Comparing Chris Mccandless And Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

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Although the topics of terrorism and self-discovery through adventure are seemingly unrelated, the novels 102 Minutes and Into the Wild are proof that these ideas can be connected. These novels may be distinguishable by their overall topics, but they are actually very similar when considering style, diction, and overarching ideas. Both Into the Wild and 102 Minutes were written with a tone that is unemotional and informational. The level of vocabulary was typically not at a heightened level, although there are instances in which more difficult words are used. This relatively simple language use can probably be attributed to the authors’ desire for the audience to be made up of a variety of people. The depth at which the research in both books …show more content…
He wanted to be free from the mundane circumstances of his current life, so he cut off all ties with his family and friends to minimize association with mainstream civilization. McCandless is quoted saying, “ ‘I think I’m going to disappear for a while’ ”(Krakauer 21.) After saying this, he sent a brief letter to his parents which “was the last anyone in Chris’s family would ever hear from him” (Krakauer 22.) By doing this, McCandless began his streak of self-reliance. Throughout the course of his cross-country journey to Alaska he did receive some help from people, but McCandless attempted to minimize all relations with people in order to maintain his self-imposed social isolation. Krakauer writes, “he [McCandless] had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it” (Krakauer 55.) His Alaskan expedition can be characterized by McCandless experiencing a seemingly unnecessary exile from society and exhibiting a strong sense of self-reliance. He decided to take his life in his own hands and take charge of his future by becoming dependent only on himself.
In the novels 102 Minutes and Into the Wild, self sufficiency is portrayed through the adventures of Chris McCandless and the survivors of 9/11 in order to display the attempt of surviving in fatal and alarming conditions. In difficult dilemmas people’s reactions could help or further harm the involved parties on where to go or what actions to take. Responding to the same question with two contrasting ideas could show how the diverse responses could mislead someone in a unsettling

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