Category: Into the Wild

Introduction

Chris McCandless does not pass as an ordinary person; no, he is a complicated person living a life defined by his principles, not by society. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer tackles McCandless’s life, starting with the discovery of McCandless dead body in a bus, Krakauer takes a journey back into McCandless life as a graduate through his disappearance to his survival and eventual death in the Alaskan forest. The book explores people who influenced McCandless like Jack London and Leo Tolstoy, among others. Based on his journal entries and the books he read coupled with ideas he shared with others, it is evident that McCandless was greatly influenced by Thoreau’s writings viz. Civil Disobedience and Life without Principle.

McCandless Purpose in Life

As exposited in Into the Wild, McCandless went missing sometimes in April 1992, probably due to the influence of Thoreau’s writings; for instance, in Civil Disobedience, Thoreau talks of government being at best when it rules not. Probably McCandless was displeased with the form of leadership in America at that time. Thoreau talks of the American government as one lacking, “the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can bend it to his will” (Thoreau 4). The issues of bad governance and discrimination towards blacks stand out clearly in Thoreau’s arguments, and this might have angered McCandless, something that made him feel like a prisoner to the government.

In his Journal, McCandless says he “basked in his newfound freedom” (Krakauer 19). However, why did he need freedom? This is because, as previously mentioned, governance had never measured to Thoreau standards, an influential figure in McCandless’ life. McCandless, “shed unnecessary baggage” (Krakauer 20). The baggage of being governed by a government without the verve of one living man. Therefore, to show his displeasure, McCandless opted to live in solitude where he would not see the irregularities and injustices that stained governance because, according to Thoreau, these are the only ways a person could rebel.

Thoreau insisted that citizens had the right to resist and rebel against the government, and this must have gotten well into McCandless’s heart. Thoreau believed that the only tool that people would use to correct the government where necessary was conscience and rebellion. “All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance, to resist the government…” (Thoreau 10).

McCandless understood this principle very well and decided not to be a part of the government that was violating human rights. By paying taxes, he would support this governance, something contrary to his beliefs. Therefore, the only way he would ‘practically withdraw’ his support for the government was to live in forest where he would, neither pay taxes nor see violation of human rights. Krakauer notes that McCandless was “stubborn and hot-headed” (45).

This stubbornness, coupled with Thoreau’s philosophies, gave McCandless the impetus to go on and live in the forest. Moreover, by the time McCandless entered university, he had developed “a sense of outrage over injustice in the world at large” (Krakauer 96). American governance was full of injustices that McCandless loathed. Therefore, his outrage led him to leave and live in the forest. He chose to live a solitary life that would prevent him from seeing human injustices. The only alternative that he had was to live in forest with minimal human interactions.

As aforementioned, McCandless had idiosyncratic logic, and living in the forest was one of his personal decisions, which he did not expect everyone to agree with just as Thoreau believed. Thoreau posits, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right” (7). Moreover, McCandless opted to live in solitude at the heart of an Alaskan forest due to the influence of another Thoreau’s short story, Life without Principle.

As aforementioned, McCandless was a traveler; therefore, he chose to follow his dreams and pursue the things he treasured most viz. traveling and discovery. Krakauer insinuates that McCandless was probably a “pilgrim…he was not incompetent or an outcast” (76). Based on this argument, McCandless had all the reasons to leave the city and live in the forest. Thoreau in Life Without Principle says, “do not make religions and other such institutions the sort of intellectual comfort zone that prevents you from entertaining ideas that are not to be found there” (vii).

Consequently, McCandless could not allow societal institutions to bar him from ‘entertaining’ his ideas. In forest, McCandless knew he would find this ‘entertainment’; therefore, “he donated the balance of his bank account (to charity), loaded up his car, and vanished from (his family’s) lives” (Krakauer 103). These idiosyncratic logics led McCandless into the forest, logics he got from Thoreau’s writings.

McCandless believed that “what is valuable about a thing is not the same as how much money it will fetch on the market” (Thoreau vii). McCandless’s most valuable thing was an adventure, a priceless thing in his life. This understanding justifies why he had the strength and guts to live in solitude. Finally, McCandless understood Thoreau’s last principle that “Don’t mistake the march of commerce for progress and civilization – especially when that commerce amounts to driving slaves to produce the articles of vice-like alcohol and tobacco.

There is no shortage of gold, of tobacco, of alcohol, but there is a short supply of high and earnest purpose’” (Thoreau viii). Therefore, McCandless went into the forest to look for ‘purpose’. To him, increase in commerce did not translate into progress in civilization, a direct influence from Thoreau. This resonates well with the first reason that he went to the forest as a sign of rebellion against governance.

To him, money, gold, and all material things were insufficient to supply; however, purpose in life was outstandingly missing in humanity, and he set out to fix this shortcoming. He was “heedless of personal safety” (Krakauer 45). He did not care much about his personal safety; thus, he would make it. Again, he was “undeterred by physical discomfort” (Krakauer 46). Therefore, the fact that he would face discomfort would not deter his resolve. Consequently, into the forest, he went and lived a life of ‘purpose’ and solitude.

