Analysis Of Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

Krakauer’s use of stylistic devices throughout his book is quite phenomenal. Just a few examples of the stylistic techniques that he uses to uncover his tone are: polysyndeton, anaphora, and antithesis. Krakauer remains indifferent towards Chris for a good 6 chapters, states all the facts, and tells the story as it is. He uses no emotion appealing words to hint to us how he feels about Chris. His indifference is shown through his use of polysyndeton, which is the use of several conjunctions when not necessary.

Why does Krakauer share his own personal experience? How does this chapter add to the reader’s understanding of the larger themes of the book? A: Krakauer shares his own experience to show he went into the wilderness as well. Jon and Chris were similar they both had issues with their dad and both got away from it with, literally, going into the wild.

Krakauer uses this theme in order to lead the audience up to his reveal of Chris considering to return to civilization and to possibly forgive his parents for their immoral behavior. In the second epigraph, Krakauer borrows a quote from Boris Pasternak which states that you “cant advance in a certain direction without a certain faith.” Krakauer links this quote to Chris due to the fact that he strived to preserve his moral purity and to find more meaning in life by embarking on dangerous adventures in the nature, which allowed him to live a more fulfilling life. Krakauer further elaborated on the dangers which Chris faced during his time in the wilderness of Alaska by explaining the several types of poisonous plants which Chris was unfortunately exposed to, which resulted in his eventual death. Returning to the epigraph, Krakauer states that the only way desires such as these are maintained is by having personal connections with other people, which is a means of formulating the element of a “free personality” and offering “life as a sacrifice.” In this chapter, Krakauer recounts that one of Chris’ diary entries stated that he was willing to “shed some of the armor he wore around his heart,” and instead “intended to abandon the life of a solitary vagabond.” These writings from Chris may serve as an indication of the fact that Chris planned on leaving Alaska and returning to society in order to most likely rekindle the relationships which he left behind. Krakauer also manages to tie the events which occurred in Chris’ life to the overarching course of human history, which consists of huge advancements in challenging areas of life such as science and mathematics that are produced by the deep struggle to overcome the inescapable threat of

One of Chris’ interests is South Dakota where he lived with Wayne Westerberg and where he worked at the grain elevator. Chris loved the town in which he lived a lot. In the novel Chris’ feelings for Carthage, South Dakota were enamorous. In the book Chris explains why he loved Carthage so much, “He liked the community’s status, it plebeian virtues and unassuming mien” (Krakauer 18). Throughout the book chapters begin with a quote or saying from different authors that Chris believes that matches his personality; each chapter is a different quote

Some believe Chris made too reckless of decisions throughout his journey surviving in the wild. Due to his use of emotional appeals, Krakauer’s account of Chris McCandless’s story was too biased to allow the reader to develop their own opinion of McCandless. Krakauer had

Krakauer writes that he believed himself to be a lot like Chris in some aspects. He presents Chris throughout the book in a positive way but also fairly includes statements from other people who do not share his same opinion about Chris. Krakauer writes that Chris “wasn’t incompetent” (Krakauer 52). He believed that Chris would not have made it for as long as he did if he was incompetent. Like Timothy, Chris appealed to transcendentalism and Chris was huge on not wanting to have materialistic things, however, he was smart enough to know that he had to get a job and earn money in order to make it on his journey to Alaska to find a deeper connection in nature. A lot of people wrote that Chris had touched their lives and that they would always remember him, but not everyone felt that way. Krakauer even wrote that some people heaped harsh criticism on him for “glorifying what some thought was a foolish, pointless death.” (Krakauer 50). Others said that Chris was stupid and that if he would’ve survived he would have just been lucky and it would not have made him a better human. Because Krakauer included these opinions even though he disagreed, he was honest and fair in how he portrayed Chris

“I was confident I could provide enough indirect clues for readers to understand that, to no small degree, Chris’s seemingly inexplicable behavior during the final years of his life was in fact explained by the volatile dynamics of the McCandless family while he was growing up” (Krakauer: The Wild Truth 9).

