Critical Analysis Of Into Thin Air By Jon Krakauer

Krakauer’s use of stylistic devices throughout his book is quite phenomenal. Just a few examples of the stylistic techniques that he uses to uncover his tone are: polysyndeton, anaphora, and antithesis. Krakauer remains indifferent towards Chris for a good 6 chapters, states all the facts, and tells the story as it is. He uses no emotion appealing words to hint to us how he feels about Chris. His indifference is shown through his use of polysyndeton, which is the use of several conjunctions when not necessary.

Olivia Parker Cuff Honors English 10 5 August 2018 Into Thin Air Journal Entries Journal #1 — Ambition The theme of ambition is shown throughout the book, Into Thin Air and the film, Into Thin Air: Death on Everest. One quote is, “I accept the assignment because I was in the grip of the Everest mystique. In truth, I wanted to climb the mountain as badly as I’d ever wanted anything in my life,”(Krakauer, 88). This quote shows how ambitious Krakauer is he set his mind into climbing the mountain and went with it.

5. Chapters 14 and 15 describe Krakauer’s successful attempt when he was 23 years old to climb the “Devil’s Thumb,” a mountain in Alaska. He also describes what he thinks are parallels between McCandless and himself. Do these chapters increase his credibility for writing this book, or do they undermine his credibility by making it seem like he has his own agenda and is not objective?

“As a youth, [Krakauer was] told, [he] was willful, self-absorbed, intermittently reckless, moody. [He] disappointed [his] father…. Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in [him]…confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please. If something captured [his] undisciplined imagination, [he] pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession, and from the age of seventeen until [his] late twenties that something was mountain climbing” (134).

He explains how he was torn between quitting his job, which was necessary for the income, or continuing to venture into the wild, searching for new places to climb. Krakauer “never had any doubt that climbing the Devil’s Thumb would transform his life. How could it not?”(135). This technique of rhetorical questioning requires the reader to think of Krakauer’s options and aims to make the readers predict where Krakauer his headed, leaving his job in search for climbing opportunities. After Krakauer clues the reader about his future plans, he then goes on to tell them of the day he quit his job. He writes the next few sentences in problem-solution format, noting “...after nine hours of humping two-by-tens and driving sixteen-penny nails, I told my boss I was quitting”(135,136). This concise problem-solution sentence format notifies the reader that Krakauer was sure of his decision to quit his job. He did not need much time to think about this life-changing decision, assuring the readers that he has been waiting for this lifestyle of adventure and freedom. Simply put, Krakauer and McCandless both operate on whims and are sure of their

One of the most important qualities that an elite climber must have is leadership. The elite climbers and guides must be able to meet a number of new people that are strangers to each other and build some sense of a team. Krakauer does not have a strong background in leading groups or building comradery, which is key for a climb like Everest. Krakauer says himself, “In climbing, having confidence in your partners is no small concern” (40). He also mentions how the actions of one climber can “affect the welfare of the entire team” (40). The type of group he climbed with on

The first reason why Krakauer is responsible for the crew’s death is because he recruited them. Krakauer knew who he was recruiting, some experienced and some who relied heavily on the guide’s help. “I want you all to remember we have absolutely no chance of getting to the summit of Everest without their help.” (Krakauer 4:43). This shows how weak each member is without the help of a professional guide. While Krakauer knows the death rate on the trek to the top of Everest is high, he knew deep down it’d be a bad idea to bring inexperienced climbers onto this dangerous mountain.” Ever since 1922, when seven Sherpas were killed in an avalanche during the second British expedition, a disproportionate number of Sherpas have died on Everest—fifty-three all told.” ( Krakauer 4.17). This quote proves how dangerous Everest is even for experienced and

By providing more insight into his own background, Krakauer shows the root of his empathy for Chris, this empathy is clearly shown in chapter fifteen: “From elementary school through high school, my siblings and I hectored to excel in every class, to win medals in science fairs, to be princes of the prom, to win election to student government” (148). Krakauer outlines a description of his pressured homelife as a youth, mirroring McCandless and his rocky relationship with his parents. His reflection of McCandless shows that Krakauer understands Chris’s mindset on a deeper level than that of a sympathetic outdoorsman with a taste for the extreme, Krakauer can directly empathise with McCandless. Krakauer’s authority is also present when he details his lack of equipment, “I didn’t have a watch, but what seemed like in a very short time, I was on the distinctive final ice field” (153). Krakauer was guided by ambition and as a result left out pieces of equipment on his climb of self discovery.

