| Into The Wild: An American Tale | |||||
| UPDATE : 24 May 2010 | |||||
Into the Wild (Pan Macmillan, paperback), 2009, Jon Krakauer, Kinokuniya Books, 376 baht. Youthapong Charoenpan American author Jon Krakauer’s non-fiction Into The Wild was put together by utilizing various forms of evidence, such as interviews and other bits and pieces concerning an idealistic young man called Christopher McCandless, who tragically perished during an adventure in the wilds of Alaska. Having just graduated from university and with a seemingly bright future ahead of him, the 22-year-old decides to step away from his well-groomed upbringing and head into the wilderness in search of adventure.
Into The Wild begins with the end, so the reader discovers immediately how the young man dies and how his body is discovered. From that point on, the plot unfolds in a regular chronological format. The main character comes from a wealthy family based in the US state of Virginia, but following some challenging circumstances and some rifts between father and son, the young man is motivated to take a trip out to a remote part of Alaska. In April 1992, McCandless hands over his savings of US$25,000 to charity. He sets fire to all the cash in his wallet and leaves his car, filled with most of his belongings, parked in a street in a bid to create a new life. His decomposed body is eventually discovered about four months later by a hunter. It appeared that the young man perished due to a combination of undernourishment and food poisoning. Describing the build up to this tragic end to a young life, the author demonstrates his skills as a writer, unraveling the gripping tale of a determined and idealistic young man.
Influential Roles The author managed to raise my eyebrows by discussing whether or not the unfortunate young man had been an ‘innocent idealist’ or an ‘ideal explorer’. Listening to the opinions of close friends certainly suggests that he had a major impact upon their lives. In my opinion, Into The Wild somehow manages to reflect aspects of the so-called 'American Dream'. The rift between father and son could be considered to be a trifle matter, although McCandless seems to discount that fact that he comes from a privileged background, turning down his father's attempts to persuade him to pursue a law degree at Harvard. In this sense, it might be considered a conflict concerning the contemporary definition of success from a US perspective with an individual's desire to explore beyond the familiar. I can say that Into The Wild is already one of my favorite books as the author successfully manages to portray the remarkable side to this idealistic young man, whose life is cut short in his youth. The book motivated me to continue to believe in what I believe at almost any cost. “If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk into the wild.” McCandless wrote these words before he set off on his ill-feted trip into the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1990s. This highly original story of a troubled young man searching for the meaning of life, but who tragically passes away in a lonely wilderness certainly makes for an interesting read. And I was also not surprised to learn that the book has already appeared (in 2007) in a movie of the same name, directed by Hollywood star Sean Penn.
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Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Into The Wild: An American Tale
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