How Does Krakauer Show Carelessness In Into The Wild

In Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakauer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.

It is easier to impose a sense of insanity than it is to disprove the other way. The novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer depicts and closely analyzes the actions and dispositions of a young man, Chris McCandless, who ventured off into the wilderness to look for spiritual freedom away from all the corruptions of society. Though in the writings of Krakauer, it is evident that Chris McCandless can be characterized as a pilgrim, however, he is nothing more than a reckless kid with many poor attributes that eventually cost him his life. It could appear ironic to some, how his narcissistic side blinded him from reality, causing him to detach from any interactions with humanity.

“I was confident I could provide enough indirect clues for readers to understand that, to no small degree, Chris’s seemingly inexplicable behavior during the final years of his life was in fact explained by the volatile dynamics of the McCandless family while he was growing up” (Krakauer: The Wild Truth 9).

He unlike Chris was well prepared but even being well prepared he knew that nature would take its toll on his journey. He had to camp out in a tent for hours and hours thru a blizzard and found that even he was suffering. He said “When I decided to go to Alaska that April like Chris McCandless I was raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap ridden logic.” (155) going into the wilderness isn’t out of crazy ness it's about a new experience in life and it's an experience that is difficult but possible. Krakauer later says “In my case- and I believe the case of Chris McCandless- that was a very different thing from wanting to die.”(156) Both Krakauer and McCandless went into the wilderness in Alaska and both didn’t wanna die but nature being unpredictable brought both into hard

In the book Into the Wild, the author, John Krakauer, writes about his own life and experiences in an attempt to “throw some oblique light on the enigma of Chris McCandless.” John Krakauer succeeds most in shedding light on Chris McCandless through writing about his experiences with his own father. Lewis Krakauer, John Krakauer’s father, was apparently a very intense man who tried to force his children to become doctors and lawyers. John Krakauer says that when he “did not enter Harvard or any other medical school but became a carpenter and a climbing bum instead, an unbridgeable gulf between us widened.” John Krakauer’s feelings toward his father are very similar to Christopher McCandless’ feelings towards Walt McCandless, his father. John

While many critics argue that McCandless’s actions were stupid, Krakauer provided many good points as to why they were not. For example, in the book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer said, ”Although he was rash, untutored in the ways of the back country, and incautious to the point of foolhardiness, he wasn’t incompetent-he wouldn’t have lasted 113 days if he were.” He pointed out that even though he may have been unprepared in more ways than one, he did survive 113 days in the wild. Others may say that Krakauer was just as crazy as McCandless, but I argue that Krakauer was just spreading a story of a young man seeking something greater in his life. He includes his own stories, much like McCandless’s, to bias himself in a way to prove that what McCandless did wasn’t necessarily foolish.

In, Into the Wild, a non fiction book written by, Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, the main character directs the reader to think about his controversial decision making throughout the story. Many of the readers think how admirable McCandless was for his courage and noble ideas but don't realize how he is a reckless narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity. McCandless’s ideas and actions which were pursued throughout the story were reckless and selfish putting many of his loved ones in difficult situations.

While reading Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, my opinion on Chris McCandless’ feelings when he died would constantly shift. At times I would be certain that he was happy as he took his last breath, but with the next passage my opinion would do a complete one-eighty. With every chapter, the clues revealed McCandless’ mental state to be increasingly complex. Although my views were inconsistent for the majority of the book, by the end I had reached a conclusion: Christopher McCandless was unhappy in his passing.

