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The Constraints Of Civilization In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

840 Words4 Pages

The structure of American civilization contains many constraints that guide a person through a normal life in its society. Rejecting the conventions of civilization, the way Chris McCandless did in Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild, is justifiable because it allows one to find happiness in their lives. If someone disagrees with these constraints that exist, they should be allowed to live in a way that satisfies them as long as it lies within or just barely outside of the formal laws established by the U.S. government. Through this rejection, a person should be more concerned with their personal debts rather than social, discover their own solutions to the problems they face, and be able to express themselves in ways they see fit. A person should …show more content…

In the presence of such danger, a person is forced to become creative in their search for solutions because the many safeties of civilization are not available. McCandless’s perspective on life allowed him to do this much more easily than the average American. After losing a lot of his gear to a flash flood, Chris managed to see the positive side of the incident as shown by the quote, “Instead of feeling distraught over this turn of events, moreover, McCandless was exhilarated. He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage (pg.29)”. This positivity allowed him to remain content and ambitious towards his goal because he was able to find his lifestyle to be less strenuous. Without the encompassing force of civilization, Chris was not handed any solutions. This also means that very few restrictions were placed on any ideas that he had and allowed him more creative freedom. A broader range of thinking is also allowed when rejecting civilization. “But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to the dilemma: He simply got rid of the map (pg.174)”. This demonstrates how Chris devised a solution with his divergent thinking, that would be seen as strange or unacceptable within civilization. In society, a map helps guide a person from one point to another and also illustrates their surroundings. By ignoring the map, Chris is rejecting any guidance

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