If one so wishes to detach from social normality, parental expectations, or a mix of both, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a novel worth his or her time. A story that so engrossingly describes the adventurous life of a man named Chris McCandless, the nonfictional plot has nearly all of the world guessing the true intentions of a man so bold. Into the Wild will legitimately take a reader into the wilderness of the United States, as well as Chris McCandless’ freelancing mind. This book accurately and sensationally paints the life of a man gone rogue through content towards his father and a thirst for solitude and personal peace.
Chris McCandless or, as most people who met him on his travels would call him by, Alex Supertramp, was indubitably a genius. As he matured, his intelligence revealed itself in his marks and scholarly nature; nonetheless, Chris seemed to hold a side of him that would continually boil into a turmoil of emotions midway through his college career directed at his father. A secret bigamist, Chris’s father lived two lives; he kept secret from Chris that he bore another child after he was born to a woman that was not his mother. This secret, though long withheld, infuriated Chris when he did discover his father’s distorted lie, resulting in a rage that would gradually build over the remainder of Chris’s life.
As noted, Chris was highly intelligent, receiving a stupendous IQ and excelling in almost every sport, instrument, or activity that he attempted. Additionally, Chris found his love for nature when he was rather young; he lavished in family camping trips and adored being outside. In combining Chris’s deft skill in book smarts and endless love for the organic ways of the untouched Earth, Chris decided to embark on a journey to the wilderness of Alaska.
Many people assume that Chris had a suicide wish, and some plainly thought he had gone mad. After a riveting read of Into the Wild, one will learn Chris’s true intentions for his uncharacteristic journey, as well as the author’s personal story of defying social norms and nearly parallel experience to Chris’s.
Without revealing the ending to this page-turning plot, one would undoubtedly enjoy such a novel as it holds adventure, questions, and the mystery of McCandless’s life’s ending.
Analyzed by Anna Novakis
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