I had to let overthinking go when it did not serve me anymore, when it burdened me with too many spiraling thoughts. And I had to let that go.Įvery single person and the inner working of their minds are so incredibly different that to attempt to grasp fully the “why” a person would say or do this to another would simply be maddening.
#INTO THE WILD BOOK AND MOVIE FULL#
Truth be told, I could never know with full certainty what someone thought despite their actions and words. There was simply too many contradictions. I could not understand what a person truly meant by what they said and what they did. Overthinking every issue in life will drive you into the wall.Īs a young child, I used to think and analyze every little action and every word uttered to me. To begin with, it is okay not to always have the right answer. I found Krakauer’s portrayal of Chris McCandless refreshing and compelling to read and I drew crucial life lessons from “Into the Wild.”Ĭrucial life lesson #1 Try not to overthink Although McCandless was intelligent and had graduated from college, he wanted something more. I saw someone who was comforted by solitude and books as I was since I was a young child.Įqually, I saw someone who did not want to conform. The need to appear better, richer, and smarter all the time.
I recognized a young man who denied, pushed back, and even challenged society’s great need for superficiality.
#INTO THE WILD BOOK AND MOVIE MOVIE#
Even until this day, a decade later after first watching the movie and now having read the book. Why would he throw it all away just to be homeless and go to Alaska? But I never completely saw it that way. They said that he was dumb and disgusting. I was hesitant in believing what my peers were saying about their depiction of Chris McCandless. Upon reflection, I think it was because I identified with a fierce idealism that I could never achieve myself. It had impacted me so profoundly but at the time I could not understand why it moved me so. He had impacted many people’s lives while alive as he did in his passing.Ībout ten years ago, I had first seen this movie in a high school English class. McCandless was a real person with real thoughts and emotions. He portrays him as best as he could using accounts from witnesses of McCandless journey under his pseudonym Alex Supertramp. Krakauer neither demonizes nor idolizes Chris McCandless. Since, they share similar life experiences the need for adventure, a strained father-son relationship, and the desire to seek solace into the wild. However, Krakauer confesses that he will draw parallels between him and Chris. Krakauer tries to remain as factual as possible and separates himself from his own authorial voice. Yet, he wants to present the story of Chris McCandless to the world. Krakauer in his non-fiction account, acknowledges the “stubborn idealism” that possessed Christopher.
In this matter, he severed his past self when he went into the wild. He referred to himself – and to others who met him along the way – as “Alexander Supertramp.” When he left for his trip, Chris constructed a new identity and adopted a new name for himself. He died from starvation that was brought on by accidental poisoning. The journey ends at the discovery of McCandless’s body in September 1992. Before leaving for this trip – and leaving society and its materialism behind – Chris donated $24 000 US, the sum of his savings, to the OXFAM charity. Krakauer traces the young man’s path from 1990-1992.Īfter Chris McCandless graduated from Emory University, he hitchhiked from the East Coast all the way into the wilderness of Alaska. It follows the journey of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless. The real life story is written by Jon Krakauer, the biographer. The book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer came out in 1996 while the movie directed by Sean Penn was released in 2007. There is also a movie by the same name that was filmed a decade after the book’s publication. If you recognize the title of this book, it may be because it is a critically acclaimed and often talk about for its controversy and its life-changing read. I hope to encourage you to pick up this book or at the very least to watch the movie “Into the Wild.” If not, I hope this post helps you reflect on the lessons you have personally learned in your life. I would also like to quickly mention why it has first impacted me many years ago.
Before diving into the crucial life lessons this non-fiction book has personally taught me, I would like to give a brief summary.