Ethos In Into The Wild

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild investigates the life and adventures of Chris McCandless. The author provides information about Chris’ life to illuminate his journey. Krakauer also uses rhetorical appeals to defend Chris’ rationale for his journey. Through Krakauer’s use of pathos, ethos, and logos, he persuades the audience that Chris is not foolish; however, Krakauer’s intimacy with Chris and his adventures inhibits his objectivity.

We have all made mistakes, for some they are small mistakes that do not impact anyone. For others, they are of mammoth proportions and have a preponderant impact on how people think, or say about them. In the book Into the Wild it tells about the journey of Chris McCandless who died in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris McCandless was definitely one of these people who made a big mistake. People around the globe have mixed feelings about this twentieth century adventurer. Some view him as a hero whose ideals should be embraced, while others see him as an arrogant, stubborn, and reckless vagabond whose dreams led to his demise. With numerous opinions about who he was, it is up to the reader to choose their ideas of who he was. To me and many others

Both Chris McCandless and Ralph Waldo Emerson are against modern society’s way of living and believe one should live their life in a non-conformist lifestyle driven by the awe of nature. Emerson wrote an essay called “Nature”. There he talked about the relationship one should have to God through nature, and was a popular role model of the transcendentalist movement. Emerson was anti-governmental, believing one cannot own nature or the land. He also writes about how he feels welcomed in nature, more so than he does in a village or society, favoring the natural land over the land humans created. He urged adults to see the world through the way a child would adore it, in a purer loving way. This goes against many Americans’ viewpoints on life, then and even now. He also mentions that he believes nature is a kind force to everyone, and is never cruel. On the other hand, Chris McCandless’s life is documented by the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer. Within the book, Chris’s past is documented by his inability to conform. He was expected to go to college, but after his experience freshman year summer travel, he

Despite Krakauer 's honorable attempts to portray Chris as someone who is relatable and should be pitied, Chris is portrayed as careless and inconsiderate. Krakauer 's biased diction end up showing Chris as stupid and egotistical. In the beginning Krakauer starts off make Chris a relatable person however after the first few pages Krakauer turns Chris into a superficial rich entitled person who thought he was able to do anything without repercussion.

"I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going to Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on ignorance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy." This statement, made by Shaun Callarman, pertains to Chris McCandless’s trek into Alaska that ultimately led to death by starvation. Since the recovery of Chris’s body, there has been much speculation about the prevention of Chris’s death and the possible causes. Despite Callarman’s plea of craziness, there have been both eye-witness accounts showing that Chris was sane and prepared when leaving for the Alaskan wilderness, many natural

When Chris is in the car with Gallien he says, “‘Hell, no,’ Alex scoffed. ‘How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. Fuck their stupid rules.’” This shows that Chris (Alex) doesn’t like how the government makes rules for how people get the things they need in order to survive, such as food. This relates to the theme because it shows how society puts all these rules on citizens and how it isn't fair. Living under all these rules takes away the citizens freedom. The ultimate freedom is to live without these rules. Also when Chris was leaving college to embark on his adventure Krakauer wrote, “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence.” This means that he feels confined and restricted by the rules of society. This relates to the theme because it shows the different ways society constrains Chris and why living in society feels like a trap. The slow motion of society and its rules make Chris feel like there is no freedom. The ultimate freedom is to be away from this life

Chapters 14 & 15 explained Krakauer’s personal expedition to Devil’s Thumb. I learned a lot about Krakauer’s personal life and the factors contributing to his journey.

John Krakauer’s account of the journey of Chris McCandless has inspired many other people to seek out the beauty of nature. Why would a story with such a tragic ending cause others to do exactly what in the end killed McCandless? Perhaps it’s because Krakauer depicts Chris as a hardworking honest young man, who throughout his journey uncovered many truths about life. Maybe it’s because Krakauer includes so many passages talking about the beauty and simplicity of nature. Possibly this inspiration is contributed to because Krakauer chalks the death of McCandless up to chance. Taking the blame off of Chris and making him appear more as an unlucky hero than a foolhardy boy.

Jon Krakauer makes various claims about how Chris McCandless is a very noble person. Krakauer’s bias is throughout the book Into the Wild. The book is about Chris McCandless and his adventures across America. The book is his life story covering how he died and how he came to the point of his death. Krakauer uses his bias and various claims to show what type of person Chris really was and to show some of how Chris thought about the world and government. With everything that Chris did he was very noble but he would have survived longer if he had taken proper precautions.

Chris McCandless has been described in many words. Dependable. Intense. Passionate. Bullheaded. Every person who has the opportunity to meet Chris finds that he is many things. These people are drawn to him, yet, they know not how or why. It is questionable to many if Chris McCandless is someone to be remembered or someone for the Alaskan Bush to swallow whole. Many of the actions and decisions he made leave people speechless, yet full of questions. His personality traits played a large part in why he made the decisions he did. People with the personality type ENTJ tend to be logical, decisive, and outgoing, they solve problems with their head, and they feel at home in the world. In Jon Krakauer’s rendition of Chris McCandless’ life, you can

In the document that states the American Ideal, Thomas Jefferson says, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (The Constitution). Chris McCandless, the heart of the book Into the Wild by John Krakauer, in pursuing his unalienable right of happiness, thought it was necessary to “Kill the false being within” to find his true self. While he has every right to try to achieve happiness, he also deeply hurt those around him by his mysterious ways and self-centeredness.

Why are people afraid of adventures that will show them what they can do physically and mentally. Chris McCandless was a man that took life to its fullest adventure. Jon Krakauer in Into The WIld interviews people that met Chris McCandless and experienced his personality. Chris McCandless grew up in a family that was wealthy. It appeared to be a normal life, he was a successful student, went to college and graduated on the Dean's list. However, he decided to leave the family and go out to the world with no contact with them. He was not happy living the way he did. Chris wanted nothing to do with society’s material things, he wanted to live on his own off the land but this ended up taking his life in the long run. Krakauer interviewed some

At the beginning of the chapter, we learn that many people who read the January 1993 edition of Outside felt that McCandless was mentally disturbed. The story generated a large volume of mail on what many thought was the glorification of a foolish death. Most of the negativity

Amidst the disparate criticism and praise Chris receives, something can be said about the ideology which he exemplifies as it relates to human nature. On one hand, the risk-taking and excitable aspect of Chris’ personality aligns with many others, usually younger males. However, his apparent rejection of a basic human necessity such as interaction proves detrimental. Humans naturally exhibit social tendencies, which can still be seen in the charming manner Chris interacts with people by singing or telling stories. Chris puts aside this need to find greater meaning in the world, yet despite his best efforts, the urge to form connections still

One “stakeholder” in the book Into The Wild is Ron Franz who crossed paths with Chris in his home state of California. He was a former soldier stationed in Okinawa and he had a son and a wife. His son was around Chris’s age and Franz recalled that he was soon to finish medical school when he and Franz’s wife were killed by a drunk driver. Franz felt that Chris was like his son who had died. Franz was affected positively and felt some of the hole left by his son’s death become filled while he spent time with Chris. When Chris left it made him depressed, until he received a letter from him saying he should live out his life boldly doing things he had never done. Surprisingly he took this advice and stayed near where Chris’s camp had been