Into the Wild
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the haunting true account of Chris McCandless, a young man who went off the grid and disappeared into the wilds of Alaska. His body would be found some months later by local hunters. Krakauer, completely fascinated by this guy's extraordinary and confusing journey, does his best to understand McCandless through this work.
I thought this was a pretty fast-paced and engrossing read. The author obviously put a lot of time and effort into researching McCandless's entire life and activities, but it didn't read like a cheesy biography. Instead, he included just enough details to give a glimpse into this unique man's psyche as events unfolded. Even so, I still found myself largely unable to relate to or understand McCandless, except for his seeming desire to live a simpler life. Just like Thoreau and his famous quote about getting away to Walden Pond because he wished to live deliberately, I understood how the frontier land of Alaska could be appealing to McCandless. Still, his overconfidence in his ability to survive in a strange land was baffling. He showed up to Alaska woefully underprepared, with only a big bag of rice, some cheap hiking boots, and a small caliber hunting rifle. The guy who gave him a ride to his destination even gave him his insulated boots and tried his best to discourage his journey, but McCandless was just so determined to go. I think that's what confused me most about this man; why was this such an important journey? Like Thoreau, did he want to get away from it all to find himself, or was he simply running from his problems?
I've read a lot of criticism about McCandless from people who think he was just plain stupid and reckless, and that ultimately he got what he deserved. I'll admit that I don't understand his decisions, but I was a little taken aback by such harsh comments. People honestly seem to resent or dislike this man they've never even met. That's one of the things I liked about Into the Wild; Krakauer does his best to understand and explain this man's life because, as he details, he went through a similar experience and relates to his journey on some level. The difference is, he survived. I admired his respect for the life of the man he wrote about.
Overall, this was a really interesting book that I'd definitely recommend. McCandless is certainly an enigma that, even in his respect and admiration, I don't think even the author quite figured out. Still, his perilous journey into the woods was both fascinating and heartbreaking, and I think this man's tragic story is worth reading.
I thought this was a pretty fast-paced and engrossing read. The author obviously put a lot of time and effort into researching McCandless's entire life and activities, but it didn't read like a cheesy biography. Instead, he included just enough details to give a glimpse into this unique man's psyche as events unfolded. Even so, I still found myself largely unable to relate to or understand McCandless, except for his seeming desire to live a simpler life. Just like Thoreau and his famous quote about getting away to Walden Pond because he wished to live deliberately, I understood how the frontier land of Alaska could be appealing to McCandless. Still, his overconfidence in his ability to survive in a strange land was baffling. He showed up to Alaska woefully underprepared, with only a big bag of rice, some cheap hiking boots, and a small caliber hunting rifle. The guy who gave him a ride to his destination even gave him his insulated boots and tried his best to discourage his journey, but McCandless was just so determined to go. I think that's what confused me most about this man; why was this such an important journey? Like Thoreau, did he want to get away from it all to find himself, or was he simply running from his problems?
I've read a lot of criticism about McCandless from people who think he was just plain stupid and reckless, and that ultimately he got what he deserved. I'll admit that I don't understand his decisions, but I was a little taken aback by such harsh comments. People honestly seem to resent or dislike this man they've never even met. That's one of the things I liked about Into the Wild; Krakauer does his best to understand and explain this man's life because, as he details, he went through a similar experience and relates to his journey on some level. The difference is, he survived. I admired his respect for the life of the man he wrote about.
Overall, this was a really interesting book that I'd definitely recommend. McCandless is certainly an enigma that, even in his respect and admiration, I don't think even the author quite figured out. Still, his perilous journey into the woods was both fascinating and heartbreaking, and I think this man's tragic story is worth reading.
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