The main idea of Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild

Many individuals all around the globe create various beliefs and philosophies throughout time that enrich and improve their lives. These ideas are unique to each person and may be drawn from a range of areas. In particular, Christopher McCandless, the protagonist of Jon Krakauer’s book Into The Wild, had many unorthodox beliefs that made him happy. In the course of the book, Krakauer describes how Chris had sought solace from the outdoors, which was one of his primary sources of escape from civilization. Thus, by using literary techniques like conflict and characterisation, John Krakauer builds the concept that genuine pleasure may be discovered via solitude and nature through Chris’s various experiences.

Conflict, notably man vs. man, is one strategy that Jon Krakauer uses to illustrate the idea that genuine pleasure may be found in solitude and in nature. For instance, Krakauer writes how Chris had opposed his parents’ behavior and consumerism and thought that this did not make the family happy throughout the narrative. I’ve told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has traveled across the continent from Miami to Alaska, a car that hasn’t given me a single problem in all those thousands of miles, a car that I will never trade-in, a car that I am very strongly attached to-yet they ignore what I say and think I’m lying when I say I have the best car in the world. They’ll believe they’ve bought my respect, so I’ll have to be very cautious not to take any presents from them in the future (Krakauer 21). Because it discusses how Chris didn’t want any presents or money from his parents because he didn’t like the materialism they practiced, this example illustrates a conflict between men. This illustration demonstrates how Chris disliked the money his family had because he thought that genuine pleasure could not be found in the things they exchanged as presents. This illustration also demonstrates how Chris refused to accept any of his parents’ presents since he disliked being surrounded by money and the showy items they had in mind for him. Overall, this instance of conflict serves to further the theme since Chris’s departure and subsequent isolation in the wilderness were motivated, in large part, by his desire to avoid his parents. In order to experience genuine pleasure, he desired to break free from their greed and possession of money. By severing all ties with his family and relocating to the vast Alaskan wilderness, Chris was able to discover real happiness. That is how Krakauer uses conflict to create the idea.

In addition to conflict, Krakauer also used characterisation to further the idea that genuine pleasure may be found in solitude and contentment. Throughout the book, Chris is described in a variety of ways by himself, his family, and the others he meets while traveling. For instance, Krakauer reveals Chris’s inner thoughts on Leon Tolstoy early in the book, when he says, “I desired activity and not a tranquil path of life. I want thrills, peril, and the opportunity to give my life in the service of my love. I experienced a surplus of energy inside of me that was unsatisfied by our tranquil lifestyle (Krakauer 15). “Happiness is only genuine when shared,” Chris writes on the bus later on in the narrative, during his last days (Krakauer 189). Chris is exemplified by these instances as someone who desired a life denoted by an adventure and once-in-a-lifetime encounters rather than a cash sign. Chris is shown by these instances as someone who desired social isolation and who wished to communicate primarily with wild animals. Because Chris was the kind of person who has loved nature since he was a child, and whose objective is to comprehend the wildness around him, these instances assist to reinforce the idea that real pleasure may be reached via solitude and nature. One of the few reasons Chris headed out for Alaska was to escape the consumerism that surrounded him and instead spend his time seeing the nation and, eventually, retiring in the great outdoors, which had been his lifelong dream. This illustration furthers the subject since it demonstrates how Chris stressed that happiness is only true when shared, and that he was unable to share his pleasure with his family but was instead able to do it with the wild because he had a particular connection with it. Chris was able to achieve the happiness he was seeking for because of this unique connection with nature. That is how Krakauer uses characterisation to further the idea.