Conclusion

Chris McCandless was a peculiar person by all standards. He lived according to his principles regardless of whether they were popular amongst other people or not. Being an adherent of Thoreau, there are two reasons that probably pushed McCandless into solitude forest life. Bad and poor governance has been around for quite some time now. Given the fact that Thoreau was against poor governance, and McCandless was his disciple, then it is logical to conclude that McCandless went into the forest in ‘silent resistance’ against bad governance. In the forest, he would not pay taxes; hence, not support poor governance in any way.

Secondly, McCandless went into the forest to pursue his dreams and entertain his life. As an adherent of Thoreau, he must have read Life without Principle and adopted its philosophies. This short story calls for people to get out established institutions if they cannot find enjoyment in life. McCandless did exactly that; he moved to where he would entertain his life. McCandless’s purpose in life was to live according to his principles that called for following one’s heart and rebelling against poor governance.

Works Cited

Krakauer, Jon. “Into the Wild.” New York: Anchor, 1997.

Thoreau, Henry. “Life Without Principle.” Forgotten Books, 2008.

Thoreau, Henry. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.” New York; Filiquarian Publishing, 2007.

Into the Wild, a novel by John Krakauer, catalogs the life, journey, and implications of a young man named Chris McCandless. Walking alone into the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless attempted to live in an abandoned bus through the winter. His subsequent death serves as a springboard for Krakauer to discuss the nature of going “into the wild,” in his own life, and in several other notable figures. By tracing the mental journey that leads people to try themselves against nature, and noting the impacts on their families and friends, Krakauer explains how McCandless and others “couldn’t resist stealing up to the edge of doom and peering over the brink” (156). The main point of the novel is that there is a certain, indescribable element that draws us out into the wild and out of the confines of society. McCandless heeded that call more than others, but it is an influence that most (especially young men) feel.

Krakauer begins at the end, telling the story of McCandless (going by the name “Alex Supertramp”) hitching a ride with Jim Gallien to the head of the Stampede trail where he intended to embark into the Alaskan wild. Subsequently, he offers a description of how a band of hunters found his body lying in the old bus he was camping in. Next, Krakauer traces his relationship with Wayne Westerberg (a farmer he worked for), as well as his comfortable upbringing in “the comfortable upper-middle-class environs of Annandale, VA” (19). The reaction of his parents, ranging from panic to sorrow, is cataloged intermittently throughout the text. Krakauer also documents his relations with a pair of travelers named Jan and Bob and an isolated older man named Ronald Franz, which provides insight into the unique nature of McCandless and his impact on those around him. To supplement the McCandless narrative, Krakauer pulls from his own experiences in climbing the Devil’s Thumb as a young man, as well as others who have engaged in similar adventures. In doing so, he makes the story more universal and not just a case study on an individual who ended up dead in Alaska. Finally, he explores the actual events that seem to have taken place on the bus and led to McCandless’ demise.

On page 155, Krakauer writes near the conclusion of his account of his journey up Devil’s Thumb: “As a young man, I was unlike McCandless in many important regards; most notably, I possessed neither his intellect nor his lofty ideals. But I believe we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers. And I suspect we had a similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul death remained as abstract a concept as non-Euclidean geometry or marriage…I was stirred by the dark mystery of mortality.” This quote sums up the meaning of the novel: that there is a fundamental part of the soul that yearns for adventure and the wild. Those who choose to tempt death in the way that Krakauer and McCandless did are not concerned with the final ramifications of their actions, but rather the almost spiritual need to explore the dark mystery.

What we learn from the journey of Chris McCandless is the limits of our own mortality. We cannot totally transcend the world that we inherited, regardless of it we find it palatable or not. The call of the wild is a potent, but an ancient whisper of the wind that blows just beyond the border of our consciousness, even though it runs against the better parts of our reason from time to time, During those moments, we seek Truth not because we have logically come to the conclusion that it exists, or have realized a way to discover it using new and advanced modern technology, but precisely because we know it is a mystery that we can never discover.

Some people choose unconventional lifestyles to distinguish themselves from others or comprehend the purpose or sense of their existence. Into the Wild, a non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer narrates a story of such a man named McCandless who quit civilized living and started his wild journey across America. This paper will summarize the plot of the work, describe its characters, and discuss the issues raised by the author.

The Summary of the Novel

The book is based on the story of a real person, Christopher McCandless, who, at the age of 22, right after his successful graduation from Emory University, voluntarily became a vagrant. He left a note for his parents, which said that they would never see him again, gave his college savings to charity, and started his journey. For the first month of his wandering, he traveled by car, but he had to abandon it as a flood damaged it. On his way, he sometimes stopped in cities and performed unskilled jobs to get food and lodging.

In 1991, while he was in Los Angeles, McCandless thought of applying for ID and getting a job but changed his decision and continued his wandering. During his journey, he made acquaintance with some people whom he sent postcards as he proceeded with his traveling.

