Jon Krakauer, a successful and well published author, focuses his literary pursuits on controversial topics that tug on the reader’s heart strings and urge the reader to contemplate topics that are commonly neglected. Two of his books, Into Thin Air and Missoula, may share the same author, but they differ greatly in many stylists aspects. Krakauer, without a doubt, has a distinct and captivating writing style, yet there are many apparent differences when shifting from one of his books to the next such as tone, his writing organization, his use of figurative language, and his sentence structure. In both Into Thin Air and Missoula, Jon Krakauer attempts to make the reader feel and empathize with the characters whether they are a rape victim
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He introduces each chapter, in both books, with a quote to provide the reader with some insight into what this section is going to discuss. These quotations do not necessarily directly pertain to the content the chapter but it makes the reader pause and think before diving into the meat of the book. Another similarity between these two is Krakauer's decision to start off his books with a scene that happens later on. For example, in Missoula it begins with Allison discovering that Beau was convicted of rape, and in Into Thin Air he discusses his experience at the top of Mount Everest. Both of these first chapters are snapshots into events that happen in the middle of these stories, and his decision to introduce his works in this way, by revealing a major plot point, hooks the reader in and keeps them hungry for more. The author also skips around in both books- he does not stick to a formulaic, linear timeline but rather goes off on tangents that provide the reader with more context. This is seen in Missoula when Krakauer explains Allison’s story then Kerry’s and many other women’s and then returns back to Allison’s court case. Also, in both books he leans heavily on quotations from others. While in Missoula his dependence on witness, expert, victim, and journalist accounts is more prevalent, he also does this in Into Thin Air since he was not on the mountain the entire time the disaster was
He introduces each chapter, in both books, with a quote to provide the reader with some insight into what this section is going to discuss. These quotations do not necessarily directly pertain to the content the chapter but it makes the reader pause and think before diving into the meat of the book. Another similarity between these two is Krakauer's decision to start off his books with a scene that happens later on. For example, in Missoula it begins with Allison discovering that Beau was convicted of rape, and in Into Thin Air he discusses his experience at the top of Mount Everest. Both of these first chapters are snapshots into events that happen in the middle of these stories, and his decision to introduce his works in this way, by revealing a major plot point, hooks the reader in and keeps them hungry for more. The author also skips around in both books- he does not stick to a formulaic, linear timeline but rather goes off on tangents that provide the reader with more context. This is seen in Missoula when Krakauer explains Allison’s story then Kerry’s and many other women’s and then returns back to Allison’s court case. Also, in both books he leans heavily on quotations from others. While in Missoula his dependence on witness, expert, victim, and journalist accounts is more prevalent, he also does this in Into Thin Air since he was not on the mountain the entire time the disaster was