Derek

Into the Wild **Christopher McCandless was a young man from with a college degree and bright future, until he disappeared from his space in society and embarked on a long and windy road that would shock America after his death in 1992**. Along his way, he would meet and encounter with a variety of people and places, and eventually live out the dream of making it to Alaska, where he would stumble into an accidental and strongly criticized death. McCandless’s journey begins as an announcement to his parents that he would be on the road for the summer, a vacation that seemed well deserved after he graduated college until months later when his parents had not heard from him. In fact, the only way they new of his condition were when park rangers from California traced his abandoned car back to Virginia and notified his parents. This worried his them, for they knew that he loved that old Datsun. What they didn’t know was that Chris also donated the rest of his college savings account (about $25,000) to charity and burned all the money in his wallet, creating a fresh start and new life for him to venture into the great depths of the wild. For me, //Into the Wild// was about more than the places Chris traveled, it was about the relationships he shared the people he encountered, and the way he spread his powerful ideas about life. The first man to contribute notable stopon Chris’s journey was Wayne Westerburg. Although all he did was provide Chris with a job and housing for a few weeks, this would not be the only stop Chris made to the small town of Carthage, South Dakota. The next turning point of Chris’s journey is when he runs into a man named Ronald Franz. Ronald, 80 years of age at the time, became so close with Alex that he even asked him if he could adopt him to be his grandson. When he learned of Alex’s death a couple of years later, he cancelled his membership with his church and became an atheist, stating that he “couldn’t believe in a God that would let something that terrible happen to a boy like Alex.” Even though he braved through hot desserts and the streets of Vegas, when he was dropped off by a man named Jim Gallien at Stampede Trail dead in the center of Alaskan wilderness, his journey had just begun. He made it 112 days living out of an abandoned bus, before meeting his untimely and unplanned death. It is thought to be moldy potato seeds that, in the end, took his life. He had intended to go back to society right before he had become sick and died of starvation, but he was nevertheless a happy man at this time, with a grin on his face and a peaceful look in his eyes (see photograph below). Chris McCandless died at what he loved best, and I’m sure if he knew death was the conclusion to following his dreams, he would have done it again.
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Opinions: ** While Krakauer does an excellent job of capturing McCandless’s adventure, I think there are some aspects he portrays that are irrelevant to //Into the Wild// **. First, let’s start with the positives: I enjoyed his creativity of capturing the personality that Chris possessed and showing how he effected and interacted with society and other people. He did a good job of gathering his information and tracing down his sources for this book, for they, too, shared a big part in shaping the pathway that Chris took. Also, the letters that Krauker includes in his text that are responses to his first article about this topic (see link), and ones from McCandless himself are a helpful guide to understanding the story. Because I was not very keen on this subject matter until I read this book, the written words from McCandless were of use in helping me become aware of his thoughts and feelings.     As Krakeaur went to great lengths to include all evidence he deemed worthy for this book, I think he may have gone a little too far in some places. About halfway through the book, he devotes two chapters to the adventures of two people: Everett Ruess and Gene Rossellini (one for each person). While I think that their stories are bold and interesting, it also feels as though it drifts away from the topic. The purpose of this section is to relate these stories to Chris’s, but I was not satisfied with his analysis. Only a few paragraphs are dedicated to this section, which forces me into saying that this is unnecessary content. He then proceeds to give us two more chapters on the adventures that he himself took through Alaska. Yes, it was entertaining, but also for another place and time. I think he should have shortened this part, because after two chapters going in a different direction, I lost my focus for Chris’s story. The only positives I saw in these sections was that they fortified the author’s message about life (the theme) displayed a strong resemblance to the way Chris approached and lived his life. Theme:     **Krakauer does not present a theme in his writing; rather, it’s the stories and adventures that bring out the message he intended for us to hear.** The main theme of //Into the Wild// is to chase after what you believe in, or even more simply, BELIEVE in what you believe in. The unpleasant reality of many of our lives is that we do not have time to live our lives. We are robbed of our personalities, and it seems as though our thoughts and feelings just get added on to the long list that no one bothers to read (mmhmm school dress code).     When Chris McCandless left those who loved him, he was ridding himself of any influence other than his own. What made his character so special was that he was a stubborn, yet respectful and caring man, which helped him touch so many people. He was able to present his ideas in a positive way, and calmly refuse to be told otherwise.     Chris’s life and death were very symbolic to me, but mainly his death. If he came out of the wild alive and unscaved, it would not have changed anything. But, that is exactly what all the feedback to Jon Krauker’s article in Outside (see link) is raving about. They diss his stupidity and lack of preparing for the harsh Alaskan wilderness, when really they don’t see that all he was doing was living out his dreams, not trying to change the world. Chris was smart and did know of the dangers he faced, but that is not what I think of when his names comes up. I see the burning fire he possessed to accept life and live it to the fullest.

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[|Read Krakauer's original article in Outside Magazine] Another Into the Wild Wiki