In the spring of 1992, he headed for Alaska, carrying only some rice, a gun, a camera, and a few books, including a guide to the edible plants of the area. Upon arriving in the region, he found a bus in which he decided to live for a while. During his stay in this area, McCandless ate berries and hunted animals. In summer, he became exceedingly weak after eating some seeds and noted this in his travel journal. He left an SOS sign outside of his bus, and shortly afterward, he died inside of it, and hunters found his dead body only the following month.

Discussion of the Main Characters

The main character of the book is Christopher Johnson McCandless, who adopted a pseudonym Alexander Supertramp at the beginning of his journey. He was “a well-educated young man with an above-average intellect and remarkable spiritual ambitions which means that he could have achieved success in a civilized world, but he deliberately chose a vagrant lifestyle.

McCandless believed that it was beneficial for a human to live in harmony with nature, separated from other people. To test his point of view, he spent time wandering across the American West before proceeding to a more dangerous region of Alaska. Perhaps, he could have survived in the severe conditions of that area if he had been more prepared and less self-assured.

Jon Krakauer, the author, added the story of his attempts to travel across Alaska to his narrative, which made him another character of the book. He did not just state the facts of McCandless’s biography but supplemented them with his judgments and assumptions. Perhaps, he was so interested in the young man’s story because he had a similar experience and wanted to prevent the public from condemning McCandless for his nonsensical death.

The Themes of the Book

The book tackles several issues, one of which is the relation between man and nature. The protagonist believes that one’s personality can form properly only outside of civilization. According to McCandless, “the very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure,” which means that a person truly lives in extraordinary circumstances available only in the wilderness. However, the young man was so obsessed with the idea of connecting with nature and escaping from civilization that he underestimated how dangerous and severe the environment could be.

Instead of proving that he was capable of surviving on his own, without any conveniences and other people’s help, he showed by his example that a human could not live independently in a harsh wilderness for a long time. Thus, McCandless’s story reveals that nature is not always favorable to man, and if there is a confrontation between a person and the wilderness, the former will be defeated.

Another theme of the book is individualism and the role of society in human life. McCandless was convinced that he would manage to live outside of the community, and this would set him free from triviality and impurity of other people’s existence.

However, it is recorded in his journal that at some point during his wandering, he was ready to return to his former way of life, as he understood that, perhaps, society was not that malign. Despite this intention, he did not reunite with the community, and perished alone, which leads to the conclusion that living among other people is crucial to an individual’s survival.

The book also raises the motif of rejection of money and objection to consumerism and the accumulation of material things. McCandless showed his aversion to the modern economic system by donating $24,000 to charity and becoming an itinerant pauper. From his point of view, wealth and abundance of material things hinder a person from enjoying life and developing spiritually. He was right in his reflections, but he seems to have gone too far in his attempts to live within basic needs.

Personal Opinion and Conclusion

Overall, the protagonist of the book does not arouse sympathy because his actions were unreasoned, and he was unprepared for his adventure, which eventually caused him to die from poisoning in a forest. A promising young man with plenty of opportunities to build a career or succeed in any other field wasted his chance to make himself useful for society or live a long, eventful life.

Indeed, he fulfilled his intentions to reject material values and isolate himself from the community, and it may have made him proud of himself. However, the whole story would have been better if he had treated his adventure with a greater responsibility, which would have prevented his sudden death.

In conclusion, it may be said that this book is worth reading because it makes readers think about things that attach significance to their lives. The novel serves as a warning to individualists since it shows that excessive self-reliance may lead to deplorable consequences because some things are too complicated for one person to handle.

It also teaches that before making a life-changing decision, such as quitting a career or undertaking a venture, one should weigh all pros and cons and thoroughly prepare for the upcoming change. Finally, as the book is based on a real-life event, it is likely to influence readers more effectively than a fiction story because it involves credible facts rather than imaginary plot twists.

Bibliography

Kam, Tanya Y. “Forests of the Self: Life Writing and ‘Wild’ Wanderings.” Life Writing 13, no. 3 (2016): 351-371.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. London: Pan Macmillan, 2018.

Krehan, Hannes. “Trust Me – It’s Paradise”: The Escapist Motif in Into the Wild, The Beach and Are You Experienced? Hamburg: Anchor Academic Publishing, 2014.

Vera, José Sánchez. “Thoreau as an Oblique Mirror: Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild.” American Studies in Scandinavia 47, no. 1 (2015): 40-60.

Background of the book

In to the Wild is one of the most famous nonfiction books of its time. Written by Jon Krakauer in 1996, it has a controversial reputation as a biographical novel whose veracity is in doubt. The book tells the story of Chris McCandless, who left a wealthy family and rejected all material values.

The story of Supertramp

Christopher donated his entire fortune to charity, choosing himself the hardships of a vagrant life. Traveling through the United States and Mexico, McCandless finally found himself in Alaska, where he settled in an old bus in the town of Fairbanks. The vagabond constantly constrained himself in food and, as a result, died of exhaustion.

Krakauer’s travel

Krakauer, inspired by the deeds done by Christopher, repeated his travels, following his steps in accordance with the diary notes left by the deceased.

Supertramp’s Diary

McCandless, who took the name Alexander Supertramp, met and communicated with many people throughout the journey. His diary entries, however, were not detailed enough, and sometimes rather austere, with notes of poetic naivety: “Beautiful Blue Berries“ (2011).