Although he died, Chris wasn’t like the others according to Krakauer. Chris was well educated and could have had all the success; but, because he was fed up with society and materialistic things he decided to go a different path and into the wild. McCandless thought that the only way to experience life was to get away from everything and be in touch with nature so, that's what he did. Krakauer compares Chris to others who have gone through the similar situation of going into the wild. McCandless was “Like Rosellini and Waterman, McCandless was a seeker and had an impractical fascination with the harsh side of nature. Like Waterman and McCunn, he displayed a staggering paucity of common sense. But unlike Waterman, McCandless wasn’t mentally ill. And unlike McCunn, he didn’t go into the bush assuming someone would automatically appear to save his bacon before he came to grief.”(Krakauer). Throughout the story it also seems like Krakauer kind of sees himself through McCandless because it gives himself something to compare

Krakauer develops the parallel between McCandless and other young men in eerily similar situation. The author might do this to enrich Chris's story. All the author writes about Chris is based on testimonies and documents. We don't know with certainty what Chris's thought process. By introducing the stories of Gene Rosellini, and Ruess Everett, the readers are able to put the different pieces together and infer Chris' state of mind and motivations.

In Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakauer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.

This had nothing to do with suicide or death. This story shows how Mr Krakauer and Chris have similarities which makes us become closer to Chris. Think about Chris's relationship with his family. Does the inclusion of this back story make us more or less sympathetic to him? Do you sympathize with his parents?

Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, is an insightful nonfiction story about a young man named Christopher McCandless and his wonderful journey cross country, all the way from Virginia to his final destination in Alaska. Throughout the novel Chris McCandless creates the name Alexander Supertramp, mostly because his trip was about reinventing himself and completing one of his lifelong dreams. The novel begins with the situation in which random bystanders who are hiking or hunting, find Christopher McCandless’s body in an abandoned bus in Fairbanks, Alaska and everything else that follows in the novel is the details about his traveling through multiple states. Even though the novel tells you exactly how Chris’ adventure ends, the reader is still compelled to read all the details about his experience because of how the author tells his story in such a captivating way. Although Chris did go to college, he spent every spare moment on breaks from school taking long road trips in yellow Datsun, which was in a way, his first taste of escaping society. Chris lived his last years on earth without being restrained by society and without really having to worry about needing money for everything he wanted to do in life. Chris still needed money during his adventures so for months at a time, twice during his journey, he would work at Wayne Westerberg’s, one of his close friends, grain elevator in Carthage, South Dakota and also briefly ends up working at a McDonalds in Bullhead

As Chris breathed his last breath, he was finally able to find his inner happiness through the Alaskan wilderness. In chapter 18, Krakauer notes about Chris’ final photo of himself, describing Chris as, “[he] was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God,” (199). The way he was described in this picture shows that Chris has in fact found the happiness that he was looking for and was able to leave this earth in peace. Then again, in chapter 18, the last words of Chris McCandless wrote, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD.GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL,”(199). Although he was in severe pain, from starvation, he was still able to find the bright side of things. He was able to die in the one place that he had desired to be at.

On the other hand, for those he did care about, he left a positive impact on their lives. Chris was raised in an environment where“...hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety” (Mcalpin). While some believe that going to Alaska was a way to take revenge on his parents, it is hard to imagine those actions taken by Chris who is someone independent and holds neoteric ideals. It is more presumable to suppose that Chris just wanted to cut off ties to those he thinks contravenes with his ideals and ambitions. On the other hand, for everyone he met on the journey, he built a positive relationship; he maintained those relationships up until his death, even telling Wayne, “‘Till then I’ll always think of you as a friend” (Krakauer 33). He consistently sent postcards and shared his current status and new thoughts to Ron, Wayne, and Jan Burres. In his long letter to Ron detailing his pilgrimage, he gave heartfelt thanks and sincere hopes to see him again, writing “Ron, I really enjoy all the help you have given me and the times that we spent together….But providing that I get through this Alaskan Deal in one piece you will be hearing from me again in the future” (Krakauer 56). What makes this letter so special is the fact that Chris

Furthermore, Krakauer, in the structuring of his book, presents the reader with great amounts of irony, both dramatic and situational. Fairly early in the story, we know that Chris is dead, and Krakauer uses this to an ironical advantage. By already knowing his fate and his background, the reader is able to see the irony is Chris’ death. By dying in a bus in tandem with dying only a couple of hours from civilization, Chris was not truly in the wild. Once again, Krakauer makes the reader sympathize with Chris, for he died not able to fulfill his dream and escape from society. Like in the bus, he was trapped within society, unable to escape no matter how hard he tried. His use of periodic sentences solidifies this idea. Specifically, when Krakauer travels with Chris’ parents to the place of their son’s death.