Into The Wild

By Jon Krakauer

Genre: Narrative Non-Fiction/Biography/Autobiography

Via: Library

There’s a reason Jon Krakauer is a bestselling author of narrative nonfiction. If you’re unfamiliar with  Krakauer, then consider picking up a copy of his book Into The Wild. It’s an excellent introduction into the work of this crack investigative journalist as he pieces together the life and death of Christopher McCandless (aka: “Alexander Supertramp”).

The 4-1-1

The son of a well-off family, McCandless disappeared after graduating from college. He donated his $25,000 in savings to charity. Abandoned his car and most of his possessions. Burned all the cash he had. McCandless chose to become a “leather tramp,” relying on hitchhiking as his primary mode of transportation (as opposed to a “rubber tramp,” someone who travels on wheels).

Essentially divested of all connections to civilization, McCandless sets off across the country with his sights set on his “great Alaskan adventure.” Intending to spend the summer alone in the bush, living off the land, McCandless walked into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992. Along with his meager possessions, McCandless carried a pair of borrowed boots, a guide book on edible plants, and a ten pound bag of rice.

He was found dead by moose hunters four months later. He weighed 67 pounds. What may have happened to McCandless and why makes up the balance of this riveting read.

Intense, emotionally distant and idealistic, McCandless is hard to peg. He’s an enigma. He’s a loner who doesn’t like being lonely. He has a penchant for Russian writers such as Tolstoy and Pasternak. Also Jack London and Henry David Thoreau. 

Rolls Out

In this thought-provoking work, Krakauer rolls out his prodigious storytelling skills, puts on his investigative journalist hat, and tries to discover what happened to McCandless. How did McCandless wind up living in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness, and why?

Perplexing

The latter question is particularly perplexing. Krakauer tackles it with gusto. He digs deep, delving into first-hand interviews with McCandless’s friends and family. Also McCandless’s journal as well as other correspondence as he searches for clues about McCandless’s untimely death.

Krakauer offers some of his own theories regarding the most likely causes(s) that led to McCandless’s death. Inexperience? Incompetence? Ignorance? Hubris? Naivete? Krakauer stops short of stating any categorically, as empirical fact. He allows readers to make up their own minds and draw their own conclusions.

Expert

Krakauer is an expert in narrative nonfiction. His style is methodological. Analytical. Meticulously researched. And very thorough. It’s often peppered with rich word pictures and vivid descriptions. His style is lively, spirited, and full of energy. So is Into the Wild. Krakauer’s use of flashbacks, foreshadowing and irony is masterful. While haunting and puzzling, Into the Wild is also an absorbing story of a restless young man in search of himself.

Treble Themes

Indeed, the book is built around treble themes of family relationships, especially McCandless’s smoldering anger and resentment toward his father; Man vs. nature; and freedom or autonomy. McCandless wants to disconnect from society and live life on his own terms.

Powerful Blend

Thus, Into the Wild is also a psychological odyssey into the mind of an enigmatic young man who went into the wild to “explore the inner country of his own soul.” What emerges is a powerful blend of essay, biography, investigative journalism and autobiography.

Krakauer hops around in places as he interweaves parts of his own story with the story of McCandless’s life. Some readers may find this problematic. But Krakauer’s life story folds into the McCandless story like blue berries into pancake batter. He leaves the door open for readers to ruminate on not only what internal motivations may have driven McCandless, but on their own as well.

It’s brilliant.

And while McCandless’s actions and decisions have drawn sharp criticism and even contempt in some circles, Krakauer’s tone is more empathetic.

Into the Wild was first published in 1996, a few years after McCandless’s death. An updated version was published in 2015. Both stand the test of time. Questions linger. And that’s one reason Into the Wild remains a compelling read. 

Have you read it?

Our Rating: 4.0