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Analysis Of Chris Mccandless In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

Decent Essays

The story of a young man’s journey, told through interviews and acquired letters and journal entries, is interpreted and analyzed by Jon Krakauer in his novel Into the Wild. Chris McCandless, the combatant of his own story, embarks on an adventure around America after graduating from Emory University. When McCandless finds himself in the Alaskan wilderness with only a rifle, ten pounds of rice, a camera, and a few extra books and journals, he dies of starvation after a mere four months. In the novel, Krakauer successfully uses concrete diction to create complex sentences, apostrophes, and anecdotes to analyze the few interactions McCandless has leading up to his death and to drive the reader to question the role of an individual in society and if Chris McCandless deserves his eventual death. Firstly, Krakauer uses apostrophes concrete diction to give complete and …show more content…

For example, a major anecdote Krakauer focuses on is from Carine McCandless, Chris’ sister. Krakauer hones in on her initial reaction after hearing the news of her brother’s death. When describing Carine, Krakauer emphasizes that “the differences between the siblings were greater than their similarities” (Krakauer 129), though specifying the importance of their similarities in their “energetic and self-assured” (Krakauer 129) personalities. Through explaining these similarities, Krakauer shows the close relationship the two siblings had together, leading to Carine’s distraught and grief after hearing of her brother’s death. He continues to describe her exact reaction, her “eyes blurred” (Krakauer 130) and “tunnel vision” (Krakauer 130). Krakauer’s descriptions of Carine and use of anecdotes in the novel appeals to the readers’ emotions and compels the readers to sympathize with Carine and the death of Chris

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