“Into the Wild” a text by Jon Krakauer highlights on the tribulations that a person can go through as a result of making the wrong choices. There are times when people find themselves making decisions which are nearly unrealistic and which later turn out to be a disaster. It is advisable to consult with ones own family or close friends when one is about to make a major decision which might affect those who are close to them. Human beings need each others support hence it is right to at times involve those closest to you when deciding to make a huge turn.
“Into the Wild” is a narrative by Jon Krakauer where he explores a young man’s trip to the Alaskan wilderness. The book centers on the journey that the young man makes for two years. Upon graduating from college McCandless gives out some of his money as donation, leaves behind his car and nearly all his belongings and sets out to experience a new life in the wild. A hunter finds him dead four months later. McCandless changes his name and throws away the maps. The author looks deeper into what could have led McCandless to venture into the risky wilderness, leaving behind his troubled family.
The writer is concerned that the youth did not seek the opinions of either his family or friends and ventures out on his own ignorant of the dangers that lay ahead. At some point, the author believes that the boy’s love for the natural world was almost like an obsession. The youth’s mistakes turn out to be fatal and the writer wonders why McCandless had miscalculated his moves. The novelist wishes that the youth would have taken time to re examine his decision more deeply and perhaps seek out for help among his close associates. Krakauer brings into light McCandless passage and the risks involved.
McCandless family members are shocked at his decision to discover the wild and they were confused over why he would want to abandon a known future to set out to create one for him self. They felt bad that he does not regard their feelings. The author says that Chris lived on edible roots and fruits. He also fed on game meat. According to the author, the initial plan of McCandless was to travel to the coast but the tough landscape during that summer proved to be too hard to trek on and he chose to camp out in an old deserted bus. McCandless could not leave as the path had been obstructed by a stream which had melted.
By this time, he had grown very weak. The evidence presented by the writer concerning the trip made by Chris into the wilderness is somewhat convincing. The author states that Chris death could have been as a result of the poisons that were found in the seeds that he had eaten earlier on. And since he had been feeding regularly on a light meal of rice and thin meat as well as natural fruits and roots, he was not able to fight off the poisons. An examination carried out on the dead body of Chris found out that he had only a small percent of fat showing the poor state of his body to fight off poisons.
Krakauer was able to trace a few people who came into contact with Chris such as the old man who had grown very fond of him. He said that Chris had influenced his life. The writer went to seek out these people as he still could not understand why Chris could not have shared his emotional troubles with them or get influenced by them to desire to go back home. The author has been able to get the writing and postcards of McCandless. He acts as a voice to the internal McCandless. He tries to dig deeper to what might have been the primary cause of Chris to want to live in the bush and cut him self from the rest of the world. He wonders if the boy did not think that he was being unfair to those who cared about him as they would worry over his whereabouts.
Had he come along with a friend, the friend might have helped him to look for food when he became too weak to do it him self, or he or she might have given him ideas on how to find the way out of the bush. There is some evidence that has been brought forward that disagrees with Krakauer claim that Chris died as a result of lack of food. The author tends to think that McCandless went in search of something that he him self could not explain. He had a strong longing to fulfill an inner want which prompted him to leave behind his family and close friends and begin his long and risky journey to the wild. The author says that Chris began his journey began armed with a little rice, a short gun, a camera and a small choice of studying material.
The reading material includes a guide of the area’s suitable crops. This discovery has thus disqualified claims that McCandless was on a mission to die, since had he wanted to die, he would not have carried a manual to guide him on the edible crops in the area. Besides he would not have carried any form of protection or food like he did. There is a claim that Chris declined a suggestion by his friend to buy for him warm clothing and more food to carry with him showing that Chris did not seem to realize the severity of the bush.
Chris has a deeply firm personality which could have probably been influenced by the writings of authors such as Tolstoy and Thoreau. There is a great similarity between Krakauer own experiences as a young man and those of McCandless. Krakauer had tried to climb one of the mountains in Alaska and he felt that he could almost understand the drive behind McCandless wish to explore the wilderness. Krakauer had a lot of understanding of what went on in the wild and could relate it to Chris encounters. He knew that the bush was a hostile place for humans and questions why McCandless did not gather information of what to expect in the bush, since this could have altered his decision to make the trip. Chris kept a diary and through some of this information; Krakauer was able to come up with theories regarding what could have been the reason for Chris death. McCandless had stated in his diary that he had become very weak as a result of consuming potato seeds. It is from this report that Krakauer came up with the idea that it might have been possible that Chris had been feeding on “the wild potato” ( Krakauer pg.96). He says that the crop did well in spring as it was sugary and nourishing but later on turned out to be too hard to eat.
