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Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

Decent Essays

November 23, 2014 Into The Wild Themes Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild chronicles the journeys and events leading up to the death of a young man named Chris McCandless. Chris was a vagabond who traded friends and family in exchange for adventure, but ultimately wound up dead in the Alaskan wilderness. Within this recollection readers can discover various themes. Primarily, the subjects of materialism, ultimate freedom, and even man vs. nature all recur in this text. Materialism refers to the desire for money or possessions rather than spiritual or ethical values. Chris McCandless denounces this desire. After he left home, he rejects all forms of luxury similar to that of his family’s wealthy situation. While traveling, he insists on only carrying the bare essentials to survive and he regularly refuses any aid that would compromise this doctrine. He even goes as far as burning one hundred twenty-three dollars, which shows just how little he cares for it. On the other hand, McCandless displays a yearning for “ultimate freedom” throughout his travels. Eventually, he would like to find a place where he does not have to obey anyone’s rules. In chapter one, when Jim Gallien asks Chris if he has a hunting license, McCandless describes his distaste for the government’s rules, stating, “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business.” Also, Chris’ constant traveling shows his reluctance to settle down or become tied down to one place. He avoids developing relationships with

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