Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, is a memoir about how living in the wilderness and how Chris McCandless lived nearly two years in the wild. Throughout the novel, Krakauer relates Chris’ adventures to his own experience in mountain climbing and living on his own. This is not your typical memoir where the author tells a story about their lives. Jon Krakauer is not the main character; however he tells a story of this boy who leaves his well-developed family for no apparent reason. But not only does he tell Chris’ story, he tells his own by fusing them altogether.
The story starts out and it is telling about all these people and how they relate to Chris McCandless, but it is extremely hard to tell who is telling the story. Because it’s a memoir, the reader knows that the author is, but it is hard to see how the main character and the author are related. Later on in the novel, the reader figures out that the author and main character are related through their similar relationships with their fathers, attraction to outdoors, and the similar things they each like to do.
Krakauer explains in random chapters that catch you by surprise because you never know if he is talking about Chris or himself, both had very similar lives that he always had stories about and would relate his personal life to the life of Chris McCandless. This book is one of my favorite books of all time. At first when you asked us to do this project I assumed I would just find a book on spark notes to do, until I found this book at Borders.
I have always been interested in dropping everything to live in poverty to feel what people less fortunate feel and to try to help them. Even though that is not what this book was about, the variation that he dropped everything to explore the world and all its wonders blows my mind how someone as genius as himself and not to mention how wealthy his family was. Many thoughts ran through my head as I examined this book.
My youth minister challenged me to go down to the inner city of Atlanta for two days and try to live like someone would if they had no money. This book is what I needed to become more knowledgeable of the circumstances and the things that could happen. As soon as I picked this book up, I could not put it down. Every chance I got, I was reading. I was begging in class for you to let us have down time so I could submerge myself into this virtual reality that I wanted to experience.
Unfortunately at the end of this memoir, Chris McCandless dies of what Krakauer believes to be starvation. The cool thing about how Krakauer revised this novel is how he relates it to all teenagers. At one point in time mostly all teenagers have a fight with their parents and they feel as if running away from it all is their only escape. He focuses on Chirs McCandless’ life so much to create the theme that no matter how much you fight and argue, your parents love you and they want the best for you no matter what.
I will recommend this book to everyone because it has elements that I feel most books do not have. It was enjoyable to read because I have had many problems with my father and this book helped me come to a revelation. This book kept me going and all I wanted to do was curl up underneath my covers and read this book. It was such an inspirational tool that will never leave my heart and I will always cherish how it made me feel. I am really excited to read his other book Into the Air. If it is anything like this book, I will love it.