Chris McCandless was not prepared for this adventurous trip. For instance, in Jon Krakauer's novel, “ Into the Wild” the author states, “ S.O.S. I NEED YOUR HELP. I AM INJURED, NEAR DEATH, AND TOO WEAK TO HIKE OUT HERE. I AM ALONE, THIS IS NO JOKE.” (Krakauer 12). The author Jon Krakauer points

Christopher McCandless once said “it’s not important in life to be strong...but to feel strong.” In the book, “Into The Wild” written by Jon Krakauer projected a story of a young man's journey as he discovered himself. This story was about Chris McCandless’ life. It took place throughout the United States, Canada, and Alaska in the years of 1990 - 1992. This book was structured and designed for people who thought McCandless was a suicidal figure. In the text, Krakauer is trying to persuade the reader that McCandless did not intend to end his life, especially the way it came to an end. The narrator, Jon Krakauer tells McCandless’ story in third person perspective. The tone of the book is very touching and sentimental, it is showed by mostly

Krakauer and Chris not only have the same mindset and views about dangerous expeditions, but also the same eventual epiphany. Both are voluntary outcasts of society who view people as problematic and immoral, as exemplified in their conflict with their fathers. Both also realize, however, the value and comfort of sharing happiness within a society. Krakauer initially believes loneliness is best, but he is only lying to himself, for “the pleasure I’d felt in this woman’s company – exposed my self-deceit and left me hollow and aching” (137). After spending some time alone and away from society on his mountain climbing journey, Krakauer still has not found any enlightenment about life but only begins to understand that he is only truly happy in the presence of others. This relates back to Chris McCandless because at the end of his long, isolated expedition in Alaska, he ironically came to the conclusion that “happiness [is] only real when shared” (189). Chris initially believes that the right way to live is by finding answers in solitude; however, after experiencing that solitude, he concludes that a society is necessary for people to thrive and be happy. Thus, by both Krakauer and Chris’s relevation, the author is able to send a thematic

Krakauer additionally includes anecdotes from Chris’s sister, and friend Wayne Westerburg to provide a deeper analysis of Chris’s character, and the effects that his loss has had on the lives of others. Factual evidence is presented throughout the novel, appealing to logos, by providing audiences with a more accurate interpretation of McCandless’s setting, character, and experience, including Chris’s success in school, his 1982 Datsun B210, and entries from Chris’s journal. By including these facts and evidence, Krakauer establishes credibility and appeals through ethos to the audience. In chapter 15 specifically, Krakauer appeals to pathos by describing the negative effects of Chris’s passing on the McCandless family, as Chris had a strong relationship with his sister Carine. “Chris and Carine were uncommonly close”.

When Jon Krakauer first lays out the setting of his biography, Into the Wild, the story is written in a unique way that is obvious. It may seem loosely organized, but he has placed each piece of his information in a way that complements the story as a whole. Not only that, it gives the audience a deeper connection and understanding to Chris McCandless’s story . Further analysis will lead the way to why he organized this story the way he did, how he connects the reader to McCandless, and why he emphasized certain points above others.

Christopher McCandless took his journey into the Alaskan wild to find his own identity. However, as readers look to Chris’ journey, they often learn more about who they are as a person. Chris left his wealthy family and comfortable life for the harsh wilderness because he wanted to find true happiness and his true self. However, Chris’ personality was that of a distant drifter who was never satisfied by the expensive cars, endless opportunities for education, and meaningful relationships. Throughout Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless’ distant relationship with his parents and need for adrenaline costed him meaningful relationships with those he met on his journey and ultimately cost Chris his life.

“A challenge in which a successful outcome is assured isn’t a challenge at all” (Krakauer 182). Some people need to accomplish more in order to satisfy themselves, however, the time in which Christopher McCandless lives in makes it hard to prove himself through accomplishments since so much of society today is made for life to be easy. When Christopher McCandless’ quest for meaning and peace proves fatal, Jon Krakauer, author of Into the Wild, a biography about McCandless, eventually discovers how Chris bravely challenges everything he knows before passing away after analyzing his whole life and meaning in isolation. Sadly, although following his dreams may have lead to his death, identifying his goals as an individual, not society’s goals for him, and finding happiness in things most people would be afraid to try truly makes McCandless a hero as he ultimately dies a tragic death due to his beliefs.