Krakauer’s interpretation

In interpreting the fate of the Supertramp, Krakauer gave it the philosophical meaning inherent in the work of the American transcendentalists and romanticized his choice. Krakauer stated that a person needs to “make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing“ (1996).

Risks taken by authors

This pursuit of the unknown and pure experience characterizes Krakauer’s activities as well as the Supertramp. Christopher risked his entire life and wealth in order to face the unknown and the present. The risks of the author of “Into the Wild” were in the fact that he tried to restore the path of the Supertramp in order to comprehend it philosophically.

Other characters in “Into the Wild: Conclusion”

Krakauer tells the stories of other young people who disappeared into the desert, such as a 20-year-old artist from Utah. To give a different perspective to him romanticizing Supertramp’s image, he also describes the grief and bewilderment of Christopher’s parents. Thus, Krakauer’s poeticization of McCandless’s choice is highly interesting yet controversial.

Works Cited

Christopher McCandless Bio. (2011). Web.

Krakauer, J. (1996). Into the wild. Villard Books.

Introduction

McCandless’s journey and his death in Alaska created the basis for vigorous debates about the reasons for this trip, its relevance, and the man’s death. The unusual character of these events resulted in the creation of the book Into the Wild by Krakauer, who tried to repeat the same way and explain the main causes of the main character’s actions. Responding to this work, Alaskans described the whole journey as unwise and unreasonable because of the low preparedness level of McCandless. However, one can disagree with them, as being an educated person from a rich family, he just wanted to obtain freedom and avoid stereotypes of society that imprisoned him.

Main body

In fact, McCandless’s journey was unique and attracted the attention of various groups of people. Initially, Alaska was not his prior destination point, on the contrary, he moved to the Western United States and spent much time there. However, his trip ended in a severe area where unprepared people have few chances to survive. There are multiple debates about the motifs for this decision as his family matters, relations with other people, and community was not depressing or extremely complex.

However, he apparently wanted freedom and emancipation from the chains of social stereotypes that limited him in his attempts to cognize the world (Krakauer 34). Moreover, being an unusual person, McCandless wanted to escape from the safe environment of the modern world and understand real feelings that might affect people in stressful situations. The desire to escape the mainstream became one of the central motifs for venturing into the wilderness.

In his journey, McCandless seems rebellious against the ways of thinking that are stereotypically strong in contemporary society. Instead of enjoining the benefits of the wealthy family and good education, he leaves everything behind and moves into the wilderness to find some unusual experiences. Both the movie and the book emphasize this fact and show other individuals that in his attempt to escape, McCandless remains brutally honest and does not want to make compromises (Krakauer 56). Instead, he ends his days in a severe area, completely exhausted, but devoted to his ideas and views.

Conclusion

Because of the unusual character of this story, Krakauer manages to attract readers by using both logical and emotional appeals. He shows motifs that made McCandless move and underlines the complexity of the trip, appealing to the feelings of individuals (Krakauer 34). The movie uses a similar approach as viewers start to understand the main character’s reasons and sympathize with him because of the hard challenges he has to overcome (Into the Wild).

Krakauer parallels this story with some other disappearances of young people who escaped society and started to travel to show that McCandless is not alone in his attempts to find some new ways (Krakauer 56). In such a way, the original story, book, and movie show that the man had his own motifs for accepting this decision and going into the wilderness, and they can justify his intention and desire to live his life in another way.

Annotated Bibliography

Into the Wild. Directed by Sean Penn, performance by Emile Hirsh, Paramount Vantage, 2007.

The movie depicts McCandless’s arrival in Alaska, his previous journeys, and factors that preconditioned the appearance of the desire to escape the stereotypes of society and move across the USA, looking from unique emotions and unusual experiences.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. Anchor Books, 1997.

The book describes the life of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a young graduate from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Being a son of wealthy parents, he decides to leave everything and start traveling to find answers to questions important to him. The text makes readers think about the leading motifs of the main character, the relevance of this journey, and McCandless’s death.

Works Cited

Into the Wild. Directed by Sean Penn, performance by Emile Hirsh, Paramount Vantage, 2007.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. Anchor Books, 1997.

Into the Wild is a work of literature about a young man from a wealthy family, hitchhikes to Alaska, where he lives all alone, foraging by hunting and gathering in completely wild conditions. The real story of Chris McCandless, which became famous thanks to the skill of John Krakauer, was initially written in the form of an article in a magazine. Krakauer warns the reader that he cannot remain objective and tell the whole story of Chris dispassionately. In addition, there are significant parallels in their destinies that he could not ignore. Nevertheless, the author allows the reader to conclude who Alex was without imposing his opinion.

John Krakauer, in the book, describes the fate of several other people with similar dreams or shifts, but they all had one thing in common, namely the lack of common sense. The author expresses the desire of the main character to know himself, to purify himself and live in the wild, through recommendations not to sit in one place and be active nomads (Krakauer, 2009). In addition to the main character, there are also many secondary characters in work. They meet the main character when he needs them, and they do not receive extraordinary development by the end of the work. Someone was a young romantic, someone was a naive dreamer, and someone was frankly crazy.

