In Jon Krakauer’s work of nonfiction, Into the Wild, the author begins each chapter with an epigraph. Moreover, the epigraphs often contain quotes from books that Chris McCandless highlighted himself or Krakauer chose, presumably because he felt they relate to Chris’s ideology and situation. Krakauer also included quotes from figures whom Chris revered, such as Jack London and Henry David Thoreau. His main purpose in incorporating these epigraphs was to draw inferences about the person that Christopher McCandless was.…
Into the Wild, a novel written by Jon Krakauer, reveals the journey of Christopher McCandless across the United States in search of a life that was different from what he had previously known. He set out on a journey in order to discover a way of life that was free of the material possessions his family held so dear. Chris graduated from Emory University and was described as a good student who achieved high grades, attained several academic awards and earned many accomplishments. His family seemed to have thought he would pursue graduate work and eventually had aspirations for him to become a lawyer. Throughout the novel, Chris is often described by those who knew him as a very bright and intelligent individual. He read often and used a robust vocabulary, frequently citing a wide variety of authors. Although many of the individuals he encountered on his journey were not exactly the most academically esteemed people, he was constantly characterized as being quite intellectually savvy. Although Chris was described as a bright young man, he often made decisions which severely contradicted his intelligence. There are several instances throughout his journey in which Chris makes foolish decisions that critically hurt his ability to survive in the wilderness. This paper examines these foolish…
Christopher McCandless or Alexander Supertramp should be admired for his courage and noble idea to drop everything and go into the wild, with nothing but a backpack and in it was a book of Tolstoy, a book about native plants and berries, a .22 rifle with 400 rounds of ammunition, a writing implement, a journal, a camera, a 10 pound bag of rice, a small cooking utensil, matches, a knife, and some fishing twine and a hook, and the few clothes he had on his back. Chris was trying to find himself by leaving everything behind, yes Chris might have been a little reckless but you have to be a little reckless to go into the wild and hitchhike around the world. This quote support that's chris was just living and trying to find himself was, “...McCandless pitched his tent in the puny shade of a tamarick and basked in his newfound freedom. (Krakauer 27)” this is saying that McCandless was happy to finally be by himself and start life in the wild,…
authority. Additionally, he is relatable to Buck as they both discover themselves in the wild but…
The stories “ I am a Native of North America, Freedom Walkers, and JoAnn Robison, all teach us about the world that we used to live in and the world that we live in today.…
First off, Chris McCandless is a celebrity in the transcendentalist community because of his search for the meaning of life independently. Jon Krakauer respects McCandless because no one prompted him to go out into the Alaskan wilderness, since most people need a push to do something. However some people believe McCandless is a fool and should be forgotten about and that he was spoiled rotten and was just wanting attention. The truth that most people do not know is, McCandless’s parents used to fight and the mom would call out for the kids to come see what the dad was doing to her. McCandless was a strong character and had gone through a lot. McCandless looked up to all of the major transcendentalists including his favorite Henry…
I think McCandless died in a senseless way because he didn’t have any idea that he would die in the Denali National Park. He thought he was well prepared because he had lived off land for quite some time now in his life and thought he had all the materials needed. He was an intelligent young man and it was always his dream to live off the land in the Denali National Park. He thought he could lie with the few supplies he had, but turns out he couldn’t, and didn’t.…
People too often isolate themselves from the world around them, following a robotic pattern throughout life. Few have learned how to break away from this and show true independence. The opposite of this typical daily practice is called transcendentalism. It calls on people to view the objects in the world as small versions of the whole universe and to trust their individual intuitions. The two most noted American transcendentalists were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. An example of transcendentalism is the book "Into the Wild". In the book Chris McCandless serves as a prime example of transcendentalism. Chris goes through the motions of a normal kid all the way through college. After graduation, he cuts all connections he has to the monotonous everyday actions of his old life and starts a new journey. In his journey Chris learns many things about himself and develops a unique distinction from the image of a typical everyday man or women. He also learns to depend on self-reliance, and he uses nature to exercise his independence. With the…
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish native that emigrated to Allegheny, Pennsylvania when he was a young boy. Through rigorous work, reading, and dedication Andrew Carnegie became one of the wealthiest men in history. In this autobiography Andrew Carnegie explains the story of being an immigrant who goes through numerous obstacles and struggles, however, rises to the top. Carnegie’s autobiography is moving and extremely powerful for being one of the first of its kind in the 1900s. He starts as a telegrapher and with hard work and complete devotion to being the best, becomes the captain of industry and steel magnate.…
In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is a fool because he spent all his time trying to figure out who he was, but was too naive to see that it was right in front of him. Chris McCandless goal was to go to Alaska and didn’t realize that he was becoming a fool because he was to focused on his goal and not what was in front of him. Along the way, the people that he met showed him what he truly was. When McCandless finally realized what he was looking for, it was too late. McCandless realized that happiness is better shared with someone else during his last days, “‘HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED,’” (Krakauer 189). He realized that spending time with the people that he met along his journey was better than spending in alone. He was…
Transcendentalism is an idealistic philosophical and spiritual movement that started in England in the 1830’s. This movement upheld the belief that divinity flows through nature and humanity, and that nature is one of the most spiritual things you can experience. One of the founding fathers of this beautiful “religion” was Ralph Waldo Emerson, and one of his most influential pieces supporting this movement is entitled “Nature”.…
Transcendentalism according to the oxford dictionary; “It was a movement that developed in the New England around the 1836 in reaction to rationalism. That, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience” Ralph Waldo Emerson a clergy who left ministering explained in his book that “in the quest for self-fulfillment, individuals should work for a communion with the natural world” The authors of transcendentalism promoted individualism, encouraged people to look into themselves for answers to life’s difficult questions. And also not to conform to society’s expectations but listen to our instincts.…
Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, and practical philosopher. He was best known for his beliefs in Transcendentalism and civil disobedience, he was also a dedicated abolitionist. He attended Harvard College (now Harvard University) and graduated in 1837. Once out of college Thoreau befriended Ralph Waldo Emerson who was also an American essayist, lecturer, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement in the mid-19th century. Emerson was a mentor to Thoreau, he became Emerson’s caretaker in his home. Emerson was the one who gave him the lands where he would produce his greatest work- The Walden.…
The Transcendentalist Movement is known as an American literary, political and philosophical movement of the 1830s that was able to establish a clear voice for Americans. From conclusions drawn throughout Transcendentalism, there is a belief on a higher reality that is ultimately received by human reasoning. In the early nineteenth century, the movement followed with the belief that organized religion, government and other forms of social institutions corrupt the purity of each individual within society. Transcendentalism suggests that individuals have the capability of discovering higher truth by the use of intuition. Now this movement is highly distinguished from previous literary movements such as Romanticism.…
What someone does or does not do with their life does affect the world around them. Becoming a productive member of society is what is expected from most people today, especially the wealthy. Chris McCandless, from the novel Into the Wild, was the son of a well respected and very rich family, who gave up his whole well-to-do lifestyle. Jon Krakauer's argument, in his novel about McCandless, is if he truly was selfish in abandoning those who loved and cared for him by going off into the wild .McCandless’s quest for “ultimate freedom” was an egocentric choice causing agonizing ache to his beloved ones, although not a selfish act.…