Jon Krakauer, in his novel Into the Wild, tells the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who set out to survive in the Alaskan wilderness without proper preparation. Chris was a young man who ventured all throughout North America living off of the barest of essentials/resources. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price for his lack of preparation and naivety in the end. Chris was found dead in an abandoned Fairbanks City bus on the Stampede Trail in Alaska. Thus the novel was written to further describe the events leading up to Chris McCandless’ death. In order to successfully tell Chris McCandless’ story, Jon Krakauer utilizes rhetoric in the forms of ethos, logos, and pathos. This approach allows Krakauer to provide sound reasoning for
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When Chris sent his final letter to Wayne Westerberg, Chris seemed to be aware of the potential risks in the postcard he sent to Wayne Westerberg that read, “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild” (Krakauer 69). This shows that McCandless knew of the potential devastation on his trip, which is why he put all of his business in order before departing. In addition to business, he took the time to write to Wayne to express his feelings, which makes the audience feel regretful because it shows that Chris is sane and emotional. The reactions of Chris’s loved ones to his tragic demise also appealed to pathos because their personal perspective demonstrated how much of an impact Chris had on them. Walt offered, “How is it that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?” (Krakauer 104). This appeal to pathos evokes discomfort and ambivalence in the audience because they understand why Chris embarked on his Alaskan odyssey (combination of familial issues and personal beliefs), however he was full of so much compassion and potential, that it seemed almost shameful to just destroy it without regard to the feelings of
When Chris sent his final letter to Wayne Westerberg, Chris seemed to be aware of the potential risks in the postcard he sent to Wayne Westerberg that read, “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild” (Krakauer 69). This shows that McCandless knew of the potential devastation on his trip, which is why he put all of his business in order before departing. In addition to business, he took the time to write to Wayne to express his feelings, which makes the audience feel regretful because it shows that Chris is sane and emotional. The reactions of Chris’s loved ones to his tragic demise also appealed to pathos because their personal perspective demonstrated how much of an impact Chris had on them. Walt offered, “How is it that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?” (Krakauer 104). This appeal to pathos evokes discomfort and ambivalence in the audience because they understand why Chris embarked on his Alaskan odyssey (combination of familial issues and personal beliefs), however he was full of so much compassion and potential, that it seemed almost shameful to just destroy it without regard to the feelings of