Chris Mccandless's Motives In Into The Wild

Many people have different opinions of why Jon Krakauer wrote a book about a man that he has no relation to. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wild after giving up all his belongings to start his new life. Krakauer’s purpose for writing this book is to further explain Chris McCandless’s motive for his adventures in a way that the readers will understand it. Krakauer wants his readers to understand Chris’s motives as if he was not insane and had a reason for doing what he did. He gives stories from others who have gone into the wild, epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, eyewitness testimony, letters from Chris and many other things to help understand Chris’s motive, …show more content…
Krakauer emphasizes that, “The dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck, and under the fierce conditions of trail life it grew and grew” (38). McCandless had to learn to grow up in order to be on his own and he was going to do that because he knew what he wanted and he was not going to let anything ruin that. Krakauer explains that, “taking your wounds to the wilderness for a cure, a conversation, a rest, or whatever” (70). McCandless wanted to find himself and by doing that he needed to feel like a whole new person. He changed his name and got rid of all his belongings to go out in the wilderness which is what is supposed to help someone find a cure. Krakauer observes that, “I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty… I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and a star-sprinkled sky to a roof” (87). McCandless liked to be in the wilderness rather than be inside, stuck in one place. He liked it better when he was on the move instead of being in one place with the same things everyday, like Reuss. Krakauer points out that, “Wilderness appealed to those who are bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society…” (157). McCandless seemed to be content with being on his own when it came to doing something he wanted to do. He did not need to rely on anyone for the things he wanted to do, he just made them happen, hence why he dropped everything to go on his journey into the wild. Krakauer uses many different things to help the readers figure out McCandless’s motives, but the letters do not give it straight forward. One must interpret the language used in the epigraph to figure out the theme of the chapter to help with finding the