American Youth 's’ Rite of Passage
“It should not be denied... that being footloose has always exhilarated us. It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led west(15).” “What are young people looking for?” Young people are looking for more of an escape from reality. There’s too much going on all around us in our society that it’s nearly suffocating. Whether it’s social media, music -- or in the case of Chris McCandless -- it’s escaping to the wilderness of Alaska. In the book Into the Wild, it mentions how Chris, or Alex, was considered to promote countercultural idealism. He also was pushing towards the ideas of spending time with nature until death. And that, is what he did. Back to the question for what young people are looking for. As a young adult myself, I understand completely why he wanted to get away from everyone. It can be very frustrating being around everyone for so long, and every now and then I, myself, need a break from it all. One of the large ways of doing that is driving to far destinations or camping with friends in Pokagon. If the shoes of Chris McCandless were filled with anyone other than him, and went through what he did, they would understand completely as to why he simply needed a break. I wouldn’t agree with the “spending time with nature until death” situation …show more content…
Mostly because the majority of the story itself is about the discovery of Christopher McCandless and his struggles in Alaska. If he would’ve survived though, Jon Krakauer wouldn’t have been writing this story, Chris would have; we’d have his own personal feelings and experiences. It would have many more nonfictional parts throughout the book. “It is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led west(15).” This shows his necessity for freedom, like I stated before in question 2.
7. Persuasive Argument
Jon Krakauer, or also known as the author of Into the Wild, has been interested in Chris since he heard his story. He understood where he came from, and he wanted to venture into the steps in which he took before his death. Jon eventually began practically tracing Chris’ steps through the journal, letters, and other information he was given by some who may have known him.
Evidence to Krakauer is visible and has to be able to make sense to him. For example, the passage from Dr. Zhivago from his book. As well with the book, was a note from Chris. How did he know he found what he was looking for? He was able to move on from where he was when he found it. He was able to go to the next destination, the next