s believed that he genuinely believes he is expecting to make it out of this endeavor alive, maybe very much malnourished, but alive. Why else would he write an S.O.S note hoping to be saved! However, this belief is questioned by the facts of his gear and materials he brought along with him. Even someone with barely any wilderness experience would have been able to tell this a bag of rice would never sustain a grown man for at least six months. This raises the question of: Did he genuinely think this would be sufficient? Or perhaps he was so adapted to the minimalist lifestyle that he thought that he would be able to survive since he already survived off of this type of ideal for the last couple of years.
In the beginning of "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer I had a hard time really diving into the book. I like books that aren't all laid out on the line within the first couple chapters. I thought Into the Wild was one of those books, within the first couple of chapters I saw McCandless as a spoiled, rich kid who was risking his life just for the sense of adventure. I also knew that he had an impending death wish. But as I got farther and farther into the book I found that it was much more than that. Chris (Alex) McCandless was a kid who cared about so many things, he cared about nature, others, the less fortunate. He was basically a saint. But his parents were not, after he found out about his father's affair he had a change in character. He knew that he needed to get away from his family... he needed to go into the wild. I think he went into the Alaskan wilderness not only because he wanted to get away from his family, but because he wanted to find himself. McCandless was an emotionally detached person. He impacted the lives of many on his way to Alaska, Wayne Westerberg and Ron Franz are two prime examples. Westerberg helped McCandless early on in his travels, and Franz was a driver who graciously gave McCandless a lift. At the time Franz was a recovering alcoholic and when he heard about the death of McCandless it sent him back into his downward spiral of addiction. McCandless knew these people for such a small amount of his and their lives but when he died they reached out to help identify him so his friends and family back home would also know the tragic news. I think that the story of Chris McCandless was able to touch so many people through this book because of Jon Krakauer. Krakauer was the perfect person to write this book. Not only was he interested in the expedition of McCandless but he also had first hand experience doing the same sort of thing. But, Krakauer was luckier than McCandless and made it out alive although he had many near death experiences during his time in the wilderness. McCandless went into the wild unprepared and not knowing what awaited him. But, his passion and his impulse was the reason he touched so many. Chris McCandless went out on his own with no regrets and without looking back. When McCandless was getting ready to leave, to go home. "He seemed to have moved beyond his need to assert so adamantly his autonomy, his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections; maybe he was even prepared to forgive some of his own. McCandless seemed ready, perhaps, to go home," (page 169). Throughout the course of his journey McCandless was able to touch the lives of people around him, find himself, and survive 100 days in the wild! McCandless did things some people can only dream of doing before he really even lived! The story of McCandless is truly amazing and I thank Jon Krakauer for sharing every piece of it and more with us.
ReplyDelete-Harper Snead
The happiness that McCandless desperately wanted to achieve
ReplyDeleteThroughout this book, Krakauer gives us insight into Chris McCandless’s story. A very young man takes a journey through the wild because he believes that society is “toxic” and “poisonous”. McCandless did not want to be filled with the thoughts of others and couldn’t care for their opinions either. He wanted to only know his own thoughts and judgment because that’s what was going to bring him absolute happiness, or so he thought. McCandless’s goal throughout his entire journey to be able to find himself in his own little world with no one else around. He wouldn’t have the expectations of his parents, the pressure of friends, nor the pressing words of society to hold him down. He only had himself to tell him how to live his life.
There are plenty of stories out there nowadays that show how people went out to find themselves but of the ones that I have heard of, none of them can even begin to compare to McCandless’s story. Chris’s story teaches us that with enough determination and focus, our goals CAN be met and that they aren’t impossible which something that I think young readers and learners need to know today. We are so quick in society to give up when we are knocked down, McCandless and even Krakauer show us how even when we are in the lowest of the lows, we can get up and we can rise again.
Although McCandless’s want for happiness and how he gets to it is very inspiring, I still can’t understand some of the things that he did. I never really understand why he couldn’t talk to his sister more. I know that he didn’t want anyone judging him but he even mentions in the book that he goes to her because she is the only one who understands. Meaning, she wouldn’t judge him. And McCandless was definitely confused because in his last days he wrote, “Happiness is only real when shared.” That’s when he realized that he needed his family and all of those people that helped him along with his journey. He realized that he can still be an individual but not in solitude. That reminds of a Thoreau quote, “but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude..." This was the whole lesson that Chris needed throughout his story. Chris was so focused on being happy on his own that his desire to find that, lead to his troubles. He finally realized that he needed others but by the time he did, it was too late for him. He couldn’t go about his life alone. No one can. I think if anyone should take anything from this story it should be that we can’t live life alone. Whether we are people persons are we are not, we cannot be happy without the help of others. Sure, there are ways to make yourself happy but we still need that extra push from our favorite people to sustain it. Otherwise, who knows...maybe we’ll end up like McCandless and wait until it’s too late to appreciate those around us and we’re trapped.
