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Into the Wild Chapters 15-Ep

The intent of Into the Wild is tough to define. While we know that it is focused squarely on uncovering McCandless' last days, the inclusion of Krakauer's personal and perilous Alaska adventure makes this more complex.

The book isn't a mystery either, insofar, as we know when and where, and even how he died from the book's beginning.

While the text explores what may have driven him to search for a life absent of the materialism and commercialism his life had been made up previously, it never blames anyone or anything despite locating a definite turning point.

So, what do you, as a reader, believe / understand that Krakauer is attempting to do?

Does he succeed in doing so? If he fails, what would he have had to do to succeed? If he succeeds, to what extent does the organization of this text help him to do so?

Lastly, what role does Krakauer's lack of distance help or hurt this work and its goal (as you define it)?

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Into the Wild Chapter 15 Epilogue Post

First post and replies | Last post by jyoung98, 7 months ago

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Into the Wild 15-EP

First post and replies | Last post by fmcdonough26, 7 months ago

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The mystery of Christopher McCandless is not about how he died the way he did, but rather why he lived the way he lived. Anyone could have written a report about the death of Christopher McCandless. It isn't hard to recount locations and dates surrounding the young men's death. Some people even tried to make assumptions about his character, with critics stating that Chris McCandless was stupid, naive and wholly unprepared to live in the Alaskan wilderness. Krakauer's intent was to write a novel that was more than just a report, but rather an exploration of character and true intent. Most of the beginning of the novel, is just a collection of facts and quotes from family and friendly acquaintances of McCandless. Krakauer only tries to guess McCanless's intentions, by piecing together his life journey. In the latter half, Krakauer inserts himself into the novel....but why? Krakauer's anecdotes and personal interjections were his own way to interpret McCandless's intentions. He states that McCandless went into the wilderness to "explore the inner country of his own soul" (Kraukaur 183). Chris McCandless is more than a stupid kid who died in Alaska. He had purpose and soul-filling passions for living on the edge. The only way to begin to explore a person's intentions posthumously is through the perspective of other people. Krakauer chose to put McCandless's actions into context by including his own narrative. For example, Krakauer attempts to relate his own young spirit and determination of climbing the Devil's Thumb to McCandless's rejection of society and fascination with the great Alaskan wilderness. There is no way of knowing exactly what Chris was thinking when he decided to venture into the Alaskan bush. What Krakauer did was offer a new perspective, prompting a conversation beyond criticism. I do think that perhaps Krakauer's lack of distance did reveal his biased opinions of McCandless. However, as the reader, I never wanted nor expected this novel to be a report. Ultimately, the intimate approach to writing this novel created a captivating story. I think that, as an author Jon Krakauer not only uncovered the true character of Chris McCandless, but exceeded much beyond, revealing the depth of character a news report would lack.

By fmcdonoug... 7 months ago

First post and replies | Last post by fmcdonough26, 7 months ago

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Into the Wild 15-EP

First post and replies | Last post by fmcdonough26, 7 months ago

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Into the Wild 15-Epilogue

First post and replies | Last post by edubois26, 7 months ago

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