Thoughts on Into the Wild

Starting off with the first chapter, I knew instantly that this was a story of survival and adventure. It is really interesting how the author avoids having Chris as the narrator of the story, but instead, slowly reveals the story through the stories of various people who had encounters with Chris during his journey. The writing style is casual, and informative, with maps on every chapter of Chris's journey, as well as facts throughout the book given to help the reader understand the book better. There is obviously a certain level of primitive gruesomeness that shows the reality of Chris's situation and the Alaskan wilderness. In one word, I would describe Chris as being a Transcendentalist. Similar to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau from the Transcendentalist Era, Chris sought to return to nature to reach a certain level of spiritual opening and expansion of soul. He seeks to find a Spartan-lifestyle that will allow him to live off of nature and seek only the most basic of human necessities. In Henry David Thoreau's short essay, "Why I Went into the Woods," he states, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." This quote ultimately encompasses what Chris in "Into the Wild" is striving to achieve by going off into the Alaskan wilderness. Main themes include discovery of self, practicality vs. dreams, and of course, the obvious ones: survival, courage, strength. I feel that the author is trying to convey that people like Chris avoid conforming to what is socially accepted in their communities and should strive to be unique, independent individuals. However, I believe the author also suggests that one should be practical and realistic about how far he is willing to go in order to escape the conformities of society. But based on my persoanl beliefs, I frown at Chris's rashness and lack of plan and preparation for his trip into Alaska. If he planned to do this something dramatic like this, he should have planned it in more detail. Otherwise, it is not a trip to discover oneself, but rather, a death sentence. This can be compared to the modern world's sturggle for success in the economic struggle now. Nobody really knows about what will happen but they all take a risk and try to succeed in achieveing their consecutive goals.

~H