Into the Wild

Before I saw the trailer of the movie, I didn't even know there's this great book. I have just read it for the first time, and I cried several times even before I reached the middle of the book. When I saw the trailer for the first time, I just thought, wow, what an inspiring movie it should be! I must see it when it comes out! Not until a couple of days ago did I learn that the man in the book...more

Before I saw the trailer of the movie, I didn't even know there's this great book. I have just read it for the first time, and I cried several times even before I reached the middle of the book. When I saw the trailer for the first time, I just thought, wow, what an inspiring movie it should be! I must see it when it comes out! Not until a couple of days ago did I learn that the man in the book actually died in Alaska. I was puzzled and sad when I knew about it. Today I went to buy this book and finished reading it as soon as I could. It was, I don't think inspiring is actually a proper word for it. I just had this profound sadness when I read some of the passages Chris had left. Whoever reads this book, whether you think good or evil of Chris's journey, I don't think you can deny that what he said affected you somehow. Don't you have the urge to do something like he did? We just, to a certain degree, conformed to some acceptable way of life. Maybe it IS easy to leave it all behind. Maybe it IS easy to change our lives----if we're brave enough to do it, to take that first step.   hide

Into the Wild looks at the true life adventures of wandering spirit, Chris McCandless; a romantic, pioneering graduate who entered into the Alaskan wilderness one spring and was found dead several months later. To my mind he was an utter goon, but luckily personal opinion as to McCandless' character doesn’t obstruct enjoyment of Into the Wild. Krakauer’s approach is that of an...more

Into the Wild looks at the true life adventures of wandering spirit, Chris McCandless; a romantic, pioneering graduate who entered into the Alaskan wilderness one spring and was found dead several months later. To my mind he was an utter goon, but luckily personal opinion as to McCandless' character doesn’t obstruct enjoyment of Into the Wild. Krakauer’s approach is that of an amateur flat-foot’s investigation, piecing together clues from McCandless’ notes, and interviewing everyone & anyone who met him on his travels. The book smartly assembles facts in an attempt to root out the adventurer’s motives, grasping, like a decent biography, to comprehend his contrary, complex character. Although biased in McCandless’ favour, Krakauer tends to present information candidly and thoroughly enough to allow a reader to draw their own conclusions, and we all like that don't we? That said, the most intriguing and thrilling section of the book comes when Krakauer retells a rock-climbing adventure from his own youth. Evoking the loneliness, fear and exhilaration of a wilderness journey most of us will only ever imagine, it’s a fascinating side-step, told by a man reigning in the inherent sensationalism of his tale, to provide a frank account of youthful arrogance in the face of nature.   hide

Krakauer’s in-depth portrait of Christopher McCandless is a wonder of tenacious journalistic research and heart. As I was reading “Into the Wild,” Krakauer plunged me into to the mind and motivations of McCandless, and caused me to love Chris as a human being with complicated faults and overconfident intentions of walking into the wild. Knowing Chris died of starvation near...more

Krakauer’s in-depth portrait of Christopher McCandless is a wonder of tenacious journalistic research and heart. As I was reading “Into the Wild,” Krakauer plunged me into to the mind and motivations of McCandless, and caused me to love Chris as a human being with complicated faults and overconfident intentions of walking into the wild. Knowing Chris died of starvation near Mount Denali National Park while I was being introduced to this vivacious, adventuresome, and overconfident Super Tramp, placed me- as the reader- in the position of examining each twist and turn of his fate. In the end, I was begging for divine intervention to stop Chris from closing his eyes in death. If you want to better understand the mentality of climbers and athletes who push themselves to the breaking point of physical endurance, read this book.   hide

I read this and was fascinated that the protagonist almost survived his wilderness adventure in the wilds of Alaska. Had it not been for some poison berries, which he had deduced were not poisonous, he might have survived. There are so few frontiers left that this was the only way this kid could attempt to experience what generations before us were able to. But it's interesting that others...more