Due to the crop becoming unfit to be eaten, Chris out of desperation may have tried to eat the seeds of that plant instead. Krakauer proposes that the seeds had a poisonous chemical. According to the findings of Krakauer the poisonous substance makes a person to grow weak and brings about starvation through blocking digestion of food in the body. Krakauer argues that it was possible for a healthy person to carry on from consuming those seeds as their body could make use of the stored nutrients in the body and fight off the poison.
Being that Chris had not been feeding on strong and healthy foods thereby weakening him, he was more at risk of giving in to the poisonous substance in the seeds (Krakauer pg.78). A check on Chris after his death showed that he only had about 10% of fat in his body meaning that his body would not have been able to defend itself against the poison. There was a research that contradicted Krakauer findings stating that the wild potatoes discovered from the area next to the bus where the decomposing body of Chris was found did not contain any poison in them.
Krakauer then altered his theory and stated that the young man could have died as a result of eating seeds which he had kept in a bag that had mold, hence he became ill and grew too weak search for food. This led him to die of hunger. Chris suffered as a result of his poor decision and failing to place his trust on those who were concerned about him. In another instance it has been said that Chris died as a result of lack of food and not due to consuming the seeds of the wild potato as earlier suggested by Krakauer. The views on Chris journey into the wild suggest that he was a brave person although there are those who feel that he did not adequately prepare for some of the situations in which he found himself in. Chris took a lot of risks and was a little reckless.
The account of Chris and his venture into the wild can be taken to warn people against failing to consult for advice from ones family and friends. Clearly, the trip would not end well especially being that the boy was not experienced. His family might have discouraged him had he sought their advice. Had he shared his emotional problems with his friends, they might have been able to assist him or he would have found out that he was not the only one with problems. Similarly it can be viewed as a tale of the search for individual freedom .Chris tried his best to stay alive in the wilderness and although he does not survive, people can learn a lot from him (Spurr & Cameron pg.244).
People should at times be allowed to do as their hearts wish but they are warned against the impending dangers that could come as a result of unwise decisions. Krakauer’s tone is sympathetic towards Chris and what he had to go through. Chris probably felt that his parents did not give him much attention as they were too involved in their careers and have might have grown resentful towards them making him to become rebellious. The writer believes that Chris could have tried to speak to his parents about his feelings and they might have solved some of those issues. The playwright at some point feels sympathy for Chris who has to brave the cold in the wild and try to stay alive on limited resources. The book has a sad tone where Chris cannot really tell why he came to the wilderness and what his aim in life is.
Chris comes to accept that he has little time to live and begins to come closer to the truth. The story of Chris can lead people to re examine the decisions that they at times make. The writer’s position regarding the question of McCandless is because of his own past experiences when he went to climb the Everest Mountain. His venture ends sadly when a storm claims the lives of the other people that were with him (Spurr & Cameron pg.244). Krakauer says on a number of instances that Chris was unwise and careless in choosing to get on such an endeavor. The writer feels that Chris had no idea concerning the problems of his mission.
The writer is not happy with the boy’s decision to venture out in the wild leaving his family in anguish and worrying over him. He feels that Chris was not concerned about his family’s pain because if he were, he would have considered changing his decision. Chris thought he was discovering a fresh life for him self by going into the wilderness and looking out for a raw and moving occurrence and was driven by his own selfishness (Adamson pg.158)
Krakauer feels that Chris wanted to conquer the wild which is impractical especially when one has no help and very minimal experience. He considers this as very discouraging and this was what led to the boy’s passing away. Krakauer says that Alaskan wilderness has been known to attract dreamers and those who feel that they do not fit into their society. They fail to recognize the importance of getting support and approval from their family and close friends and imagine that they can manage on their own. At some point the writer had thought that climbing to the top of a mountain would fix the wrong things in his life but later realized that doing that did not help him in anything (Adamson pg.158). He says that these people go there believing that they will be able to fill all the gaps in their lives. The author regards this as just an impractical fantasy. He describes the bush as a hostile place that does not care for peoples’ hopes. It might have helped if Chris had taken a trip along with a friend so that they could help one another. McCandless did not feel the need to seek for guidance from other people which eventually led to his death.
Work Cited:
Fresne Jim& Spitzer Aaron. Alaska. New York: Lonely Planet, 2006.
Krakauer Jon, Into the wild .California: Pan Books, 2007.
Spurr Barry & Cameron Lloyd. Excel HSC Standard English. New York: Pascal Press, 2005.
Penn Sean&, Krakauer Jon Into the wild: screenplay. California: Paramount Vantage 2007
Adamson Lynda .Thematic guide to popular nonfiction. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006.
Sharp Michael. Popular Contemporary Writers. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 2005.
