The novel Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer centers around a young man named Chris McCandless who embarks upon an adventure leading to his tragic death; however, critics accuse McCandles of being naive and dumb, but on the other hand, he could be considered a transcendent. McCandless embodies transcendentalist thought by becoming one with nature and then ultimately withdrawing from the world and everyone in it. Throughout the novel, McCandless struggles by alternating between the two philosophies of transcendence, but ultimately he attempts to focus on self-regulation to make himself happy. Often to accomplish this task, he avoided the “impending threat of human intimacy” and avoids relationships by leaving quickly (55). Thus, McCandless,
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Show MoreIn the widely popular novel, Into The Wild, Jon Krakauer justifies Chris McCandless's actions through a developed, in-depth personal narrative. McCandless’s quest into the wilderness encountered the unlucky side of fate when Mccandless was found dead in bus 142 on the Stampede Trail. Krakauer addresses a majority audience that has an unfavorable perception of McCandless, seeing him as one of the “others”, a category of mad adventurers whose suicidal predispositions lead them to their fate in the wild. Using an array of rhetorical strategies, Krakauer explores Mccandless’s journey, proving he was not merely a crazy, arrogant, and ignorant kid. His journey into the wild had good intentions, however sometimes you get the short end of the stick.
Christopher McCandless, a foolish, narcissistic young man confidently ventured into the Alaskan wilderness unprepared and paid for it with his life. At least that’s what some people believe about him, but McCandless was more than just a foolish kid. McCandless was a courageous young man that dropped the luxurious lifestyle given to him to follow his heart and live naturally in harmony with nature. McCandless was the embodiment of great philosophers’ ideas such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, he was morally driven and had dreams that nothing was going to stop him from reaching, and in many people’s eyes, that made him completely unworthy of the injudicious, woefully naive title he was given by hundreds of critics. Christopher McCandless, the central figure in Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into The Wild, was an ambitious man that developed
Chris McCandless, the young man who left everything he knew to venture into the wild. The core reason why McCandless traveled out into the wild was to escape the stifling world of his parents and peers. Instead of following the commonly accepted road to success he chose to do things his own way, and find his own happiness out in the world around him. Chris McCandless does not meet the definition of a Transcendentalist because he is running away from his problems, rather than feeling the need to belong in nature. Chris had always had problems with his parents, at one point he even writes to his sister saying ”I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think that I’m “coming around to see their side of things” and that
The effects of one's action can tarnish the well being of any parent. How can any parent ever revert back to a life of normalcy, when it comes to devastating news about their children? How effective are modern day transcendentalist? Are we lead to believe that self-centering, highly intelligent transcendentist are experience and consciousness of their surroundings. Or are these transcendentist suffering from something greater?
Firstly, Into The Wild written by Jon Krakauer is one of the best book I have read this year. Throughout the novel, I can see Chris McCandless is brave enough to do things that most people will not even think about doing as he is “looking for more adventure and freedom than today’s society gives people” (). From the beginning, even though his parents, Billie and Walt McCandless set him up for an impressive, promising life, Chris gives up this promising, successful future and spins into a journey filled with idealist literature and danger that skews his world view. This is due to the modern society offers that does not appeal to Chris, who just wants a different life that many have themselves. He sees the influences society puts on our lives
In the 1830s, the idea of transcendentalism came alive. Transcendentalism was the opposite of rational thinking. It was about being independent, living based on nature, and connecting to god by yourself. Going into the wild is a privilege because being rich or coming from a wealthy background, being male, and white makes an advantage if you are in middle-class or lower-class, a female, or people of color. At that time of transcendentalism, females were looked down upon in society.
In the eyes of Chris McCandless, the relationship between self and society are antagonistic. McCandless perspective gives an insight on how self and society cannot be companionable until he finds his true meaning deep within the wild. The relationship between self and society was developed throughout Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer who reported the story of Chris McCandless going into the wilderness and never coming back to modern society alive. Throughout the book, the reader is given more insight to McCandless reasons of leaving a gluttonous society where he could’ve been successful but modern society success is polar opposite from his definition of success.
Into the Wild x Transcendentalism While growing up, many young adults realize that they do not agree with what their family’s lifestyle represents and decide that they want to go off on their own and live differently. Similar to this, the main character in the movie Into the Wild, Chris disagrees with most of the things his parents stand for and how they live. Chris McCandless gets in his car after his college graduation and leaves a society that he dislikes to rely on his instincts while traveling the country all the way to Alaska, meanwhile he continuously objects people obsessing and focusing on materialistic things, showing that he embodies transcendentalism. After disappearing, Chris decides that he wants to go to Alaska and live off
First sentence…..hook? In the novel Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer reveals that Chris McCandless is a hero for abandoning his family and society to run off into the wilderness to sacrifice himself in order to find his true self, his primordial being. Krakauer develops this revelation by presenting a balanced perspective by introducing his family history considering his wealthy upbringing, his mistakes of improvising his time in the wild, and his accomplishments of feeling self-worthy, however, he indulges the reader’s right to make up his or her own mind about Chris McCandless even though Jon Krakauer is biased. ”This is a story of a young man, of his energy, his idealism, and the arrogance that ultimately kills him.
Kevin Sun Mrs. Cohen English 2CP --D February 22, 2018 Another Perspective The film Into the Wild is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who rejected the consumerist society of America in order to live a more simple life. Through his travels, Chris carried essays by Transcendentalist philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, suggesting that McCandless is impacted by Transcendentalist ideals. Two key tenets of Transcendentalism that clearly influenced McCandless’ choices are the value of simplicity and the importance of self-reliance.
Romanticism was a movement during the late 18th century that encouraged imagination, exploration, individualism, and emotion. From it derived Transcendentalism, one of the first movements to originate from America and which bore the first American philosophers. These movements are often present in many pieces of American literature and this is no exception in Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild. The historic account retells the story of a young man named Chris McCandless, who adopts the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp and takes to the road, only to die of starvation in Alaska. On the surface it appears to be cautionary tale, but Krakauer literally retraces McCandless’ steps, talking to the people who Chris spoke with and even traveling to Chris’ final resting place.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a biography that follows Chris McCandless and his journey through the wilderness while finding himself along the way. Chris McCandless died in the August of 1992 after a four month journey through places like Mexico and Alaska. Krakauer investigates his actions and analyzes his identity after his death, trying to find meaning within his seemingly unnecessary expedition. Chris McCandless constructs his personal identity as a man who wanted to be challenged and inspired by his actions and interests with people he met on the road, and his beliefs and values as a stubborn person. Chris McCandless’s actions are unusual in many ways; for one, he graduates college with honors, but instead of pursuing a career,
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.
Based on a real story, Into the Wild can make us think from different perspectives about what the main character Christopher McCandless did. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a dramatic but also remarkable story from a young, newly graduated, college student that escaped for a long wild journey but never came back. As time passes throughout the book, the reader may notice how the main character interacts with society and nature, finally McCandless dies in the wild but even though he was struggling for survival he died happy. Some people never get out of their comfort zone, others are tired of it and retire from their comfort zone to have different experiences in life, some are good enough or some are terrible.
In the 19th and 20th century transcendentalism was a new and exciting topic that caused tremendous controversy. In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless was a man with a very unique character. In more detailed words Chris McCandless was a transcendentalist. His actions and moods played a big part in his life, from beginning to end. He was a transcendentalist because of his self-reliance, confidence and non-conformity.