In conclusion, the characters described by John Krakauer are real, not fictional. The characters have their thoughts, feelings, aspirations, which demonstrates their personalities and characteristics. The main character is in extreme conditions and survives as best he can. His strength of spirit undoubtedly inspires and makes you think about your life. The work is interesting, especially for those who like to travel and spend time one-on-one with wildlife.

Reference

Krakauer, J. (2009). Into the Wild. Anchor.

Introduction

The film, ‘Into the Wild’ revolves around the life of an excellent student and successful athlete, Christopher McCandless, the hero of the film, who decides to leave behind his career, family and relationships to embark upon a journey into nature. The actor has, as a child witnessed a troubled childhood, the memories of which he wants to escape, and which have left him de-motivated and disillusioned in life. He wishes escape from the material world and travel to Alaska, where he would be able to unite with nature and forget all the memories of his miserable childhood.

Main text

After his graduation, he begins his travel with minimum belongings and money, after donating his entire savings of $25,000, to Oxfam and misinforming his parents that he was returning to Atlanta, when in actuality he sets out for Alaska, a journey which lasts twenty months. Upon reaching Alaska, Chris who is now Alex, faces many hardships, and is not prepared for them physically, mentally or financially. In the course of his journey, he encounters several people, from whom he learns the true value of relationships and sharing.

All the people he encounters are agents of socialization; Wyne Westerberg employs Alex at the grain elevator, while Jan Burres and her boyfriend befriend him like surrogate parents. Tracy is the young teenage girl who is heartbroken when Chris deserts her abruptly. The most influential character who puts in the maximum effort and plays a vital role in re-uniting Chris with society is Ron Franz. Chris learns the true meaning of relationships and family and most importantly the value of sharing in life, the realization of which falls on him and he immediately decides to return home to society.

However, by the time this realization dawns upon him, it is too late, for when he decides to return home, the circumstances do not favor his return and he has neither the means nor the route to get back home. He then dies a sad death in isolation due to hunger and loneliness, ironically when he so eagerly wishes to get back home.

The film depicted a very important sociological theme by way of its plot, with a subtle but visible emphasis on the effect of parents and family on the lives of children and the decisions they make. Chris is a young and dynamic young man, who succeeds at everything he undertakes. But life takes a sad turn when he is unable to cope with the psychological pressures of his family life. his father has been discovered to have a second wife and a child from this marriage.

This angers Chris deeply and he is deeply hurt. The film is representative o the current situation in society and the dire consequences of broken and unhappy families. The society is changing at a rapid pace and so are familial values. Parents fail to understand that their children are in the delicate stages of growth and hold their parents and families in high esteem. But when parents fight and fail to adjust with each other, the harm caused to the minds of children minds is much greater than one can imagine. As agents of socialization, parents covertly teach more to the children than is apparent.

The inability of Chris’ parents to live together taught him that it is not easy to co-exist with love, peace and trust, and he lies to them and abandons his home. In doing so, he unites with the other agents of socialization, who teach him the true meaning of life, the value of staying together, the importance of sharing and caring. The pattern of isolation that Chris / Alex adopts in the film is that of a ‘retreatist’ and is illustrative of Mills’ argument that the lives of most people “are a series of traps” due to their inability to understand the “greater sociological patterns” of society. Chris had set out as a young man of twenty-two, well into his youth, and absolutely disgruntled by his family life.

He chose to run away from the situation rather than get into the depths and seek a better way of understanding the root cause of his depression and anger. Life has its own way of teaching realities, and Chris, in his transition to Alex, undergoes the constant and incessant process of socialization and gains the true meaning of family and life, but is unable to enjoy it, as it is too late. Chris, like any other human, is an ordinary person who is unable to “grasp the interplay of man and society”.

Besides the failing and degrading standards of family life in America, the film also highlights the prevalent situation of polygamy, in the film. Chris’s father has kept his second marriage and the resultant child a secret from his first family, which becomes the prime reason for Chris’s anger and retreat. Polygamy is becoming more and more common and the effects on families and society are visible, to the extent that the youth set themselves on the paths of absolute self-destruction.

Conclusion

The film is a great work of art, a true representation of the current age and society. I truly enjoyed the film, because it dealt with a very sensitive topic in an extraordinarily natural manner. The agents of society, the parent, family, friends and the entire experience of life, in general, have been very intelligently depicted. The film is not one of the adventure films depicting false adventures and incidents; rather it depicts the present societal condition of today. The story is deeply moving and leaves us sad wondering whether we as a society are doing enough to provide our children with what our parents and society provided us with; hope, love, sharing and caring.

References

Film ‘Into the Wild’ by Sean Penn.

Luhman R., 1982. The Sociological Outlook: A Text with Readings, Belmont.

Introduction

The sociology class has been extremely educational and informative. Numerous aspects of life were learned by way of the various theorists and their educational theories. However, the three most important things which I learned from the class are as follows.

