Comparing Chris Mccandless And Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

Improved Essays
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 goes indicates that the audience is most likely composed of mainly people who are interested in learning detailed information about the topic. The authors Jon Krakauer, Jim Dwyer, and Kevin Flynn use self-reliance in the novels Into the Wild and 102 Minutes in order to depict the struggle of surviving dangerous and life-threatening conditions. Being self-reliant and able to function without any outside help can be a necessary trait to express in certain situations. In a matter of life or death, being dependent only on one’s self can determine the success or chances of survival. Self-reliance is evident in 102 Minutes and Into the Wild; both books narrate the experiences of endangered people as they struggle to survive life-threatening conditions in order to give insight to the personal perspective of those involved. In the novel 102 Minutes, first-hand accounts of the events in the World Trade Center during the September 11 attacks have been compiled to create a chronological, yet disjointed collection of personal stories. The accounts follow individuals, both employees in the towers and customers, as they experience the horrific events that begin at 8:46am and …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

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Chris Mccandless Hero

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After the publication of “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer, a book about a young man named Christopher McCandless, a great mass of people came forward and criticized McCandless (include more) Included in this group is Peter Christian, an Alaska Park Ranger that believed Chris as an “stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate,” man that essentially had a death wish. However, what may be interpreted as a foolish act by some was actually McCandless’ way of pursuing his dreams. In fact, McCandless shares the similarities of a hero because he was brave enough to leave everything and follow through with his dreams. A significant point made in the article by Christian is that McCandless was acting suicidal because he did not research do enough about the…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As we jump “Into the Wild” story of Chris McCandless’s journey throughout the Alaskan wilderness, Jon Krakaur, the author uses rhetorical devices to further delve into the novel and the underlying points of McCandless’s adventure. In the novel, “Into the Wild”, Jon Krakaur uses pathos, imagery, and arrangement to solve the overarching questions related to motive, the effects of setting, and the mental state of Chris McCandless. These uses of rhetorical devices also help readers formulate opinions on McCandless and other Characters in the novel. The use of pathos in “Into the Wild” creates empathy for the people he affected in his lifetime and his family.…

    • 1101 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Foolish or Honorable? Chris McCandless’s journey outlined by the novel Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer supports that it is simple and indisputable to apprehend that McCandless was not a heroic figure, just one persuaded by inaccurate decisions. McCandless was not your average student, he had a very bright future ahead of him graduating with high honors from one of the country's most prestigious universities; Emory University, however, threw it all down the drain when he took an everlasting adventure hiking into the Alaskan bush unprepared and alone. Many perceive him to be a hero, leaving the social norms one is expected to carry out throughout life, but, many also view him as a fool who wasted all this god given talent, just to die a cold hearted death. What could persuade a human…

    • 1649 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris Mccandless Quotes

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Chris McCandless was a person who wanted to escape civilization and the problems in the real world. He didn't want any communication with his family. Chris Mccandless…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Analysis Of Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited

    He determined that he would travel to Alaska, get further away from it all, and face nature at its finest. He traveled exceptionally light. He didn?t take much, a parka, a small rifle, some boots, a few clothes, a ten pound bag of rice, books, and little else. ? The heaviest item in McCandless?s half-full backpack was his library: nine or ten paperbound books.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout history, there have been many people who have expressed their ideas and lived their lives in ways that others may not be able to understand. There are people in all different cultures who refuse to conform to social norms and live lives the way that society has taught us we’re supposed to. Chris McCandless was one of these people, who, despite what others say, he went about his life how he wanted to, and didn’t give in to people telling him that he should be doing things differently. He never finished school and did not go on to live a life the way most people do: getting a degree and a real job, getting married, having children, and spending their whole lives working to make money until retirement, McCandless wanted nothing to do with that lifestyle. Another influential person who portrays ways of going about life in a “different” way is Allen Ginsberg.…

