preview

Analysis Of The Book ' The Wild ' By Jon Krakauer

Better Essays

On June 13, 1971, the New York Times headline read, “Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces 3 Decades of Growing U.S. Involvement”. Days earlier, Daniel Ellsberg provided the newspaper with excerpts from a 7,000-page classified study that became known as the Pentagon Papers. Just over 20 years later, moose hunters found the decaying remains of an adventurer in the Alaskan wilderness. The remains were concluded to be those of Chris McCandless, an affluent 20-something from Virginia, who wound up dead following his two-year long self-righteous odyssey. Author Jon Krakauer wrote an article on McCandless for Outside magazine, which later disseminated into a novel titled Into the Wild. At a glance, McCandless and Ellsberg may seem like polar …show more content…

Ellsberg’s case was later dismissed due to government mishandling and illegally obtained evidence by “The Plumbers” who later played a factor in the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation. As Wayne’s World hit the silver screens across the US, Chris McCandless perished in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless’ journey began with the purpose of living a minimalist lifestyle and finding his true self. Alaska was the final destination in the 22-year-old’s self righteous odyssey that spanned two years. After graduating from Emory University, McCandless cut all ties with his family and changed his name to Alexander Supertramp. His new identity alludes to his goal to be the superior vagabond as he traverses across the country. McCandless’ motivation for his odyssey was to retaliate against societal norms and live a minimalist lifestyle. Chris led this type of lifestyle to limit attachment and affection that would lead to heartbreak and resentment, and because of this, Chris never created a solid relationship with anyone. Chris McCandless’ journey into the wild was fueled by a disaffection to society’s accepted norms and his goal to uphold his principles at all costs.
Daniel Ellsberg and Chris McCandless share common ground in their natural talent for academia and in their post-secondary educational pursuits. According to Ellsberg’s biography on Biography.com, “...Ellsberg was also an extraordinarily gifted

Get Access