Main text

Socialization being an ongoing and educational process begins from childhood, and the role of the family in the process of socialization is immense. Family is a crucial factor in defining an individual’s ideas, beliefs, personality and self-esteem. The development of positive self-esteem and the ego are important for an individual to face the society and life with confidence. In the movie, ‘into the wild’ the protagonist of the film, Chris, goes on an adventurous journey and lies to the family regarding his whereabouts. A glimpse into the family scene provides us the reasons for Chris’s behavior.

The disillusionment and lack of security he has acquired from his parents’ distorted marriage plays a crucial role in devastating not only his excellent academic and sports career but also ultimately his life. By the time he realizes the true meaning of life by way of his journey, it is too late and Chris dies. Thus the important agents of socialization in his life, his parents, played havoc in his life by illustrating behavior that negatively affected the psychological development of Chris and changed the course of his life, towards death.

What we must understand is that growth and development of children in favorable environment is crucial so that they can face life and its challenges with confidence rather than with disillusionment, like in Chris’s case. We also learn about the fears and anxiety in the life of teenagers, in their transition from one role to another.

In the film, ‘Superbad’ the two friends, Evan and Seth are apprehensive of departing school and the secure atmosphere of home and friendship. In the film, the two teenagers exemplify the true nature of friendship and do funny things to get themselves invited to a party, even if it is at the cost of faking their identity. This highlights the mindset of the youth and their emotional weakness, which is present in the protagonists of both the films, but the actions being radically different.

Both the films give us useful insight into the minds of the youth and illustrate the socialization process and upbringing that is severely wanting. The illustration of the emotionally weak youth and the insecurity they experience teaches one of the potential problems the American teenagers today face.

Sociological theories, particularly Mills’ theory and argument regarding the psychological problems of teenagers, states that “‘nowadays men often feel that their private lives are a series of traps’. Mill further explains that the prime reason for this is the inability of the men to “fully understand the greater sociological patterns related to their private troubles” because their “visions and their powers are limited to the close-up scenes of job, family [and] neighborhood”.

The solution which Mills offers to this problem is by developing a “social imagination” which is the a manner of “understanding the interaction between individual lives and society,” and this “quality of mind” ultimately allows the individual to “grasp” the “history and biography and the relations between the two within society”

Lack of confidence, nervousness and fear are apparent in the youth, an issue which calls for serious attention. It’s high time children and their growth, not only physical but also the mental and psychological is given equal importance. The development of the ego or self-esteem occurs in an atmosphere of love, affection, trust and confidence. In situations where the atmosphere or the setting is wanting even in one of the mentioned factors, distortion of the family occurs and ultimately children begin to suffer.

The situation seems to be additionally grave in the U.S. with more and more nuclear families and divorced parents. The condition gets really serious when single parents, especially mothers strive to make both the ends meet, with two jobs, leaving little time and patience for quality time with children. In contrast the Asian countries for instance India has cultures and traditions, like joint family systems, religious education of children and strict marital rules which are highly beneficial for the development of children in all aspects.

The rapid development of these countries is proof of the fact that the youth are highly motivated, geared and confident to face the challenges of the new globalized world. Thus, there are numerous cultural differences in the socialization process between any two countries, for example, America and India.

The depiction and open discussion about sex among the youth are absolutely normal in the U.S. and films regarding sex, such as ‘Superbad’ are not only accepted but also get critical acclaim. In contrast, sex is taboo even in the current times and the cultural norms of India do not consider it decent or respectable to discuss sex-related topics. Besides, even films where the main theme is sex are not very well accepted in the Indian society.

The knowledge of the impact of the environment, upon individuals, along with the impact of cultures, are important paradigms for understanding the social problems of the youth of the current generation. Such a comprehension is vital to the study and to sociologists in particular, because youth and teenage are the primary years in the life of an adult when life takes its course towards a better or worse career and future. Therefore the knowledge of the psychological youth pressures will enable a deep insight into their problems which is essential to devise corrective strategies.

Warm, loving and secure homely atmospheres are conducive for the healthy psychological growth and development of children. Parents work and struggle with their jobs. Extramarital affairs, verbal assaults and the rapidly deflating cultural systems provide no opportunities for children to be happy. In such cases children look outwards, rather than inwards into the family, for support love care and happiness. They idolize film actors, friends, and college studs as their role models.

They begin to visualize themselves like them so that they can be acceptable in society and in this process of socialization the children lose their true identities, and drift away from family relations. Morals and ethics are rapidly lost and the independent views of society which the children and youth development are far from real.

The children and the youth of any country are its future and in order to stabilize and secure the future, the children and youth must be provided with a sense of security and belonging so that they can develop into healthy and confident individuals. Care must be taken by the important agents of socialization in the children’s life, primarily their parents to see that the children receive enough love and support to advance in life. Home should be the place where the child should love to get back and relax, rather than one where there are disagreements, abuses and quarrels.

Summary

The most vital thing which I have learned in this class is that positive socialization also occurs in the course of academics especially so when the teachers are good. The theories learned in this class will stay with me for life and will play a crucial role in setting a secure and safe atmosphere at home. I will certainly aspire to put to use all the things which I have acquired in this class, and try to bring a positive change in society, even if I am the only one trying to do so, for, drops of water make an ocean.