    • 942 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When thinking about Chris McCandless people tend to think differently of him. A majority would call him crazy and stupid for not supplying himself with more items to bring along to the Alaskan wilderness. There were others who think he was sane and was just trying to prove himself or to the world who he was and what he can do. Even Jon Krakauer mentions in his book that he didn’t know who Chris Mccandless really was, that it was hard to put a finger on it, but he knew he was sane to say the least and not an outcast. To me, I think that Chris was just a guy who had “radical” ideas-- an idealist with very progressive ideas-- and instead of pushing his thoughts to the side like most people.…

    • 725 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In countless instances, Chris expressed his distaste for the conformity of a society, as he saw with his own family, in which one’s life is a routine that consists of waking up, going to work, coming home to family, going to sleep, and repeating it for the rest of one’s life. McCandless set out into the world after college not to appreciate nature specifically, but the experiences of the world, as he described, “’It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found.’” (27) Chris strived for a daily sense of adventure, an escape from the limitations of community, as Andy, a high school friend of McCandless, explained, “[Chris] was born into the wrong century. He was looking for more adventure and freedom than today’s society gives people.” (119) Another aspect that was unpractical of Chris, that led to his unfortunate death in Alaska, was his seclusion and his desire to be alone.…

    • 1349 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris believes the only way his life would be meaningful is if he did exactly what he is after. His strong willed nature is also shown when Chris leaves without telling anyone about his plans. He believes that he doesn’t need to tell anyone because he “will not run into anything that he can’t deal with” ( Krakauer 6). McCandless has such a strong will that he doesn't really think about the negative aspects of…

    • 1011 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This is reality and slowly, over time you have begun to wish that it wasn’t. People called you crazy and you were ready to prove them wrong, but here you are weak, cold, and hungry, wishing someone, anyone, would save you from this awful suffering. While reading “Into the Wild”, a nonfiction tale of the wilderness enthusiast, Chris McCandless and others like him, one might imagine oneself in a situation like the one described. Similar to McCandless, Gene Rosellini and Carl McCunn both found themselves in…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    (157). McCandless seemed to be content with being on his own when it came to doing something he wanted to do. He did not need to rely on anyone for the things he wanted to do, he just made them happen, hence why he dropped everything to go on his journey into the wild. Krakauer uses many different things to help the readers figure out McCandless’s motives, but the letters do not give it straight forward. One must interpret the language used in the epigraph to figure out the theme of the chapter to help with finding the…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Almost all of humanity can relate to wanting to go out into the wilderness completely alone, leaving the toxic monotony and materialism of daily life and stepping into an environment where your passion determines life or death. For Christopher McCandless and Jon Krakauer, this was their reality for some time. While McCandless is now silenced in the snow of the Alaskan bush, Krakauer continues to explain what happened to McCandless, why they left society, and why the young people of today should follow their own dreams. Through the use of flowing description, well-held ethos, and simple sentence structure, Krakauer unravels the complexity of Christopher McCandless. Only by the use of attentive description could Krakauer illustrate the formational…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    McCandless wasn't some feckless slacker, adrift, and confused, racked by existential despair. To the contrary: His life hummed with meaning and purpose." (187). Krakauer emphasizes the good within McCandless, stating that all of his actions were deliberate and meaningful. By using extreme wording such as “even a modicum” and “feckless slacker”, Krakauer clearly distinguishes Chris from the regular man.…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many different people can relate to the tragedies presented in this telling of McCandless’s journey and life he lived. Jon Krakauer had the ability to appeal ethos, logos and pathos to show the readers that Christopher McCandless was unique and significant. McCandless may not have conformed to society and chose the classic way of life, but his experience built these themes and values and helped create…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    McCandless often roams alone on the beaten path across his North American travels, but he maintains a few relationships among the good-hearted people he meets along the way. He becomes quite eager in situations when it involves new people. McCandless takes it upon himself to take advantage of times like these, “‘He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn’t a hermit. He did a lot of socializing. Sometimes I think it was like he was storing up company for the times when he knew nobody would be around’”…

    • 1291 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays