Summary Of Jon Krakauer's 'Into The Wild'

Krakauer also relates to Tolstoy because Krakauer did not want a, “calm course of existence”, but rather one full of adventure going on a path never traveled before (15). Krakauer was similar to Chris and Tolstoy, in their desire for excitement. The epigraph and Krakauer’s personal story affirms that Krakauer wrote the book because he, just like Chris, was not satisfied with his life and Krakauer wanted to explain why they went on

Jon Krakauer had the same experience as McCandless with his family and travel to Alaska, but Krakauer knew more about survival and had company in case of any danger. Krakauer compares, “as a young man, I was unlike Mccandless in many important regard… And I suspect we had a similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul” (55). Acknowledging McCandless’s background, Chris left society because, in Krakauer’s point of view, of the “agitation of the soul” and the “similar heedless” of society. McCandless didn’t agree with society’s standards that being successful meant having a well paid occupation, especially when McCandless’s parents enforced it onto him. McCandless truly did not want to uphold the wishes of his parents, for Chris to go to college and get high paying career, but it wasn’t what Chris really wanted, so he left all of his conflicts with his parents and his values or “agitation of the soul” to create a new identity as Alex Supertramp and live in the wild. In today’s modern world, humanity lives in an environment where people are controlled and dependent on others. Chris’s father is someone he despises because of his characteristic of being controlling. Walter becomes controlling over Chris, who pressured him into college. As a result, Chris has an “agitation of the soul” to become independent, and a “heedlessness” for society and had an “intensity” for

Krakauer uses this theme in order to lead the audience up to his reveal of Chris considering to return to civilization and to possibly forgive his parents for their immoral behavior. In the second epigraph, Krakauer borrows a quote from Boris Pasternak which states that you “cant advance in a certain direction without a certain faith.” Krakauer links this quote to Chris due to the fact that he strived to preserve his moral purity and to find more meaning in life by embarking on dangerous adventures in the nature, which allowed him to live a more fulfilling life. Krakauer further elaborated on the dangers which Chris faced during his time in the wilderness of Alaska by explaining the several types of poisonous plants which Chris was unfortunately exposed to, which resulted in his eventual death. Returning to the epigraph, Krakauer states that the only way desires such as these are maintained is by having personal connections with other people, which is a means of formulating the element of a “free personality” and offering “life as a sacrifice.” In this chapter, Krakauer recounts that one of Chris’ diary entries stated that he was willing to “shed some of the armor he wore around his heart,” and instead “intended to abandon the life of a solitary vagabond.” These writings from Chris may serve as an indication of the fact that Chris planned on leaving Alaska and returning to society in order to most likely rekindle the relationships which he left behind. Krakauer also manages to tie the events which occurred in Chris’ life to the overarching course of human history, which consists of huge advancements in challenging areas of life such as science and mathematics that are produced by the deep struggle to overcome the inescapable threat of

“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

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.

Through this technique, Krakauer helps to develop Chris’s personality and t conveys the author’s purpose of tell McCandless’s story.

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

In Krakauer’s story of fear, pain, and survival, he has ignited effects like suspense and tension, causing the reader to place themselves in his worn-out mountain shoes-mostly relying on devices like foreshadowing, pacing, manipulation of time and exposition as a cause.

Jon Krakauer is an author whose work primarily focuses on the wilderness and his experiences. His novel, Into the Wild, divulges into the life of Chris McCandless and his adventures into the wild Alaskan frontier. Chris seeks isolationism from his family and society and goes as far as to change his name to Alex Supertramp so he is not discovered or recognized by anyone. With mere long term survival experience, Chris makes several minor mistakes and dies; unbeknownst to anyone. After discovery, Krakauer devoted several years to Chris’ life story, going as far to use his journalism background to interview any family, friends and coworkers Chris encountered to synthesize a final overview of his life. Krakauer’s relationship with his own father

In conclusion, the epigraphs in the book can show the reader a different type of tone of the text. These epigraphs helped connect the reading with the novel and also helped establish a better understanding of the mood. The epigraphs also inform the reader about the content of the story and

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?

Although Chris McCandless’ controlling and toxic family environment was a major motive for his escape, his deep-seated internal battle was simply an irresistible impulse for discovery and liberty. Chris’ journey shows a new level of freedom; what true independence holds. He set out into nature alone without support of family or friends, searching for a path unlike those of most, and running from a barred cage of conventional living. Unsatisfied and somewhat angry with himself and his life of abundance in money, opportunity, and security, his preceding experiences and determined character lead him to an inevitable flee into no-mans land. Throughout the novel, Krakauer wants the reader to understand that there is more to Chris than his habit of criticising authority and defying society’s pressures. He needed more from himself, and more from life. He wasn’t an ordinary man, therefore could not live with an ordinary life. Krakauer demonstrates this by creating a complex persona for Chris that draws you in from the beginning.

To begin with, Thoreau uses syntax by hiding specific facts that lie within sentences. However, he does make statements stemming from his opinion. For example, he states, "Others as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers, and officeholders serve the state chiefly with their heads; and as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil without intending it, as God." Thoreau is showing the fact that almost all important positions of officials in the government fail to make moral selections. However, it seems that he exaggerates when he stays that they are serving the devil indirectly. Also she separates his self being between the victims and the government through

By also tying in these simplistic pleasures, Krakauer adds depth to his descriptions of how his once pleasures have completely changed his lifestyle, as Krakauer learns of life moving forward post trauma.

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