Into The Wild Rhetorical Analysis

As Chris breathed his last breath, he was finally able to find his inner happiness through the Alaskan wilderness. In chapter 18, Krakauer notes about Chris’ final photo of himself, describing Chris as, “[he] was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God,” (199). The way he was described in this picture shows that Chris has in fact found the happiness that he was looking for and was able to leave this earth in peace. Then again, in chapter 18, the last words of Chris McCandless wrote, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD.GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL,”(199). Although he was in severe pain, from starvation, he was still able to find the bright side of things. He was able to die in the one place that he had desired to be at.

Lastly, Chris Mccandless got to fulfill his dream, live his own life, and now he even got to find his inner self, find out who he truly is. Chris was the kind of person that lived dangerously unlike most people, he was different “It is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders...Danger has always held a certain allure. McCandless, in his fashion, merely took risk-taking to its logical extreme” (Krakauer, 182). Chris’s true self-was one that was riskful and daring until he could finish the task. Furthermore, he was different from others and throughout his journey, others could see that. In the end that was the kind of person Chris Mccandless was, and this is the person he became after fulfilling his dream and living his own life. In contrast, others did

On the other hand, for those he did care about, he left a positive impact on their lives. Chris was raised in an environment where“...hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety” (Mcalpin). While some believe that going to Alaska was a way to take revenge on his parents, it is hard to imagine those actions taken by Chris who is someone independent and holds neoteric ideals. It is more presumable to suppose that Chris just wanted to cut off ties to those he thinks contravenes with his ideals and ambitions. On the other hand, for everyone he met on the journey, he built a positive relationship; he maintained those relationships up until his death, even telling Wayne, “‘Till then I’ll always think of you as a friend” (Krakauer 33). He consistently sent postcards and shared his current status and new thoughts to Ron, Wayne, and Jan Burres. In his long letter to Ron detailing his pilgrimage, he gave heartfelt thanks and sincere hopes to see him again, writing “Ron, I really enjoy all the help you have given me and the times that we spent together….But providing that I get through this Alaskan Deal in one piece you will be hearing from me again in the future” (Krakauer 56). What makes this letter so special is the fact that Chris

The similarities between the journey’s of two men are undeniable, Krakauer includes his own journey to supply the reader’s with his reason and drive to do it supplying the reader’s with further background. Giving reader further background on what might have driven Chris to embark on his quest will not force reader’s into Krakauer’s opinion but serves to give them more insight on the event so that they more justifiably form their own.

Chris was a very stubborn individual and never wanted to compromise his morals to please others. Chris never listened to suggestions or advisement of others as he was on his journey. His incompetence and inability to take other people’s advisement into account was ultimately was caused his death. Gallien tried to warn McCandless of the rough conditions by telling him “the hunting wasn’t easy where he was going, that he could go days without killing any game” (Krakauer 5). Gallien is just one example of someone who tried to help McCandless realize that living alone in Alaska would be very gueling, but McCandless assumed that if he could survive for a month in the Gulf of California, he would also be able to thrive in Alaska. Of course Chris ignored Galliens advice and did things his own way because he’s stubborn. One of Chris’ flaws was that he had very strong opinions that were so different from the rest of society and was fiercely independent. Chris’ beliefs and points of view led to him going into the wild without anyone aware of his whereabouts. Chris never wanted help from anyone and he expressed this when he said, “I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own”(Krakauer 6). Chris also “hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years”(Krakauer 6). Both of these quotes emphasize the fact that he felt the need to be utterly alone. If Chris had told someone his real name and his desired destination then he wouldn’t have died alone in Alaska. Chris would’ve been better off if he had listened to the advice he was given and if he had told people about his whereabouts.

Chris McCandless came from a very different lifestyle compared to that of Perry Smith and the Clutters. He was obedient and listened to his parents for the most part. However, Krakauer viewed McCandless’s parents as too demanding and ultimately implies that part of his death was brought on by his parents. Chris’s relationship with his father was stressed at best and Krakauer equally “believe[s] we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers. And I suspect we had similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul" (159). Chris was a highly opinionated and willful young man with little room for negotiation with his father sharing those same qualities. His criticism towards his parents eventually turned to outright anger, and after his father’s secret double life is revealed Chris begins viewing his father as a

While in an old family cabin, Chris McCandless finds out about his father’s previous relationship with another woman at the same time as his relationship with McCandless’ mother. Although this problem is painfully resolved without McCandless knowing, his discovery drives him to an irrational and immature reaction. Jon Krakauer said “he indicated that he was planning another extended trip”(95) after McCandless’s senior year in Emory. He then donated all of his money and disappeared, entirely out of contact with any, and all, family. McCandless reacts in a rash and immature fashion when he leaves. McCandless never spoke to his family about what he knew, nor did he try to find a way to cope with this information, he simply let it grow

This passage describes the emotions of Ronald Franz who was a man to took Alex McCandless under his wing when he first gave him a ride. There was a quality in Alex that attracted him and had led a special bond between the two friends up until Alex had died. When Franz picked up an Indian youth from the side of the road, he discovered something that he had not known. The Indian youth told Franz that Alex was dead and had froze to death on the tundra which is something he had read in a magazine. This is ironic that the person who had such a close relationship with Alex was the last one to find out about his death and let alone it be from a hitchhiker on the side of a road. Franz was hesitant about letting Alex go off on his own into the Alaskan mountains, but since

Although Chris McCandless’ controlling and toxic family environment was a major motive for his escape, his deep-seated internal battle was simply an irresistible impulse for discovery and liberty. Chris’ journey shows a new level of freedom; what true independence holds. He set out into nature alone without support of family or friends, searching for a path unlike those of most, and running from a barred cage of conventional living. Unsatisfied and somewhat angry with himself and his life of abundance in money, opportunity, and security, his preceding experiences and determined character lead him to an inevitable flee into no-mans land. Throughout the novel, Krakauer wants the reader to understand that there is more to Chris than his habit of criticising authority and defying society’s pressures. He needed more from himself, and more from life. He wasn’t an ordinary man, therefore could not live with an ordinary life. Krakauer demonstrates this by creating a complex persona for Chris that draws you in from the beginning.

2. On page 107, “He could be alone without being lonely.” Chris adored being alone, away from other people. It seems rational that this attitude was a basis of his later journey where he was unaccompanied for months. On page 109 “Chris was fearless even when he was little.” Chris wouldn’t have lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for that long if he was frightened. At the end his behavior was the resolute by a lot of factors, but his fearlessness was definitely one of them.

From this, it can be inferred that Chris’s anger was the driving force behind his decision to leave. The lies of Walt McCandless sparked a fire in his son that was still burning two years later, and Chris’s only escape from that fire was to rebel from his parents. Walt McCandless, however, is not a major character in Chris’s journey. Jon Krakauer quotes Walt thrice in the first two thirds of the book regarding his son, but uses canned responses such as “that scared us” to describe the events he was inquired about, (Krakauer 31). Consequently, it can be deduced that Walt is a minor character. At second glance, however, a reader can discern that he provides ancillary support to the plot development. Walt’s lies and secret life compel the unforgettable journey Chris underwent. It is clear Chris was motivated to leave his house from Walt’s mistakes, so from this a reader can derive these mistakes were crucial to advancing the

Christopher McCandless was a young american an who passed away in August 1992. His body was found inside a steel bus sitting in the snowy icecaps of Alaska. McCandless was starving on a journey to get away from the brainwashing society of America and to connect to mother nature in her most unforgiving form. In into the wild. Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher McCandless as a hard working and self-reliant man.

Krakauer develops the parallel between McCandless and other young men in eerily similar situation. The author might do this to enrich Chris's story. All the author writes about Chris is based on testimonies and documents. We don't know with certainty what Chris's thought process. By introducing the stories of Gene Rosellini, and Ruess Everett, the readers are able to put the different pieces together and infer Chris' state of mind and motivations.

124). He furthers this by describing how Chris’ parents sent a letter saying” You have completely dropped away from all who love and care about you. Whatever it is—whoever you’re with—do you think this is right?” (p. 124). According to Krakauer, Chris saw this “as meddling and referred to the letter as stupid when talked to Carine” (p. 124). At this point, Krakauer is clearly pointing out Chris’ flaws and how he seemingly didn’t enough about his family to bother contacting them for long periods of time. He builds upon this when mentioning how Chris went on trans-continental journeys through the Mojave Desert and various places multiple times without saying a word. He even goes as far as to describe how in July 1992, 2 years after Chris left Atlanta, his mother awoke one night with tears rolling down her cheeks screaming, “I don’t know how I’ll ever get over it. I wasn’t dreaming. I didn’t imagine it. I heard his voice! He was begging, ‘Mom! Help me!’” (p. 126). Krakauer could have deliberately left out such disheartening details that portrayed Chris in a negative manner, as someone who would make his mother suffer in such a way, but he included them in order to give the reader as much perspective on Chris as possible.

Chris was a young man with a prosperous future awaiting him. Graduating college with honors and suitable for Harvard Law School just as his parents had expected of him. He grew up in a home filled with nothing but high expectations, differences, and affluence. These circumstances set him apart from his parents. He was a Renaissance Man, a fundamentalist, a determined individual with the compassion for the wild and abhorrence to societal life. His tale is one of honor, self-respect/dignity, bravery (courage), and the infatuation for the wild. It is an inspiring story for those who do not fall into the continual, boring rhythm of life, but instead walk into the exploration of the soul and the love for true beauty.