TJ Shehee
10/9/17
English A3
Ms. Ervin
An Odyssey For Pride
In the studied non-fiction book “Into the Wild”, by Jon Krakauer, the author summarizes the multi-perspective, extraneous life, and death of a young risked taker who went by the name Alexander Supertramp. After reading and discussing this novel, one can conclude Alex (Chris McCandless) renounced society and his family because he wanted to escape from the stress of civilian life and void his wealthy upbringing. After constructing many dialogue journals, a common theme of pride became relevant. While this claim may spawn from ideals by John Haines in his epigraph, evidence of asceticism can be found throughout Chapter Thirteen titled Virginia Beach and is mentioned continuously throughout …show more content…
Any teenager on the block would have done anything to experience the spoiled, wealthy upbringing of Chris McCandless, however, Chris was different. Chris felt very uncomfortable living to higher economic standard than most of the population, leading him to pursue a life where he had to prove to himself and his family he could make it on his own. According to this Epigraph, “I [John Haines] faced in myself a passionate and tenacious longing— to put away thought forever, and all the trouble it brings, all but the nearest desire, direct and searching. To take the trail and not look back” (Krakauer 88). One can assume Jon Krakauer included this quote because he wanted to relate John Haines’ experience to the thoughts Chris McCandless wrote in his numerous diary entries. Just like Chris McCandless, John Haines wanted to free himself from society and live with simplicity. Both men embarked into the wilderness, but Chris McCandless took this to the extreme. Chris went on an unexpected odyssey with minimal supplies in order to prove that he could survive on his own and escape reality, however, this escape reinstated stress and sadness on his …show more content…
The epigraph concludes that Chris wanted to free himself from worry and stress, but displayed no concern of his family while turning away from society. In response to Chris’s death, his sister Carnie stated, “I just don’t understand why he had to take that kind of chances” (Krakauer 91). While Chris McCandless was wealthy as a child, he was not happy. He believed those in need were more deserving of wealth than he was and was against the idea of his family spoiling him. Chris may have been mad at his father for living a “double life”, but the true motive behind his odyssey was he wanted to forget this spoiled childhood and prove to his family he could live without material. Like millions throughout the world, Carnie did not initially grasp this hidden motive. This assumption can be supported by the fact Chris donated his college fund to charity, paid for his car himself, handed out cheeseburgers to the homeless as a teenager, and did not accept gifts from strangers on the road. Because chapter 13 did not go into detail regarding this assumption, one must look at the book as a whole to conclude on a similar
10/9/17
English A3
Ms. Ervin
An Odyssey For Pride
In the studied non-fiction book “Into the Wild”, by Jon Krakauer, the author summarizes the multi-perspective, extraneous life, and death of a young risked taker who went by the name Alexander Supertramp. After reading and discussing this novel, one can conclude Alex (Chris McCandless) renounced society and his family because he wanted to escape from the stress of civilian life and void his wealthy upbringing. After constructing many dialogue journals, a common theme of pride became relevant. While this claim may spawn from ideals by John Haines in his epigraph, evidence of asceticism can be found throughout Chapter Thirteen titled Virginia Beach and is mentioned continuously throughout …show more content…
Any teenager on the block would have done anything to experience the spoiled, wealthy upbringing of Chris McCandless, however, Chris was different. Chris felt very uncomfortable living to higher economic standard than most of the population, leading him to pursue a life where he had to prove to himself and his family he could make it on his own. According to this Epigraph, “I [John Haines] faced in myself a passionate and tenacious longing— to put away thought forever, and all the trouble it brings, all but the nearest desire, direct and searching. To take the trail and not look back” (Krakauer 88). One can assume Jon Krakauer included this quote because he wanted to relate John Haines’ experience to the thoughts Chris McCandless wrote in his numerous diary entries. Just like Chris McCandless, John Haines wanted to free himself from society and live with simplicity. Both men embarked into the wilderness, but Chris McCandless took this to the extreme. Chris went on an unexpected odyssey with minimal supplies in order to prove that he could survive on his own and escape reality, however, this escape reinstated stress and sadness on his …show more content…
The epigraph concludes that Chris wanted to free himself from worry and stress, but displayed no concern of his family while turning away from society. In response to Chris’s death, his sister Carnie stated, “I just don’t understand why he had to take that kind of chances” (Krakauer 91). While Chris McCandless was wealthy as a child, he was not happy. He believed those in need were more deserving of wealth than he was and was against the idea of his family spoiling him. Chris may have been mad at his father for living a “double life”, but the true motive behind his odyssey was he wanted to forget this spoiled childhood and prove to his family he could live without material. Like millions throughout the world, Carnie did not initially grasp this hidden motive. This assumption can be supported by the fact Chris donated his college fund to charity, paid for his car himself, handed out cheeseburgers to the homeless as a teenager, and did not accept gifts from strangers on the road. Because chapter 13 did not go into detail regarding this assumption, one must look at the book as a whole to conclude on a similar