Mccandless Live In The Wild Literary Analysis

Krakauer admits that Chris McCandless was a rash, but he insists he "wasn't a nutcase, he wasn’t a sociopath, he wasn’t an outcast. McCandless was something else-- although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps" (85). Many thought McCandless was wise and he knew what he was dong, while others disagree, stating his poor decisions contributed to his own death. In my opinion, Chris was indeed wise- he was a young man who didn’t care about labels, brands, big things, or anything materialistic. Instead, he thrived on more important concepts of life like truth and freedom. He believed he would find his true self and relieved of society once he became one with the wild.

The story of Chris McCandless has become a pop culture phenomenon. Many are fascinated by his desire to abandon his family and society and “walk into the wild” (Krakauer 69). Newscasts, magazine articles, movies, and books have tried to define what motivated him to give up everything for his Alaskan odyssey; however, the answers died with McCandless. People make assumptions about him without knowing his entire story. McCandless chose to do the unconventional, making people think he was either foolish or brave and determined, but ultimately he was selfish for doing what he did.

In one of the first few pages of Krakauer’s novel, he notes that Chris’ story was heavily criticised. “Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity--and was undeserving of the considerable media attention he received.” (pg. 3). This, of course, was proven to not only limited to the negative feedback he received from Alaskans; but globally. In the case of Simpson’s article, it gave off a sense of disapproval. In her own words, “We were too cynical to read entry after entry from people looking for meaning in the life and death of a man who had rejected his family, mooched his way across the country and called himself “Alexander Supertramp” in the third person. I struggled to imagine the emotional currents that had carried people here to the bus, so far from their homes, to honor his memory.”. To interpret from this, it seems to be frequent that Alaskans hold no personal interest towards the meaning behind his death. More or less, Simpson generalizes the typical Alaskan take on his story. On the other hand, Jim Gallien was also an adventurer in Alaska who was the last to see McCandless before his journey, and his attitude was much more open minded.

In his novel, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer recounts the true tale of Chris McCandless, a recent college graduate who decided against a professional career and instead opted for a life of adventuring and self-reliance. Readers of Into the Wild have shared differing opinions of McCandless. Some view him as passionate, courageous, and admirable while others view him as reckless, arrogant, and “unworthy of the considerable media attention he received.” (Author’s Note) Though McCandless’ courage and steadfast dedication to his beliefs are admirable, I believe that his hubris, naivete, and his inadequate preparation should be the most important points in any discussion of his trips and subsequent death.

He began again to daze off staring at the fire and imagining the hairy man crouched down in the summer sun. The Call of the Wild written by Jack London is an adventure book that follows the life of a once tamed dog known as Buck to a dog that has retrogressed to a more primitive state during the Yukon Gold Rush. Buck who eventually answered the call of the wild had to go through many difficulties to get there.The theme power of the primitive is reinforced by the retrogression of a dog despite the love of mankind.

In society, people tend to follow the people's footsteps and apply new characteristic or methods that they obtain from there person. In the story, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless was a boy who favors several literacy heroes. He was able to understand each hero and apply there knowledge that they obtain from other people. He was favoriting Henry David Thoreau, Jack London, Leo Tolstoy and much more. Henry David Thoreau was an American poet and an essayist and wrote numerous books based on his philosophy. However, in the book, he plays a crucial role in giving Chris McCandless life lesson throughout his journey. Jack London is a worldwide celebrity and a famous novelist and journalist. He also has some characteristics that Chris has also obtained from him. In addition, Leo Tolstoy was one of the greatest Russian authors of all times. He has inspired Chris with some of his quotes which reflects him during his journey. There are more heroes that Chris mentions in the story but these are three which he tends to reflect more on.

Chris McCandless as depicted in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and in the movie of the same name by Sean Penn, was not ignorant and he did have common sense. He had every reason to go into the Alaskan wilderness and to say he had no common sense is ridiculous. He was definitely not crazy and his courage and noble ideas should be admired. He was a man that followed his dreams and did something that most of us wish we had the guts to do. What Chris McCandless A.K.A Alexander Supertramp did, was admirable and worthy of respect.