References

Film ‘Into the Wild’ by Sean Penn.

Film ‘Superbad’.

Luhman R., 1982. The Sociological Outlook: A Text with Readings, Belmont.

The book “Into The Wild” written by a famous American writer and journalist Jon Krakauer and first published in 1996 has addressed the theme of the real sense of life including the meaning of success, the value of money, and the concept of happiness based on an itinerant traveler’s, Christopher McCandless, real life example.

The movie “Into The Wild” inspired by Krakauer’s book and directed by the brilliant Sean Penn has also focused on McCandless’ experience but its approach is different. The following paper aims to compare and contrast the book “Into The Wild” with the movie “Into The Wild” pointing out key details that are different to one another. Overall, the evaluation of the two works of art suggests a conclusion that the book is more focused on demonstrating the main character’s inner world along with the implications of his world vision that led him to the death, while the movie is more of a celebration of the main character.

First, juxtaposing the book “Into The Wild” with the movie of the same name¸ the book by Krakauer is a detailed examination of the main hero’s life and death, while the movie directed by Penn is more focused on McCandless’ celebration. Such difference can be explained by the fact that Krakauer shares his own experience and world vision. To the great extent, his hero represents the author’s own life story. As a result, the readers may see the sincerity of his style and engage in the live dialogue fully imbued with the author’s personal ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Reasoning about his main character living experience, Krakauer associates himself with McCandless because he believes that they share the common vision of the world including the disillusionment of material values and passion for the real values including unity with nature and spiritual growth. In the case of the movie, this unique charm is lost because it is almost impossible to demonstrate other person’s inner world and world vision in such a way that it should be well understood and accepted by the wide public. In this case, the audience may notice Chinese whispers effect.

Next, the book is full of the author’s personal reflections, speculations, and comments about the main character and life in general the audience will not find in the movie. For instance, the book has a large portion where Krakauer provides the explanation regarding his hero that he had no intentions to commit suicide. In this section, the author speaks about his main character’s pursuit to find the meaning of life, the essence of self-actualization, self-fulfillment, and harmony with his inner and outer world.

Some readers might object by stating that McCandless’ comment regarding his planned trip was the following, “If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again…” (Krakauer 55), and the use of the word “fatal” suggests that he intended to die in the trip. However, these readers might fail to notice the word “if” meaning that the character was simply aware of the fact that the trip could be dangerous for him and might lead to the fatal consequences.

Therefore, a conclusion can be made that the author of the book consistently demonstrates that his main character is a lover of life rather than a suicidal and extravagant person as some of the viewers have believed about him after watching the film. Moreover, Krakauer comments that had the circumstances been more positive for his character, he could be able to return home after his adventurous trip where he aimed to find the real essence of life.

Further, the book and the movie have different perspectives of storytelling. While the book is the documentation of its author’s voice, the film is shown from the perspective of the main character, Christopher McCandless (Into The Wild). Surprisingly to some of the representatives of the audience, Christopher McCandless was a real figure. His true life story served the plot scenario for Krakauer’s work.

Jon Krakauer, as a prominent author interested in the ruminations on the themes of the essence of life, pursuit of happiness, alternative way of living, and alternative world vision to the commonly spread materialistic way of thinking, found Christopher McCandless to be a highly intriguing object for his studies and interpretation because this young man had a sort of mentality that is infrequent for the modern-day western society with its love for money and comfort, and still the man was a real American with the extreme passion for journey to the west and learning some incredible secrets of living in harmony with nature.

Finally, the book “Into The Wild” has addressed the wider scope of chronology than the film. Whereas the film is mainly focused on the adult period in McCandless’s life, Krakauer decided to have a wider focus in an effort to tell his readers every single detail about the character’s outstanding personality, extremely rich inner world, numerous talents along with the dangerous signs of protest against all authorities and desire to shun all the values of the materialistic world.

So, Krakauer’s work makes an overview of different events in McCandless’s life, beginning from his early childhood, to demonstrate how the character’s world vision was shaped and what factors influenced him. In contrast, the film “Into The Wild” focuses on McCandless’s most notorious period in life that is his travelling around the United States and his final journey to Alaska that became fatal for him.

In conclusion, the book “Into The Wild” and the movie “Into The Wild” have both addressed the events of life and death of one of the most controversial itinerant travelers and hikers Christopher McCandless. The main difference between these two works of art is the perspective of the story telling. While the book approaches the subject theme from the point of view of a famous journalist, essayist, and novelist interested in the theme of a pursuit of happiness and essence of life searches, Jon Krakauer, the film directed by the famous director Sean Penn shows the events from the perspective of the main character himself.

The outcome of such two positions is that the representatives of the wide public have accepted the book in a more favorable way because it provides more assistance in pondering into McCandless’ inner world and the hazardous way of thinking that has laid him to the tragedy at the end of his life. In contrast, the movie does not interpret the inner values and thoughts of the main character and does not provide extra understating and suggestions to think over. What it does is just a depiction of what happened without reason on the causes of McCandless’ fatality.

