Wrapping up Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer Gives Too Much Credit to McCandless

By Emma Minnis

            What is your opinion on Chris McCandless?  Into the Wild was written by Jon Krakauer.  The book is about Chris McCandless, who deviates from wealthy suburb life and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wild.  Chris McCandless was a stupid kid, who received too much praise for fatal mistakes.

            McCandless is selfish for abandoning his family.  Billie would often worry about Chris.  Billie confessed to Krakauer, “Night was the worst, especially when it was cold and stormy.  You’d wonder, Where is he?  Is he warm?  Is he hurt?  Is he lonely?  Is he OK?” (Krakauer 125) She even had a nightmare that she heard his voice calling for her help.  I don’t think it is fair that Chris left his favorite sister without even telling her where he was going.  He did not think his family cared for him, but it turns out they didn’t know how to feel with him gone.  I do not know why people think so highly of a man, who leaves his family worried about him.

Chris McCandless tried to be independent but could not survive without the people that helped him out.  After he set out for the wild, he burned all his cash.  He then ends up using Jan Burres money to buy a canoe that helped him very much.  That just seems very stupid to me.  He also wouldn’t have gotten to Alaska without Gaylord Stuckey.  Stuckey says, “Alex, I've driven you a thousand miles.  I've fed you and fed you for three straight days."  (160)  Chris’ odyssey

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could have never been an independent accomplishment if he hadn’t used the people he met along the way.

McCandless was also unbelievably unprepared.  Even Jon Krakauer often points out situations where Chris could have used tools to help him along the way.  For example, “If McCandless had possessed a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map, it would have alerted him to the existence of a Park Service cabin on the upper Sushana River, six miles due south of the bus, a distance he might have been able to cover even in his severely weakened state."  (196) A lot of Alaskans agree that Chris was stupid for coming to Alaska unprepared.  I think Chris would have made it out of the bush if he was well equipped.

 A lot of people like Chris McCandless because he lived on the edge.  In the article “The Cult of Chris McCandless”, a the people that look up to Chris say, “he found severity of spirit that most die without.”  I don’t agree with this statement because once he is near death he realizes that you need to be with people in society to be happy.  Chris was immature and unfortunately had to perish due to his actions.

I do believe that Jon Krakauer gave too much credit to Chris McCandless’ accomplishments.  As you already know, I think he was ungrateful and selfish, extremely dependent, and stupid for being unprepared.  I do hope that you relax with your family and enjoy the people in your life—do the opposite of Chris McCandless.

 

Works Cited

            Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild.  Villard Books. 1996.

            Power, Matthew. "Cult of Chris McCandless." Cult of Chris McCandless (2007).

Summary of Into the Wild

Into the Wild was written by Jon Krakauer. The story is about a young man, McCandless, who changes his name to Alexander. He resided in South Dakota with a man named Wayne Westerberg. McCandless' dysfunctional family is revealed in the beginning. Westerberg tells him many stories of his experiences as a young man and eventually inspires McCandless to camp in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless searched for edible berries and leaves and would hunt, too. McCandless couldn't handle Alaskan wilderness in the summer and decided to go back. A river had melted stopping from going any further. He was forced to eat wild potatoes until they grew to tough to consume. McCandless attempted to eat the potato's seeds, but they were poisonous and had very harmful side effects. The side effects caused him to have loss of coordination and starvation. Theory has it that McCandless starved to death.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild#Summary

Jon Krakauer Biography

Jon Krakauer was born in Massachusetts, 1954.  His family then moved to Oregon when he was two years old.   Krakauer was a very athletic child; he enjoyed mountaineering and competitive tennis in high school. Krakauer studied environmental science while attending Hampshire College.  During college he climbed the Arrigetch Peaks. There, Krakauer was asked to write about his journey in the "American Alpine Journal". Krakauer graduated college in 1976 and got married to Linda Mariam Moore in 1980. Krakauer quit his jobs working as a fisherman and carpenter and became a full time writer. He climbed Mount Everest and while hiking down, four teammates died in an ice storm. Krakauer wrote many articles about hiking and Mt. Rainier. He earned the National Magazine Award and The Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism. Krakauer wrote, Into the Wild, and it became a motion picture in 2007. Then, he wrote a book about his Mt. Everest tragedy, Into Thin Air. Krakauer was awarded "Time" magazine's Best Book of the Year, one of the "New York Times" best books of the year, and the Academy Award in Literature. Then, he wrote the short story, "Eiger Dreams", and then another book, Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith that reveals religious beliefs in nature.
http://find.galegroup.com/srcx/retrieve

