Friday 2 February 2018

"Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

A simpler life: part 5
  We cannot leave this topic without mentioning another popular book on this topic.

   "Into the Wild"(c1997) is the true story of Christopher McCandless.  He graduated from university in Atlanta in 1990, gave his money to charity and headed out 'into the wild'.
  He didn't leave many records, but there are passages that he underlined in the books that he took with him, showing his desire to test himself in nature.



    Here is a picture of Chris in his teenage years.  He discovered that his father lived a double life, with two families.  Chris pulled away from his family and never contacted them.  He hitchhiked across the country and headed for Alaska.  After 113 days in the Alaskan wilderness, he was found dead.
    
   
  This story was made into a movie in 2007 and the McCandless story became a modern myth, with many people, inspired by his story, desiring to hike to see the bus in Alaska where Chris died. They camp there and write essays in the logbooks that are kept there. "They ponder the impact that McCandless' antimaterialist ethic, free-spirited travels, and time in the Alaskan wild has had on how they perceive the world"(quote from the internet).  It is also reported that some of these pilgrims suffer the same fate as Chris. They are as unprepared as he was for the dangers of the wilds of Alaska.



   The author, Jon Krakauer, tells about his own reckless mountain climbing alone and tries to explain the appeal of 'the wild' for a young man.  The issue of 'finding oneself' seems to be prevalent in young men.  Do they feel a need to distance themselves from their families for this purpose?  Do they need to be alone?  Do they need to 'prove something'? What does make 'a good life'?  

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