- ILLiana Hammers
Connections to Thoreau
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of the story Into the Wild Krakauer really goes into deeper details of Mcandless death. It was heartbreaking to see Mcandless not make it out alive, he had so much purpose to his journey and for him not die like that built up many emotions. I think it is easy to say Mcandless and Thoreau were very similar and can be compared in many ways. In chapter 17 it says “He was looking for more adventure and freedom than today’s society gives people.” I think this quote speaks from a Thoreau perspective it is the same idea. Being a nonconformist and leaving to find their calling and learn to survive through nature and yourself. It would be hard to find someone who relates so much to Thoreau as much as Mcandless even though their ideas are somewhat crazy. It is so important to point out how society is viewed by both of them. They make it seem like society is holding them back and to really be free you can’t be involved with it. Mcandless having the same values as Thoreau lead him have the best life for a person like Mcandless could ever life, although he didn’t have the happy ending he deserved he still in Thoreau terms “lived life to the fullest”. In the beginning of the book I agreed with the criticism Mcandless was receiving things such as “ignorant” “pathetic” and “stupid” but I completely change my mind when I understood why he made certain decisions. I think if others would have compared Mcandless to Thoreau they would almost feel disrespectful to call him those names. It was unfair for him to get judged before I took a chance to get to know him. Krakauer for sure didn’t want him to be viewed like that and I think towards the end of the book got people to understand what an incredible life Mcandless lived and how he made such an impact on others. I think a key difference between Thoreau and Mcandless is that I feel like Mcandless really accomplished what he set out to do on his adventure despite what others thought of him and for Thoreau he stated “and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” They really did live the same life but at the end of their journey both discovered different things as for Mcandless he did in fact find happiness in life which the ending was not what we hoped for but it gave a sense of peace, Mcandless even says, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL.” It made me happy he actually felt this way and didn’t have many regrets about his life unlike Thoreau. He set out into the wild almost expecting to die and it was like his life had greater meaning because he inspired others and lived a good life. The ending wasn’t what I hoped for but still through the story I changed my whole perspective I had on Mcandless and grew respect for him and what he set out to do. Also gave me a better understanding for Thoreau's concepts.
-Julia Wagoner
Some last thoughts
ReplyDeleteInto the wild was such an interesting read but It took me a very long time to finally cave for the intellectual hitchhiker named Chris Mccandless. At the beginning of the story, we already know Chris’ fate and rather ‘unhappy’ ending to the story. Before his demise, we are run down his wild adventures across the country, leading to his resting place in Alaska. Admittingly, his attitude towards life made me think he was a bit reckless and inconsiderate but I guess it was necessary for him to be this way in order to truly connect within himself. He was a charming person and its evident as he was able to impact so many strangers on his many journeys. The way he viewed personal relationships was a bit cold because he saw it as just more ‘emotional baggage’. It’s not like he had bad intentions in the first place, I think he might have chosen to be more selfish and hermited to let himself grow. That's something I can relate with, I feel like having some time to yourself and to your own thoughts is vital for self-transformation. This being said I think it would be impossible to truly do this alone, and we can see that through the friends and small connections that Chris creates. It seems like Chris was even born with this all or nothing spirit and the dynamics of his Dad's double life seemed to have hit a nerve and burn that passion for exploration even more. It's interesting to think that maybe Chris wouldn’t have left his regular life if he hadn’t found out about his father's infidelity. It seems like he runs on impulse rather than reason, ironically, Since he worships transcendental thinkers and revolves his life around such high thinking philosophy. Even after his death, many saw him as just a crazy kid getting way in over his head, but I liked how the author tried to defend Chris and explore the actual reality of his death. Chris was able to accomplish so many things in Alaska and wasn’t as ignorant as the locals slandered him to be. He died from eating seeds, but not because he was completely oblivious to his surroundings, anyone could have made that mistake. In his final days, he seemed content and relatively at peace within himself. If anything he seemed like he was happy, he achieved what he could and he felt like he had done enough with his life, I felt like he finally realized to let go of the pressure that he had built up. Although I did think it was rather bittersweet when Chris did realize that he was ready for interpersonal relationships and was looking forward to possibly making peace with his family, only to never get the chance to. Overall I thought that it was such an interesting story, It explored not only Chris Mccandless’s life but also others that seemed to share the same ambition in life, to explore the land and explore their selves. I think that just gives Chris and his story more authenticity because it was written by a person who can understand the same emotions and thoughts. It was rather well written and it gave insight into something that most people wouldn't think about too much. It kind of makes me wonder if I could possibly meet a stranger like Chris.
