preview

Compare And Contrast Henry David Thoreau And Into The Wild

Better Essays
Open Document

The emerald leaves of the elder tree rustle above you, providing a cooling breeze to your sweaty, sticky skin. While you admire the unstable house you just built from dead leaves and rotting wood, you hear the cry of an antelope in the distance, being gruesomely attacked by an animal attempting to have a fresh dinner. The house is dysfunctional at best, but a shelter nonetheless, that you would have to be come accustomed to for as long as you live in the wild. With nothing but a homemade hammer and a rifle, you prepare yourself for what is to come. The view from the little hut is serene, but filled with massive mysteries, dangers, and uncertainties that you must face. Since there is nobody around for miles, these challenges would be faced alone, and with no other materials or people. Will you survive? This was an experience that both Henry David Thoreau from Walden and Chris McCandless from Into the Wild decided to endure. Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau had similarities and differences, such as they both wanted to escape society for different reasons, they both wanted to live in solitude for similar and different reasons, and they both strived to live an non-materialistic lifestyle.
To begin, McCandless went into the wild to flee from his parents and an unjust civilization, while Thoreau believed life moved too quickly in society and he wanted to try and find the true meaning of life. Firstly, McCandless’ relationship with his dad grew progressively worse as he got

Get Access