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| Jon Krakauer Author of Into the Wild |
a. Purpose
Jon Krakauer published an article in Outside Magazine that gave a brief synopsis of Christopher McCandless’s destination and death. After this article was published, Krakaeur’s fascination with McCandless continued; also, people sent mail to Krakauer expressing that McCandless was selfish and “that he was undeserving of the media attention”. In order to give a better insight on McCandless’s actions, Krakauer published Into the Wild, which explained the boy’s choice for leaving, his home life, his travels, the people he met, and previous expeditions similar to his. Krakauer justifies the reasoning Chris McCandless left in depth with a content tone. Krakauer has the ability to put every ounce of passion into his characters, but as he narrates, he is calm and content.
b. Research
Krakauer mentions in this novel that he did a year’s worth of research, and “retracting the convoluted path that led to his death.” Jon Krakauer became extremely close with the McCandless family and mentions in Acknowledgements that there is no possible way this novel could have been read without their help. They gave him unlimited access to his papers, letters, and photographs and talked with him in “great lengths.” He also mentions the family never made an attempt to control what was put in the book despite some of the painful, graphic material.
Krakauer mentions in this novel that he did a year’s worth of research, and “retracting the convoluted path that led to his death.” Jon Krakauer became extremely close with the McCandless family and mentions in Acknowledgements that there is no possible way this novel could have been read without their help. They gave him unlimited access to his papers, letters, and photographs and talked with him in “great lengths.” He also mentions the family never made an attempt to control what was put in the book despite some of the painful, graphic material.
c. Language
I find that Jon Krakauer’s use of language is strategic and achieves clarity. Every sentence has a purpose and his language is relatable and easy to follow but sophisticated and scholarly. For example, the following is a stray sentence I noticed, “Or maybe not; we can do no more than speculate about what he intended to do after he walked out of the bush. There is no question, however, that he intended to walk out.” Krakauer’s thoughts in this novel are consistently structured and strategic. His language advances throughout the novel and is always used appropriately.
I find that Jon Krakauer’s use of language is strategic and achieves clarity. Every sentence has a purpose and his language is relatable and easy to follow but sophisticated and scholarly. For example, the following is a stray sentence I noticed, “Or maybe not; we can do no more than speculate about what he intended to do after he walked out of the bush. There is no question, however, that he intended to walk out.” Krakauer’s thoughts in this novel are consistently structured and strategic. His language advances throughout the novel and is always used appropriately.
d. Important Quotes
“I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.”
-I chose this because Thoreau was one of Chris’s favorite authors. He quotes him a lot in his writings. Thoreau’s past pertains to Chris’s present; Thoreau lived by himself in the wilderness for two years about one mile away from civilization. Though Chris traveled much further, they have quite similar situations.
“You don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice...”
-This quote reveals that McCandless realizes what people think of him. He understands his idealism is unconventional, but he chooses to do so anyway. This reflects on his personality as a whole.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances & yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of SECURITY, CONFORMITY and CONSERVATISM, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind. But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit of a man than a secure future....”
-This is my favorite quote. I think it gives a definite insight on how Chris thinks. I also believe that it displays his intelligence as well as his idealistic thoughts.
“McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul”
-There are many speculations on why McCandless went into the wilderness. After reading the novel, it is clear he went for himself. Of course he did not go for a nature hike to look at trees, he went to cleanse himself.
“He quit playing partly because he didn't like being told what to do...”
-This reflects on Chris even as a young child, he was stubborn and did not like the idea of limitations, which relates to his departure for Alaska.
“I'm going to paraphrase Thoreau here... rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness... give me truth.”
-I chose this because Thoreau was one of Chris’s favorite authors. He quotes him a lot in his writings. Thoreau’s past pertains to Chris’s present; Thoreau lived by himself in the wilderness for two years about one mile away from civilization. Though Chris traveled much further, they have quite similar situations.
“You don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice...”
-This quote reveals that McCandless realizes what people think of him. He understands his idealism is unconventional, but he chooses to do so anyway. This reflects on his personality as a whole.
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances & yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of SECURITY, CONFORMITY and CONSERVATISM, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind. But in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit of a man than a secure future....”
-This is my favorite quote. I think it gives a definite insight on how Chris thinks. I also believe that it displays his intelligence as well as his idealistic thoughts.
“McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul”
-There are many speculations on why McCandless went into the wilderness. After reading the novel, it is clear he went for himself. Of course he did not go for a nature hike to look at trees, he went to cleanse himself.
“He quit playing partly because he didn't like being told what to do...”
-This reflects on Chris even as a young child, he was stubborn and did not like the idea of limitations, which relates to his departure for Alaska.
e. Universal Ideas
Greed: This is a major theme in the book. It is to my understanding McCandless and Krakauer both share the same opinion about greed. It is everywhere, and we are amongst the greediest and most unappreciative people in the world. Not every person is greedy, however, in some point in time greed consumes us. It is an inevitable act given the circumstances.
Superficial Items: McCandless was obsessed with diverging from items such as money, cars, schooling, etc. Not that he didn’t appreciate the wealth he was given; he just believed they were not necessities, they were luxuries. Based on how Krakauer expresses this in the novel, I would think he agrees. They were priceless compared to what nature provides. And universally today, basic survival skills would be a struggle to an average person without technology.
Freedom: America, like many other countries, has guidelines. I believe guidelines and limitations are necessary for the growing population. However, McCandless realized these limitations and rebelled for ultimate freedom in nature. That was his goal, freedom.
Culture: McCandless actually tried to step back into reality after part of his expedition was over. After this attempt, he viewed the culture as a structure of careless individuals, no passion and no pure appreciation. He was fine with the culture, as long as he didn’t live in it.
Idealism: Everyone has idealistic thoughts; it is inevitable to have such an opinion on what “should be”. One of the reasons to write this book was to explain and justify McCandless’s idealisms because they were viewed as outrageous and foolish. But living in freedom and with raw nature was an ideal situation for Chris. Personally, I think it is admirable that he prefers to live in a natural world, rather than a destruction of one.
Greed: This is a major theme in the book. It is to my understanding McCandless and Krakauer both share the same opinion about greed. It is everywhere, and we are amongst the greediest and most unappreciative people in the world. Not every person is greedy, however, in some point in time greed consumes us. It is an inevitable act given the circumstances.
Superficial Items: McCandless was obsessed with diverging from items such as money, cars, schooling, etc. Not that he didn’t appreciate the wealth he was given; he just believed they were not necessities, they were luxuries. Based on how Krakauer expresses this in the novel, I would think he agrees. They were priceless compared to what nature provides. And universally today, basic survival skills would be a struggle to an average person without technology.
Freedom: America, like many other countries, has guidelines. I believe guidelines and limitations are necessary for the growing population. However, McCandless realized these limitations and rebelled for ultimate freedom in nature. That was his goal, freedom.
Culture: McCandless actually tried to step back into reality after part of his expedition was over. After this attempt, he viewed the culture as a structure of careless individuals, no passion and no pure appreciation. He was fine with the culture, as long as he didn’t live in it.
Idealism: Everyone has idealistic thoughts; it is inevitable to have such an opinion on what “should be”. One of the reasons to write this book was to explain and justify McCandless’s idealisms because they were viewed as outrageous and foolish. But living in freedom and with raw nature was an ideal situation for Chris. Personally, I think it is admirable that he prefers to live in a natural world, rather than a destruction of one.