Chris McCandless’s journey into Alaska was plagued by quite a few problems, one big one was food supplies. His food supplies were sometimes very low, and other times they were somewhat high. He had up and downs, but as was stated earlier in the text, his low supplies and preparation eventually caught up with him, and he died of starvation on August 18th, 1992. Chris McCandless’s food supply was talked about quite a bit in Chapter 16 - The Alaska Interior. Chris started his journey into the Stampede Trail and “the only food McCandless carried was a ten-pound bag of long-grained rice—and the two sandwiches and bag of corn chips that Gallien had contributed.” He was confident in his ability to survive off this small amount of food because “A year earlier he’d subsisted for more than a month beside the Gulf of California on five pounds of rice and a bounty of fish caught with a cheap rod and reel,” This made him think there would be enough game to survive in Alaska, and that he would just bring some more rice in case. Even with this preparation, small as it may be, he suffered a fate that sounds very painful - starvation. At first, Chris had some trouble finding food. “He had difficulty killing game, and the daily journal entries during his first week in the bush include ‘Weakness,’ ‘Snowed in,’ and ‘Disaster.’ He saw but did not shoot a grizzly on May 2, shot at but missed some ducks on May 4, and finally killed and ate a spruce grouse on May 5; but he didn’t shoot anything else until May 9, when he bagged a single small squirrel, by which point he’d written ‘4th day famine’ in the journal.” He struggled to get food, and when he did, it was very small amounts. This was to the point where Chris himself described it as famine. After a period of time, Chris began having better luck finding food, since “the snowpack had melted down to bare ground, exposing the previous season’s rose hips and lingonberries, which McCandless gathered and ate in great quantity.” Another thing that was in his favor was that “He also became much more successful at hunting game and for the next six weeks feasted regularly on squirrel, spruce grouse, duck, goose, and porcupine.” With these he was able to survive for as long as he did, which was a miracle. It was crazy to know that he somehow died of starvation even with his turn for the better in food supply. Chris McCandless continued on his journey to the west, even telling Jim Gallien that he “might walk all the way to the Bering Sea.” Eventually, Chris left the Stampede Trail, intentional or not. It was at the bus in which Chris’s body was discovered that he stayed. As the ground thawed, it became harder to continue, and he decided to stay where he was. He didn’t really regret this, according to Jon Krakauer. The bus was quite close to civilization, but also solitary enough “to cost him his life.” Chris McCandless stayed in the Alaska wilderness for almost four whole months. However, he somehow never encountered another person during this time. Maybe if he had survived, Chris would’ve gone home shortly after, and possibly left behind his life of living off the land, never truly eating sufficiently, or for the most part at least. We can’t know this though, as he didn’t survive his trip to the Alaska wilderness, tragic as that may be.
ReplyDelete-Kayden Buffington
This is one of the best novels that I have read In a while becasue pf how much these last few chapters hit your heart. t the very beginning of the book you thing that Chris is just a whiny and privileged kid that took all that he was given by his parents for granted. You thought that he took his talents, relationships, and love from his parents for granted but by the time that you finish the book you realize he was just a lost man that had to have an extraordinary experience to find the real purpose in his life and find the things that matter the most. When Chris was travelling the world he had nothing but hatred and sadness when he thought of his father. But now that he has had the journey through the wilderness it really shows how much he changed. He felt guilty for how he treated his family becasue he realized that they were only trying to love him the most and that even parents make mistakes sometimes. It really shows how is character had grew throughout the story and into the final chapters. And all of these things makes his death feel even more crushing in the story. When you first find out that he is dead at the beginning of the story you don't feel that bad for him becasue you don't understand his point of view and what he has gone through. You don't know that he regretted going there and wanted to reconcile with his dad and get to hug him one last time. And that credit really goes to the author becasue he is the one who made us think of Chris as a emotional teen to a troubled man that had already wanted to go back to his home by the time he died. To think that if he had only chose one different path or put both of his hands up to the helicopter he could have been saved. At the end you know he was not surviving and that just made the ending so much worse to read. Because you knew the outcome and knew that nothing could change. This is a very good book and I would recommend it to anyone who was even remotely interested in books because it is that good.