I read this and was fascinated that the protagonist almost survived his wilderness adventure in the wilds of Alaska. Had it not been for some poison berries, which he had deduced were not poisonous, he might have survived. There are so few frontiers left that this was the only way this kid could attempt to experience what generations before us were able to. But it's interesting that others I shared the book with just thought he was stupid. But I compared him to Amelia Earhart. She wasn't really prepared for an around the world trip. She too failed. But we look at her as a tragic hero. McCandless deserves some of that admiration.   hide

Karkauer has an incredibly artsy writing style, that's a treat to read. This book could have very well been crammed into 50 pages, but the delight and strength of the book came through the way he delivered it to us. The story itself of a boy who traveled to Alaska, faced unfortunate events and was found dead. That story itself is not what makes this book powerful. It is the way Krakauer attempts...more

Karkauer has an incredibly artsy writing style, that's a treat to read. This book could have very well been crammed into 50 pages, but the delight and strength of the book came through the way he delivered it to us. The story itself of a boy who traveled to Alaska, faced unfortunate events and was found dead. That story itself is not what makes this book powerful. It is the way Krakauer attempts to put us in the place of the character and explain to us the powerful meanings of nature's calling. We live in a society where we are caught up in daily routines, and we forget that in fact we gave up the natural wild, for another type of chaos. If you were to really read through it looking at each thought that is printed on the chapter, you can understand what kind of barriers are put on us by everyday society in return for what we believe is stability. If read correctly I think this book could be considered not only powerful, but rather frightening.   hide

I read this while traveling the west after college a few years ago. Even though I planned on returning home after my trip, I had serious thoughts of getting "ictchy feet" and just keep on moving. It is a tragedy, but it also holds a certain romantism that captures the "Manifest Destiny" that holds many Americans today. I wish I was smart enough to understand the writers as intelligently as Chris,...more

I read this while traveling the west after college a few years ago. Even though I planned on returning home after my trip, I had serious thoughts of getting "ictchy feet" and just keep on moving. It is a tragedy, but it also holds a certain romantism that captures the "Manifest Destiny" that holds many Americans today. I wish I was smart enough to understand the writers as intelligently as Chris, er, Alex, but this is certainly a grand inspirational yet forwarding tale of what danges lurk in our dreams. My only complaint is I think Krakauer stretches his only personal tales into the story a bit too much, but for a non-outdoorsman you will gain certain perspective on what leads people to leave the beaten path. I have been to Alaska, flew over the area of his camp and I did quiz a few locals on their thoughts of the story. The older generation thought he was just another crazy as described in the book, yet the yonger generation shared his romantic images of the wild. Why this simple story of a boy who tried to get lost on the map but instead just threw one out grips today I believe is because we wish to escape our own concrete jungles for the real ones just beyond the horizon. That's why I (and many others) may admire Chris - he did things we would never dare do, but dream of everyday. He had guts.   hide

The book, as you may or may not know, is about a mid-twenty-something who graduated with honors from college, gave away all his money, ditched his car, hitchhiked around the US for two years, ended up in Alaska where he wished to 'live off the land' and moose hunters found his decomposed carcass four months later. The question of course is, why did he do it? To be honest, I have two feelings...more

The book, as you may or may not know, is about a mid-twenty-something who graduated with honors from college, gave away all his money, ditched his car, hitchhiked around the US for two years, ended up in Alaska where he wished to 'live off the land' and moose hunters found his decomposed carcass four months later. The question of course is, why did he do it? To be honest, I have two feelings on what McCandless did: I have utmost admiration for his disdain for society, wealth, monotonous idle existence, and the lackadaisical comfort of a normal life devoid of thrill and adventure. On the other hand, I think he went about it in a horribly ignorant and 'spiritual' way that lead to his death. First off, why take it so far? If you are opposed to wealth and menial day-to-day existence there are ways to embark on a journey without taking it to such an extreme (ergo: walking into the Alaskan bush with barely any food, only a .22 rifle, inappropriate clothing, and a stack of Russian short stories). I, too, desperately seek a life away from the 'suburban' society full of deceit, materialism, public opinion, competition, conspicuous consumption: but to prove a point by walking unprepared into one of the most dangerous areas of the world is just plain stupid. Second of all, while reading the book one is frequently aware of McCandless' spirituality. He was described as being self-sacrificial and ascetic, a dreamer who lacked common sense and had trouble distinguishing reality from fiction. This too, I believe, killed him. Maybe he though he had a 'Protector' out there in the wild? Maybe this blindness to reality, science, reason, is what lead to his death (which supposedly it did)? An obstinate dedication to spirituality and a blindness to reality can lead to absolute disaster: whether it be a 23 year old dreamer wandering off into Alaska or an old man willing to sacrifice his son just because some ethereal hallucination told him to do so. Overall I thought this was an amazing book. My favorite parts of all were actually the quotes that began each chapter- typically passages highlighted out of books found with McCandless' body. They really highlight some of his reasons for doing this, and most of them are so poetic and motivating that I can easily see how one would be so effected by them. My opinion: McCandless was among a number of individuals throughout time who did the wrong thing but had the right intentions.   hide

