Last January after I saw Into the Wild, the movie left me wanting to learn more about the main character, Chris McCanless, and motives for his adventure. His death in the Alaskan wilderness seemed completely unnecessary and stupid. I’m not sure I learned much more about his motives other than to experience life in a more raw way than many of us do. Here’s one of my favorite passages in the book, written by McCandless:

So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirt within a man than a secure future.

Is the film that was made after the book any good? I haven’t seen it yet.

For some reason this book reminded me of Catcher in the Rye. I can’t put my finger on why, but I enjoyed both books greatly.

I always heard about this book throughout high school. I’m not sure if it was required reading for some classes, though I was never in a class required to read it. I never knew what the book was about either, I just heard the title. Recently I saw an article about it in Outside Magazine and heard they had made a movie about it. It sparked my interest more and I read the whole article and finally knew what it was about, and how it was based on a true story. At the time that I read the article, my dad was reading the book, and I had no idea that he owned it. It sounds so interesting and is unlike any other story I have heard of, so I am starting to read it today. Afterwards I will go rent the film :)

This is my second reading of Into the Wild. I have been following the story since Krakauer’s original article in Outside Magazine and was very interested because the same year that Mr. McCandless was starving to death in the bus, I spent five months hitchhiking around Alaska. Even on my second reading, I still can’t understand the infatuation with this story. McCandless was an idiot. The same way i can’t understand the infatuation with Aron Ralston (who lost his arm in Utah on a solo trip).

This book is an inspiring read. The letter to Mr. Franz is enough to move someone if not the whole book. Some people may think Chris was ignorant in trying to live in the Alaskan wilderness, and may have made some mistakes, but he did something he had been dreaming about, and I admire his rejection of society and living independently for 2 years. Yes, his wild adventure cost him his life, but I think he was happy in the end, and I think that’s all that matters!