Works Cited

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild, New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.

Into The Wild. Director Sean Penn. Hollywood, CA: Paramount Vintage. 2007. DVD.

Since times immemorial, man has always been an adventurer and in the endless urge to explore the world. In this regard, many people abandon their luxurious live and families to explore the world. The film “into the wild” is one of the most well-designed films, which depicts the lives of different characters who abandoned their luxurious lives and moved into the deserts to find solutions to their problems. Based on this story, many characters have died miserably in their adventures and never solved their problems. More importantly, this film shows the generosity and kindness of many characters to the rest of the world while depriving their own lives. Regarding this, this work will show a comparison between Chris Mac candles and Sam Patch who have explicitly shown a desire to explore the world (Krakauer 1997, 109).

Based on the story ‘into the wild’, Chris Mac candles was a member of a happy modern family from Washington DC. On the other hand, Chris was a simple gentleman who was never a psychopath and was dominated by obstinate idealism. More so, Chris was a graduate of Emory University who was generally a very intelligent gentleman. In addition, he was an athlete and used to undergo an unaccompanied expedition into the wild. Based on this story, he was inspired by the writings of Leo Tolstoy who abandoned a wealthy life to roam among the impoverished (Johnson 2004, 98).

More importantly, Chris was a very hard-working gentleman who could not imagine failing in any of his endeavors. Chris was very conscious in entering into any venture; whereby he could not dare start anything that he was not sure of its success. This is evident when he says that he cannot run into doing something he cannot deal with by himself. Based on this story; Chris was very thoughtful in his expenditure as he saved big proportions of his earnings. Further, he was very generous since he used to assist the needy in society. This can be evident from an instance where he sacrificed money intended for his education by giving it to a relief fund. It can be argued that Chris gained more pleasure being poor than when having money as his days were more exhilarating when he was destitute and had to scavenge for his next meal (Krakauer 1997, 109).

Throughout his teenage life, Chris was a very humble person who was very hardworking in all his undertakings. Further, Chris was very excellent in his academic work and as a result, attained attractive grades in all subjects. Additionally, he was very innovative and business-oriented; where in this case he conducted several businesses in school which yielded good profits. From the story, it can be depicted that, Chris was very considerate about the poor in the society; as can be seen in this case where he advocated for alleviation of hunger and gave much of his savings to help the poor. Importantly, Chris was much respected among his peers and very trusted in all his endeavors since none of his undertakings failed. From the words of Eric, Chris used the spiritual aspects in motivating his peers. In connection to this, Chris is depicted as a very optimistic character who considered himself worthy and able in any endeavor. However, his dreams diminished when he solely died in Alaska while on his adventures in the desert (Krakauer 1997, 109).

On the other hand, Sam Patch was a very optimistic and independent gentleman who trusted his capabilities. Regardless of his noble origin, Sam didn’t see the worth of discriminating against any other human being. Just like Chris, Sam was very innovative and curious to learn new ideas. Concerning this case, Sam Patch was very brave and did not hesitate to take any challenge. Concerning his, he would try anything for pleasure or profit. In this case, Sam was not considerate about the pain or the risk he might undergo in entering into any venture. Based on this story, Sam has been revealed as hopeful even at times of despair and amid immense problems (Johnson 2004, 98).

A point worth noting is that Sam was a fearless gentleman who led many risky excursions into the seething falls at siagara. In this case, he loved jumping and enjoyed drawing crowds to watch his undertakings while he earned himself some cash. In addition, Sam Patch was a very active gentleman who ensured that he was engaged most of the time. Concerning this case, Sam would keep himself busy by frying in summer and freezing in winter for about 12 hours daily. Based on this case, Sam was very optimistic in his excursions whereby; he was very keen on proceeding with every phase of his adventures. Based on this story, it is evident that Sam was a very outgoing character who was never interested in the earthly pleasures of life (Krakauer 1997, 109).

Concerning the story, it is evident that Sam was among the brave boys who enjoyed wild freedoms by leaping over the waterfall beside the shady satanic mills. Unlike most of his friends, Sam had extraordinary courage to try leaping in the stony death-defying places. Concerning this, he was considerate about the pleasure of his customers at the expense of his life. As a commercial jumper, seventy-five dollars was adequate for Sam to leap in the risky falls. More importantly, Sam was very ignorant about his welfare and paid less attention to the risks which he might encounter in his career. This is evident when his life and jumping career were terminated as he jumped at Genesee falls. In this case, Sam met his sad death where his prowess and braveness varnished without any gain (Johnson 2004, 98).

Conclusion

To sum up, the character traits of Chris Mac and Sam Patch are closely related as it is evident that the two gentlemen were unrealistic about life. About the stories, Chris and Sam were very brave and didn’t hesitate to take any risk. Based on this story, it can be concluded that most of the characters who rebelled their freedom in the search for solutions went up being more frustrated or died in their endeavors.

Reference list

Johnson, Paul. 2004. Sam Patch, The Famous Jumper. New York: Hill and Wang Publishers.

Krakauer, Jon. 1997. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor publishers.