Identity is something all human beings search for throughout their lives. Who a person is defines not only who they are but what their life will be like. When a person knows who they are it can give them a sense of power and confidence. Although, sometimes the components of a person’s identity can amount to a less than desirable being. Within the narratives of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, “Survivor Type” by Stephen King, and “To Build A Fire” by Jack London the identities of each protagonist is evident in several ways. Through their actions, values, and beliefs each character’s identity is thoroughly unraveled within their narratives.
The most obvious way that a person’s identity is most understood is through that individual’s actions. For …show more content…
From that, it is easy to understand that McCandless was the type of person who thought he did not need anyone but also that the mainstream world he lived in was corrupt, clearly since once he had settled in Alaska he wrote: “No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.” (Krakauer 163). In “Survivor Type” by Stephen King, the main character, Richard Pine, had done quite erroneous things that defined who he was as a person. Describing himself as “the best damn football player” his high school had ever produced, Pine, who was actually born Pinzetti, had gotten into med school for being a good athlete but paid his way through running gambling pools and then payed his residency through pushing drugs (King 2). By utilizing illegal means to pay for his education, Pine’s character is that of an innovator, who wishes to meet a standard goal of becoming a renowned surgeon but uses unorthodox means of getting there. Lastly, in “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, the main character …show more content…
In the case of Chris McCandless, he valued nature, the Earth, and surviving off of the land as nature intended. When he had reached the Alaskan wilderness, as a part of declaring his independence, he wrote: “Two years he walks the Earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom.” (Krakauer 163). Through that he is telling himself that he is free in the world without all of those material things and that he can live off the land because people essentially should value that industrial “freedom”. Next, the character Richard Pine greatly valued his independence. At one point he says of his father: “He died of cancer when he was forty-six. I was glad.” (King 1) Pine is undoubtedly fine with being on his own if he could speak so carelessly and cavalierly about his own father. Even throughout much of his journal he inserts “ha-ha”’s as if he is lighthearted about being alone on an island. Furthermore, the Man from To Build a Fire values superficial things that make him happy, even when he is journeying through negative seventy-five degree weather. The Man walks along getting closer and closer to his destination and realizes that he “was making four miles a hour, and he calculated that he would arrive at the forks at half-past twelve.” and he “decided to celebrate that event by eating his lunch there.” (London 3) Unbeknownst to the Man, his
The most obvious way that a person’s identity is most understood is through that individual’s actions. For …show more content…
From that, it is easy to understand that McCandless was the type of person who thought he did not need anyone but also that the mainstream world he lived in was corrupt, clearly since once he had settled in Alaska he wrote: “No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild.” (Krakauer 163). In “Survivor Type” by Stephen King, the main character, Richard Pine, had done quite erroneous things that defined who he was as a person. Describing himself as “the best damn football player” his high school had ever produced, Pine, who was actually born Pinzetti, had gotten into med school for being a good athlete but paid his way through running gambling pools and then payed his residency through pushing drugs (King 2). By utilizing illegal means to pay for his education, Pine’s character is that of an innovator, who wishes to meet a standard goal of becoming a renowned surgeon but uses unorthodox means of getting there. Lastly, in “To Build A Fire” by Jack London, the main character …show more content…
In the case of Chris McCandless, he valued nature, the Earth, and surviving off of the land as nature intended. When he had reached the Alaskan wilderness, as a part of declaring his independence, he wrote: “Two years he walks the Earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom.” (Krakauer 163). Through that he is telling himself that he is free in the world without all of those material things and that he can live off the land because people essentially should value that industrial “freedom”. Next, the character Richard Pine greatly valued his independence. At one point he says of his father: “He died of cancer when he was forty-six. I was glad.” (King 1) Pine is undoubtedly fine with being on his own if he could speak so carelessly and cavalierly about his own father. Even throughout much of his journal he inserts “ha-ha”’s as if he is lighthearted about being alone on an island. Furthermore, the Man from To Build a Fire values superficial things that make him happy, even when he is journeying through negative seventy-five degree weather. The Man walks along getting closer and closer to his destination and realizes that he “was making four miles a hour, and he calculated that he would arrive at the forks at half-past twelve.” and he “decided to celebrate that event by eating his lunch there.” (London 3) Unbeknownst to the Man, his