Into The Wild Comparison Essay

The difference between life and death can be listening to the opinions of friends and family. This is portrayed in Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer and Grizzly Man, directed by Werner Herzog. In Walden, written by Henry David Thoreau, he did not die but his time spent at Walden was time wasted. Depending on the situation, it can be vital to take others’ opinions of our actions into consideration when making our own decisions. However, in other situations, the opposite can occur where it is vital to make your own decisions for yourself. Ultimately, a choice is completely up to the person making it, and the decision is determined by how it will affect them or the people or things around them. In some cases, the person is looking out for the people and things around them and there are good intentions, but in other situations the intentions are not so good. Although a decision is solely dependent on the person making it, insight from an outside source can be very useful. Timothy Treadwell, bear protector extraordinaire, was repeatedly told by his family to refrain from going to Alaska to live
with the bears. However, they had no means of forcing him to not venture on this journey. He, “[believed] that he was needed there to protect these animals and educate the public” (Herzog) so he chose to ignore his family’s request and complete his endeavor. This decision from Timothy Treadwell ultimately resulted in his death. Although it was the way he wanted to die, it could have been avoided had he listened to his all-knowing parents. Most likely, he would still be alive today, and sadly this is not the only case where a wrong decision leads to a dreaded end. When an important decision is left to someone to make on their own, they might not be able to see the whole situation or be aware of the whole situation. If they are thinking of one aspect of the result of their decision, they might miss another aspect of the result. For example, Chris McCandless in Into the Wild refused to let his parents know he was going to venture out on his own. They were never given the opportunity to persuade him to not go or at least explain the dangers and risks of this endeavor. McCandless was not prepared in the slightest, and had he gotten a second opinion, he would have realized that. His parents could have been the voices of reason and told him it was a bad idea or asked about his plans for food, shelter, travel, and the dangers. The information might have gone in one ear and out the other, but if he retained any of it, he would have at least been leaving more level-headed. In his travels, McCandless struggled with hunger, which is emphasized when he killed a moose and all he could do was shout “moose!” (Krakauer), and take a picture with the carcass. Soon after, McCandless died of starvation. Had he told his parents about his plans, his death could have been avoided. Other people’s opinions matter. Obviously, Treadwell and McCandless were extreme cases. If someone does not take their parents advice, they usually do not die. A not so severe case of this was Henry David Thoreau. He spent two years, two months, and two days in Walden and he accomplished nothing. People tried to convince the transcendentalist to not go to Walden, but stubborn Thoreau went regardless. He of course did not experience a death in Walden, but his time spent there was relatively useless. In the chapter Former Inhabitants; and Winter Visitors, it is apparent that Thoreau regretted his decision of living at Walden at times. When he writes, “for human society I was obliged to conjure up the former occupants of these woods” (Thoreau), indicating he missed when he had neighbors. He had to conjure up the neighbors in his mind because of the loneliness he was experiencing. When he wrote this, it was winter and his former neighbors had left. He had to experience the cold and loneliness all by himself and his thoughts. Eventually, he did leave Walden, but did he really gain anything from his experience, or was it just a loss of valuable time? Had he listened to the people who told him not to go, he could have spent his time doing more productive or useful things. In these three cases, it would have been important to listen to the opinions of others, but that is not always the case. On the contrary to Thoreau, McCandless, and Treadwell, there are situations where it is vital to not listen to others’ opinions of our actions when making our own choices.
Although cliché, if a friend told me to jump off a cliff, I sure as hell would not do it. I know myself and my body better than anybody. I know that I get hurt easily and I a clumsy, so that might not be the best decision. Fact: those rocks in the water are dangerous. Fact: death is a large risk if I jump off that cliff. In this case, it is so important that I think for myself. If jumping off the cliff is what “cool” people are doing, I would be okay with not conforming to the cool people. Having a steady head on your shoulders and being independent in your thoughts is a powerful thing. This is imperative because sometimes people do not look out for others’ best interests, so be aware and be
careful. Parents and good friends will look out for each other, so in McCandless’, Thoreau’s, and Treadwell’s cases, they should have taken their opinions into consideration. However, if a stranger or acquaintance were to say something negative to me about something that makes me happy or tells me to do something that makes me the least bit uncomfortable, it is vital for me to think for myself and base my actions on what I feel is right. So, listening to input depends on who it is coming from and their intentions are.