Exploring the United States

I would like to visit Hawaii the most out of all the United States destinations. Though, I cannot set my heart on one particular place in Hawaii. What I would really like to see are the extraordinary waterfalls, volcanoes, and beautiful beaches. I would definitely take a plane to arrive in Hawaii because I would be flying over the Pacific Ocean. The temperature currently is 73 degrees, so I would bring a bathing suit, sneakers, shorts, and tee shirts. That warm weather is very appealing right now. I think I would enjoy zip-lining over the forested land. Which brings me to the need of a camera, so I can enjoy my vacation forever. I would rather spend days exploring nature and enjoying the sun on the beach then being on the city for sure. I would really like to jump from the top of a waterfall to the pool of water below. I also want to see the lava pour into the Pacific. I wouldn't mind getting a nice tan on the beach when I'm there either.

Direct and Indirect Characterization of Chris McCandless

Direct characterization is the describing of a character through physical traits and straight forward adjectives. The author simply tells the reader about the character.
Indirect characterization is the describing of a character through his thoughts and feelings.

Direct
5’8 (page 4)
Pitiful looking (page 30)
wore weird clothes (page 30)
Sensitive good looks (page 16)
lost twenty-five pounds (page 36)
24 years old (page 4)
McCandless was smallish the hard, stringy physique of an itinerant laborer. (pg. 16)
McCandless eyes were dark and emotive...suggested a trace of exotic blood in his heritage...(pg. 16)

"malnutrition and the road has taken their toll on his body" (page 37)

Indirect
Ignored posted warnings that off road driving is forbidden (page 27)- This implies that Chris has a rebellious side to his personality.
exhilarated by the opportunity of the flash flood (page 29)- This implies that Chris is adventurous.
thrilled by minor brushes with the law (page 29)- This implies that Chris is a bold individual.
unheeded, happy, near to the wild heart of life (page 31)- This implies that Chris is anxious and excited for the future.
alone, young, willful, wild hearten (page 31)- People that met Chris implied that he is a risk taker and little crazy.
spirit soaring (page 37) This implies that Chris is strong willed with a high spirit.
"Alex is jubilant!" (page 34) This implies that Chris is proud and ecstatic of his accomplishments and leaves that impression upon the people that he meets.
Overjoyed upon reaching the Colorado river (page 32) This implies that Chris may have been nervous about his journey to the river, but when he reaches his destination he is thrilled and eager to continue.

So far, I have the impression that Chris is a quiet and rugged looking individual who is average height and fairly young. He seems to have a personality mixed of excitement and eagerness, and rebelliousness and wildness. He is far more adventurous than the normal person, Chris tends to disregard the rules and the laws proving to be rebellious.

My Symbolic Belt

If I were to design a belt about my life, I would include the most memorable and important things to me.  I would carve in a black dog, Kiawah Island, an ipod, three girls, a crab, tennis raquets, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, and a house.  I would add a house because for the past four years, my family has been building a house and it has really changed my life.  I would carve a Kiawah and the bridge because they are my favorite memories of each summer.  A black dog just represents my dog, Raven, but I love him very much.  I started playing tennis this year, and it was very important because it made starting at John Carroll much easier.  The three girls would be my sisters and me because I am extremely close with them.  A crab just shows how much I love Baltimore.  And finally, I can't imagine life without an ipod because I love music so much and it helps me through the day.  All these things are really important to me and showing these on a belt is a really good way to enjoy and think about the things I love each day.