As a outdoors enthusist and a day dreamer this book had great appeal to me. I can't think of a single trip into the backcountry when I haven't romanticised the idea of living out there in nature. It's fair to say there a little of the spirit McCandless in all of us who head to the hills in order to find meaning and purpose in life. The Themes explored in this book can teach us a great deal about...more

As a outdoors enthusist and a day dreamer this book had great appeal to me. I can't think of a single trip into the backcountry when I haven't romanticised the idea of living out there in nature. It's fair to say there a little of the spirit McCandless in all of us who head to the hills in order to find meaning and purpose in life. The Themes explored in this book can teach us a great deal about the power and draw of nature , we also learn a great deal about what it means to be human ,to be alive, to be free ,and what we are missing as a society that is suppose to have it all. My hat is off to McCandless for what he was trying to accomplish and for having the stones to go and do it. That being said I can't help but think the story of Chris (Alex Supertramp) McCandless would have been so much better if he could have told us himself.   hide

Reading “Into the Wind”, we could not help but be enthralled by Jon Krakauer’s compassionate retell of Chris McCaldness’s adventure. A mixture of admiration, awe, and pity are boiled together in the general public’s reactions toward the story. Some argue that Chris was a spoiled brat whose arrogance was pivotal in his death. Others believe that Chris is the new...more

Reading “Into the Wind”, we could not help but be enthralled by Jon Krakauer’s compassionate retell of Chris McCaldness’s adventure. A mixture of admiration, awe, and pity are boiled together in the general public’s reactions toward the story. Some argue that Chris was a spoiled brat whose arrogance was pivotal in his death. Others believe that Chris is the new generation Holden Caulfield from “Catcher in the Rye” – the symbol for rebellious, carefree, youth whose soul always thrived to freedom. Personally, I think in those two years hitchhiking, Chris got to live the life that he wished for. He wasn’t in graduate school or killing himself in an office job just to fit in with his father’s ambitious expectation. In that small bus cabin in Alaska, Chris found what he was searching for: a chance to appreciate his surroundings and the realization that “Happiness isn’t real unless shared with someone else…”Chris‘s innocent but intense desire to break away from society pushed him to that bus cabin in Alaska. Chris wanted to walk the fine line outside of the conventional “successful’ life that his father built around him. Many see Chris’s actions (burning money, attempt to live with nature without proper training) as foolish and arrogant; however, we also have to agree that these actions showed the poetic and noble sides of an enigma youth. Chris McCandless is an incredibly sensitive boy who wanted to find himself in solace. But he was certainly not suicidal, for there is no reason for him to leave the SOS note on his cabin door had he intended to wither away silently. Death only entered his mind when he was in Fairbanks, and even then, it was an abstract possibility. He didn’t come there for money, nor did he embark on this adventure for glory. As Krakauer remarked, had Chris gone out of there alive, he would be as unknown as when he came in. Readers can’t stop but ask why? What reasons that are forceful enough to let a man with bright future strayed further and further away from his family and into the reckless adventure? Chris didn’t contact his family during his trip because he didn’t want to act superiority. That would on degrade his adventure down to the sole purpose of rebellion. Maybe he was searching for another kind of living, one that wasn’t marred by human hypocrisy and the turbulence of human’s mind. He was reaching out for freedom in the truest sense of the word.   hide