ReplyDeleteUltimate Freedom
ReplyDeleteThroughout the entire book there were many themes that were consistent, one specific theme that caught my eye was the theme of ultimate freedom. For example, Chris had to prove to himself that he could in fact live off the land, no matter the obstacles. He was willing to do anything to prove to himself that he could do it and that no one or anything was going to stand in his way. Chris at the very beginning of his journey was looking to gain freedom not only from his parents but from society entirely. He wanted to see what he could accomplish on his own and how far he could get. He did not want anyone's help intentionally, although that did not stop him from taking help that was being offered to him when he found it convenient. Ultimate freedom is also something that transcendentalist believed could only be achieved if one could part from everything and everyone and become/connect with something bigger than one’s self. This specific way of thinking and living was brought up years before Chris was born and it is interesting to see how much it influenced his decisions. This theme in my opinion was very fitting because it describes Chris’s whole reason for leaving and going to Alaska. “When Gallien asked whether his parents or a friend knew what he was up to— whether there was anyone who would sound the alarm if he got into trouble and was overdue—Alex answered calmly that no, nobody knew of his plans, that in fact he hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years.” this shows how strongly Chris desired to be independent and truly free. He was willing to leave his family and risked his life in a place he knew nothing about just to be free. However the price that Chris paid in order to reach ultimate freedom was very high. Through everything that Chris went his ending was the most heart wrenching. “Starvation is not a pleasant way to expire. In advanced stages of famine, as the body begins to consume itself, the victim suffers muscle pain, heart disturbances, loss of hair, dizziness, shortness of breath, extreme sensitivity to cold, physical and mental exhaustion.” whatever the true reason Chris wanted to leave, this ending in my opinion is too much of a high price for the outcome. The book does state that when in the final stages of starvation your body and mind are so far gone that you are in a euphoric state and I hope that although Chris’s ending began painfully it ended peacefully. I admired Chris and what I admired most was his determination to prove to himself and no one else that he could become truly free. He was influenced by many transcendentalist figures and to me that shows how much literature can persuade and encourage someone years later to challenge not only their mind but their body. The price of ultimate freedom to some, like Chris, is nothing but personally I would never be able to leave my whole life behind and run into the wild.
my opinion
ReplyDeletebefore i even started this book I was super exited to read it just because i love these kinds of books about survival so this kinda book was right down my ale. now when i actually started reading the book i was not disappointing at all it was amazing i loved it, I could relate to the book in so many ways with the family problems and thinking i can do everything by my self, so i knew what Chris was going through to an extent. Chris went through a lot in the book just because the whole thing was a life or death situation. there were so many times where this book touched my heart but the main time was near the end of the book when Chris was so close to safety, so close to him and his family making up. he was literally 20 minutes away from safety if only he had walked in the other direction he would have been safe but in the end i didn't not work out for him. but also how Chris had such small interactions with everybody he meat but such a big impact on them a big enough one that the called the police station, random people that saw him for a couple minutes cared enough to call the police. into the wild is a emotional roller coaster and a great story to read. its just crazy the choices Chris made.
The Search for Understanding
ReplyDeleteThe main purpose of this book confused me at first. I originally thought it would be an exploration of whether the ideas of Transcendentalism and living alone in the wild were good or not in reality. Instead, I think John Krakauer’s goal in writing this book was not to prove or disprove anything, but just to understand why people like Chriss McCandless do the things that they do. Krakuer is very methodical in his approach to finding the truth about Chriss and his life. You can really see this with how much he researches and investigates one aspect of McCandless’ life; his death. In the afterword of the book, Krakuer writes “Clausen, I realized was right: I couldn’t be absolutely certain the seeds were toxic until I did additional, more sophisticated analysis, and then published the results in a reputable peer-reviewed journal. So I embarked on another round of testing.” This shows that the author was very focused on the truth. It did not matter whether he thought he was right or wrong, he had to find and prove the truth to a point where there was not anymore uncertainty. He was not going to settle for anything else. That is why he spent years and years searching for the answer to that one question even after all the press and buzz about Chriss Mccandless and the the had already died down. That proves his methodology, and that he focuses on understanding why something happens, and not whether it should be the right choice or not. Another part of the book that points to that is where the author diverges from Chriss’s story to discuss other Transcendentalists. In chapter 8, he writes “Some insight into the tragedy of Chris McCandless can be gained by studying predecessors cut from the same exotic cloth. And in order to do that, one must look beyond Alaska, to the bald-rock canyons of southern Utah. There, in 1934, a peculiar twenty-year-old boy walked into the desert and never came out. His name was Everett Ruess.” With Krakauer’s ultimate goal being to understand Mccanless’s mind, it would make sense to try to understand other people’s minds who have done similar things as Chriss. This is exactly what almost half of Krakauer’s book is devoted to. On top of that, a third thing that the author does is not just dive into other people’s minds to gain understanding, but also explore his own mind and history. The one person that someone understands the most is themselves, and Krakauer realizes that. He also realizes that if he can relate to Chriss, then he’d also then would be able to understand him just tham much more. And so that is what he attempts to do with chapter 14. In it he writes “But my sense of Chris McCandless’s intentions comes, too, from a more personal perspective. As a youth, I am told, I was willful, self-absorbed, intermittently reckless, moody. I disappointed my father in the usual ways. Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please. If something captured my undisciplined imagination, I pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession, and from the age of seventeen until my late twenties that something was mountain climbing.” From just this section, much more understanding is brought to light about Chriss. Overall, this book is not about whether Transcendentalism is right or wrong, or even if Chriss himself was right or wrong like I thought it was. It was actually just trying to study and under the person who was Chriss.