Krakauer has a straight-to-the-point, concrete writing style. I tend to favor abstract writing with a great deal of figurative language. I had a hard time finding trope, but My favorite simile in the book is on page 96. It said, “Like a super villain in a Marvel comic book, he seemed to be endowed with the ability to absorb the mightiest blows his enemy could deliver, draw energy from them, and become more powerful as a consequence.” This quote is comparing Osama bin Laden to a villain in a comic book because it seemed like no matter what attempts the U.S. made to take him down, he always came back stronger. If there had been more similes like this, the book would’ve been better. Also, Krakauer’s excessive use of acronyms left me feeling frustratingly confused. Nevertheless, not all is bad about Krakauer’s writing technique. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he included actual entries from Pat Tillman’s journal and statements from Tillman’s friends and family. In doing so, Krakauer made me easily connect and empathize with Pat Tillman and his loved ones. This made a powerful impact on the book and reader.

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself, Nothing can bring you peace but the triumphs of principles.” This is a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-reliance which resonates with Krakauer’s and McCandless’ shared beliefs and interactions. This quote can help us to understand why McCandless and Krakauer enjoyed going into the wild. They were searching for themselves. By looking at their shared beliefs, their respective journeys, and Krakauer’s opinions of McCandless it can be seen that they have similar stories, but their stories both ended very

Krakauer's rather informal yet factual tone enables him to relay the important details of McCandless's adventure while keeping the readers engaged in the story. Krakauer frequently inserts his own thoughts into the story, but his

The best way to bring attention to a problem is tragedy. Unfortunately, this means reform will not happen until the loss or harm of life has already occurred. One example of this was seen in New York, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This fire was the cause of 146 deaths and many more injuries; however, this lead to new law regulating work safety standards. While this is a tragedy that caused reform in 1911, the same method of reform stands today. This can be seen in the novel, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. The novel is an account of what happened on the mountain during the 1996 Everest expedition. While the expedition started off with high hopes and dreamers ready

The book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a story about a man by the name of Chris McCandless. He is a man who grew up in a DC suburb, graduated college and decides to change the ways of his life. He journeys across the country, and finds his way to Alaska. His means are to leave the material lifestyle and become at one with nature. During Chris’s adventure he seems to neglect all communication with his family and over look the fact that they care about his health and future.

Krakauer’s first person point of view shows his thoughts and his experiences as he climbs the Devil’s Thumb. “The climbing was so steep and so exposed it made my head spin” (142). Krakauer can easily show his encounter with the wild and what runs through his mind. His first person point of view also symbolizes how McCandless could have felt during his hike on the Stampede Trail. “My eyesight blurred, I began to hyperventilate, my calves started to shake” (143). Krakauer’s experiences were similar to that of McCandless’s because the Devil’s Thumb is abreast to the Stampede Trail and they went through comparable weather conditions. Not every day does McCandless write in his journal, so Krakauer must show what may have happened to McCandless using his first person view of his past. If Krakauer did not share his

Krakauer from what I know is a cragsman. To be accurate he is primarily known for his writings about the outdoors, especially mountain-climbing. I figured out this information by reading the book “INTO THIN AIR”. I know you’re thinking why or how Jon Kraukauer is a hero, but he is a hero in many ways if you ask me. Krakauer does not have any ordinary like features. He is a guy who reaches the summit of Everest. Of course it takes skill but even with skill it is still taken a risk. After reading the book I still can’t believe that a human is on top of the world and