The plot line of a tragic story is one that enthralls a reader with the rise and fall of a tragic hero. After the death of Christopher McCandless in Alaska over 20 years ago, not only is there still discussion of what was the true cause of his death, but also the widespread debate of a much larger question: was McCandless a tragic hero? Some argue that Christopher McCandless is a selfish coward and ended up giving his whole life and education away due to his lack of knowledge of the wilderness, while others argue that he lived his life through pushing beyond the limits of a normal human being and seeking what is limited to most of society. In the novel Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer describes the travels of McCandless and writes about how past

In the first part of Chapter 8, Krakauer quotes Alaskans who had opinions about McCandless and his death.

The book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, tells the story of a boy, called Chris McCandless, who was someone that created an impact on many different people as he journeyed around the West. “You could tell right away that Alex was intelligent.” Westerberg recalls “He read a lot” (18). Because Westerberg was the second person Chris used his fake name upon, it shows that Chris McCandless doesn't want people to know who he really is and he wanted to reinvent himself as he wanted to be not as society wanted him. Chris McCandless has quite a few literary heroes who have helped him shape his own opinion on life’s philosophy and were constantly quoted and listed in Chris McCandless’s story. “He gave Westerberg a treasured 1942 edition of Tolstoy’s War and Peace. On the title he inscribed, ‘Transferred to Wayne Westerberg from Alexander. October, 1990. Listen to Pierre’” (19). It’s interesting that Chris wrote “Listen to Pierre” (19), because Pierre is a character who is an alter ego like Chris McCandless, who goes by Alexander Supertramp.

Mark whittle 1B Chris McCandless in Into the wild is a young man who believes living in nature is the best way to live life. In Into the wild , John Krakauer characterizes McCandless as respectable and foolish. Chris McCandless is often described as a respectable young man. During chapter 6, Ron Franz states that Chris was “... polite, friendly, well-groomed.” (Krakauer, 50)

Chris McCandless, subject of Jon Krakauer’s successful novel, Into the Wild, met his fate in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless donated all his money to OXFAM America after double majoring in anthropology and history at Emory University, then walked away from his old life. He took on the name Alexander Supertramp, and the next time his family would see him would be as a corpse, brought to his knees by nature’s unforgiving presence.

Chris McCandless is the main character from the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, he is a idealistic man who beliefs that life should be spent out in the wild. He took a journey all the way to Alaska by himself leaving his whole life and family behind to pursue his dream. On his way to Alaska he faced many obstacles and got through them with the help of several people whom he met throughout this journey. Jan Burres, Ronald Franz and Westerberg are some of the people whom Chris interacted with leaving them behind with different impressions on each of them.

The author did not hide behind a fictional character to tell his own version of events. Tim O’Brien described the setting with great details, and each chapter had depth and emotions from the supporting characters. My favorite chapter included “On the Rainy River” and “Ambush.” I believe the novel does tell the truth to an extent. Some of the stories may have been “spiced up”, but they sound like the war stories that other veterans also experienced. I interviewed a Vietnam veteran for a school project and his versions of the war were similar to Tim O’Brien’s story.

Christopher Johnson McCandless graduated from Emory University in 1990. The son of well-to-do parents, it appeared that Chris was prepared to embark on the next chapter of his life. He had been editor of the student newspaper, earned honors with a double major in history and anthropology, and seemed destined for law school. Determined to rewrite his story, Chris eschewed conventional expectations. He divested himself of money and possessions and immersed himself in a new identity: Alexander Supertramp, Alaskan Adventurer. Four months after beginning his trek into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley, Chris's decomposed body was found. When the details of his story emerged, many people thought Chris was mentally disturbed, calling him a "kook," a "nut," and "a half-cocked greenhorn," among other things (Krakauer, 1996, pp. 71-72). Had Chris's story had a happy ending, he would probably be described differently. He brought the tragic ending on himself, and people called him crazy. "Crazy" is a non-clinical word often used to describe someone with an underlying pathology. In this sense, there was nothing wrong with Chris McCandless. What he did suffer from was the enthusiasm and over-confidence of youth. Combined with poor planning and insufficient skills and experience in the outdoors, his "affliction" became fatal. McCandless made bad decisions, but he was not crazy.