Into The Wild Figurative Language Essay

6. Throughout the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer figurative language is utilized in various ways. As a whole, by Krakauer using figurative language illustrates the extreme consistency to deliver Chris McCandless’ message towards the audience. Krakauer uses multiple examples of metaphors, personification, and similes. He utilizes specific word choice to support his ideas, express the surroundings, and tone around the character he is writing about. In the chapter one Krakauer uses a simile describing the landscape of the area, "… A series of lesser ridges, known as the outer range, sprawls across the flats like a rumpled blanket on an unmade bed” (Krakauer, 9). this statement is used to explain the specific image that Krakauer is trying to present the reader with. He makes this comparison …show more content…
In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer there are many examples of irony in parallel to the character Chris McCandless and his growth and change. Krakauer utilizes irony to establish McCandless’ unique personality. By using this the literary device, irony, he presents the story of Christopher McCandless. On the first page of the authors note, Krakauer gives a description of his novel. He writes, “In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later his decomposed body was found by a party of moose hunters” (Krakauer, 1). However, McCandless himself is not aware that in the end, he will die. He believes that his superiority in relation to living in isolation will guarantee his survival in the Alaska. The fact that the reader knows Chris is dead right at the beginning of the book, but the McCandless is show in the book believing that he is overqualified to survive is an example of situational irony, which is used a lot throughout the book. The use of this literary technique further develops the story and keeps the reader wondering how exactly McCandless met his