Into the Wild 15-EP

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.