Chris McCandless longed for independence and freedom from the life he was living and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, begins the book by giving the reader a narration of his journey ,then shortly after changes into a mystery by telling the reader of a dead body found in the bus. The readers can infer that the body found is Chris, giving the reader a feeling that he was crazy for making this venture into the wild and doubt his mental state.
Krakauer, then tells the reader of Everett Ruess, a young man who did the same journey and died, giving the reader his view on Chris that he didn’t go out into the wild, because he was crazy but it was more for his own good as a person. The author would continue the next chapters by continuing to talk about Chris and the people he had encountered and left a mark on. One of the relationships Chris made was with a man named Westerberg, who brought him into his home fed him, gave him supplies, and got to know him.
Going throughout the book showing the reader that Chris was a normal person and just wanted to live his life differently and do what he wanted. Krakauer’s purpose of writing the book is giving the readers a choice, Chris made the decision to express himself and his independence by going out into the wild or the thought in the reader’s mind that he was mentally unstable and ask themselves why would someone throw away such a life that most would be grateful to have.
If Krakauer told the story of Chris McCandless as an adventure book, the readers would not get to know his opinion on how he felt about McCandless’s decision to leave everything he had behind and go into the wild. Since the author decided not to tell the story in chronological order, he is able to give the reader more in depth knowledge about the decision Chris made and other people similar to him, with similar thought process. In Chapter 9, Krakauer shifts the book in a new direction of another young man by the name of Everett Ruess.
Ruess was a 20 year old boy, who traveled to a place known as Davis Gulch. Ruess and McCandless both had their opportunity to go to an Ivy league school, for both that wasn’t their desire to go to school, get and education, and shortly after find a well paying job. They wanted to go out into the world on their own and see what life has in store for them. “He dropped out after a single semester (UCLA), to his father’s lasting dismay. “(90) Krakauer shows the first similarity between the boys and how they both had fathers who wanted them to live by their fathers standards and do what they chose for them.
After both failed to follow direction from their parents they received nothing but shame. This was a turning point for them and would be the start of their new beginning. Another similarity they both had was at the end of their journey they faced a life or death situation and they made a small mistake costing them their lives. Suffering from starvation, Ruess had a case of poison ivy and wrote to his friend Bill Jacobs” For two days i couldn’t tell whether I was dead or alive… (93)
McCandless using his book about plants, looked up a berry plant and found it was edible shortly after eating the berries he came to find out that it was poisonous and would eventually kill him. Adopting new names for themselves that described how they see themselves. For Ruess, the name “Nemo- Latin for nobody… “, he wrote this name last found into sandstone and was never heard from again. Chris McCandless changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, because it was a new life and beginning for him, the name Chris McCandless brought back old memories that he wished to forget and not associate with anymore.
Alexander Supertramp is his new beginning to his life that he would start to create his best memories with and how he thought of himself. Krakauer makes another comparison, but this time is surprises the reader by comparing Chris McCandless to himself. Throughout the book you read examples about other people who have done similar things, McCandless’s journey, relationships, and now the author gives his own experience of a life or death situation he encountered while climbing the Devils Thumb, he describes as “Its great north wall, which had never been climbed, rises sheer and clean for six thousand feet… (134)
The description puts into perspective the tall task ahead of him to climb the mountain and the hardships he will have to face. Well aware of what he has by stating to the reader that “I might be getting in over my head” (135) from this it shows the reader that he isn’t crazy as people may think of him saying he is climbing the mountain more so for his own being. Deep into his journey on the mountain he tells the reader his feeling during a time he has nothing for him and is confused saying “I felt abandoned, vulnerable, lost.
I realized that I was sobbing. ” (141) From this point he had to make a decision to either sit there and wait for help or continue on climbing where it was more dangerous but quicker likelihood of getting help. The next morning the weather was perfect and Krakauer decided it was time to continue and push through the hardships. After climbing for hours he finally reached the top of the mountain and was able to get himself help and off the mountain.
Similar to McCandless, both faced a life or death situation, he could either sit on the mountain and roll the dice or choose to continue on going, just as McCandless chose with the berries he ate, but for him it was just a minor mistake which cost him his life nothing to do with his state of mind. Another point made by Krakauer was his drive to go out and find each detail about McCandless’s life from an early point. He wanted to get his perspective on how he Chris saw things and if his friends noticed anything too.
First he retraced his life back to when he graduated college at Emory University, then continued on about his life to the point where he decided he wanted to leave the life he was living and venture to Alaska. Krakauer would seek to find close friends of his and people he made relations with along the way. Interviewing Westerberg, Burres, a couple, Galien, and many more. One of the first lives Chris left a mark on was Westerberg, a friendly older man. Krakauer explains to the reader how he was an ex-criminal, but was able to change his ways into a caring and helpful person just as he did for Chris.
When meeting McCandless one of the first things he did to help him was financially. Westerberg set him up a job to help get him some money for his travel and describes him as “The hardest worker I’ve ever seen… ” Another person Chris had a good relationship with was a couple Jan and Bob. He met them in the early stages of his journey and even became close enough with them that he stayed with them for a little while. Shortly after leaving, he continued to stay in touch with them by sending mail or communicating anyway possible.
Each person McCandless came in contact with thought very highly of him, with nothing but positive and good things to say. Although he made a journey with a horrible outcome, he touched many lives along the way who would do anything to have him back in their lives. In the end, the author, Jon Krakauer’s purpose for writing the narrative Into the Wild, was to prove to the readers that Chris McCandless was not mentally unstable and had his reasons for leaving his home.
He describes Chris as a knowledgeable young man who had a bright future ahead of him, but for once wanted to do what he felt was best for him and his death turned out to be a mix up between two types of berries. Krakauer gave examples of people similar to McCandless who made same types journeys, reevaluating his life from college, and comparing his life to McCandless and how they both experience life or death situations. Krakauer persuades the reader into showing the side of Chris that most may not be able to see, because of how distracted they are of the choices he made and how truly intelligent and bright young man he was.
