In the spring of 1992, a young man by the name Chris McCandless begun the most enduring and painful journey of his life into the Alaskan wilderness. He did not know of the dangers that lay ahead yet he proceeded on the death march in…
Into The Wild Essay Examples and Topics
by Jon Krakauer
Essay Examples
Essay Topics
Brief overview
Reviews
A New Life There have been thousands of inspirational characters who have left their life behind and venture off into the outside world in order to find a purpose or goal in their life. Carl McCunn and John Waterman were examples of a few of…
Imagine waking up one morning and wanting to throw away everything,wanting to get away from the world to actually see the world. Imagine actually living your life instead of just existing. That’s exactly what Chris McCandless— also known as Alexander Supertramp— did. Chris McCandless was…
Marcus Aurelius Flores Period-5 AP English Summer Reading 2019 Into the Wild (Page 3) ‘In April 1992, a young man from a well-to-do East Coast family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. Four months later his decomposed body…
McCandless’s motivation for his venture into the wild is to detach himself from a societal life and begin a new one within nature living off the land. These ideals line up with the thinking of transcendentalist minds such has Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David…
Jon Krakauer’s biography ‘Into The Wild’ examines the true and famous story of Chris McCandless, an incredibly ascetic man that extemporaneously ventured across the American wilderness. Despite being a promising university graduate, McCandless was discovered four months later in an emaciated condition, shrouding his life…
With stunning cinematography, accompanied by exceptional performances. Sean Penn pulls of what can only be described as a masterpiece. Have you ever just sat on a beach or on a mountain side somewhere, watching the world go by, as the sun sets? That feeling you…
Would you go walking into the wild to try to live off the land by yourself? Many people wouldn’t even think about going out by themselves sometimes even to another state. Christopher Mccandless took many poor decisions that cost him his life one way or…
Throughout the novel, Chris McCandless goes on a journey on his own to go into the wild and attempts to achieve his goal. Chris had little resources to start off and relied on himself to make it to Alaska. Chris encounters many people offer him…
A Wilderness As a Classroom Education is usually seen as existing only in a classroom with a teacher or professor and a set lesson plan. However, Into the Wild by Jon Krakaeur showcases how Chris McCandless believed education does not exist solely in a classroom;…
Into the Call of the Wild Critical Review The novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer was overall an entertaining and thought provoking piece of literature. The protagonist, Chris “Alex” McCandless, took a journey across America to live the exciting life of a vagrant. Chris…
The book “In the wild” is an entertaining tale that covers the life of a young man Chris McCandless. Chris is not pleased with materialism and starvation. He considers his father not to be an ideal man that fits him. At first, we are convinced…
Emancipation The Influence of Transcendentalism on Into the Wild’s Chris McCandless Society is founded on monotony and security, and it is nearly impossible for its innocent youth not to be drawn into its façade. As they journey into the world, young adults seek solace in…
Best topics on Into The Wild
Into the Wild is two things today – a non-fiction book reviewed by thousands of students worldwide, and a movie inspired by the original novel. If you are tasked to
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write an argument essay on this topic, your focus is probably on the novel.
The novel was published in 1996 and written by Jon Krakauer. It’s an expansion of his previously published article of 9,000 words titled “Death of an Innocent”. The article first appeared in 1993 in an issue of Outside. In 2007, the book was also adapted to a movie with the same name.
Today, Into the Wild is translated into 30 languages and published in 173 editions and formats. It’s a bestseller, to say the least, and one of the most frequently assigned books for essays and reviews in educational institutions worldwide.
While the book is one of the most read novels of all time, some dispute its accuracy saying that a large number of items in the book are questionable and invented by the author. Think about it – this might be a good idea for essay titles on the topic, too, exploring which parts seem unrealistic and discussing if this is really the case!
This is one of the less frequently used Into the Wild essay topics since, as you can guess, most students focus on the plot, the symbolism, and the writing style of this masterpiece. The topic holds great importance because the protagonist, McCandless is a rebel against mainstream society.
McCandless doesn’t act by society norms. He doesn’t get a job that is considered normal after he graduates from college, but follows the inner call and goes into the wilderness. It is his journey that amazes and inspires most students. It makes us question the society norms and the comforts we enjoy in it, and it motivates us to push the limits and find more connections with nature.
On top of this, Into the Wild addresses the issues of how to make society accept you as a member even if you don’t think or act like most of them.
Many people today enjoy minimalism and try to go back to their nature. The protagonist in this novel goes to the extremes, sells most of his possessions, and has a journey where he attempts to survive in the tough wilderness.
On one side, his story is one of an educated, young, and courageous character that challenges the accepted norms and ways of living. It makes you think – are we relying too much on society norms and comfort?
On the other side, McCandless’ heroism got close to selfishness and arrogance in many occasions. He ceased communication with his family, gives away his college funds, and disappears in nature with some rifle rounds, a camera, and some reading material. After surviving for 113 days, McCandless perishes entirely in August 18, 1992. His body was found on September 6 of 1992 in an abandoned bus in Alaska, which prompted Jon Krakauer to retrace his steps during the two years that he spent in nature.
This resulted in a colorful story full of action, surprises, and heroic acts. It is what makes it difficult for students to choose what to write about. Some doubt about whether this was heroic or a bad idea, and debate how far you should go when you get out of society’s norms.
If you want to read some good argumentative essay samples on this topic, you’ve come to the right place. Here you will find quality, free to read Into the Wild essay examples that will inform you, motivate you, and possibly even give you an idea on how to write your paper.
Date
January 13, 1996
Author
Jon Krakauer
Type
Non-fiction book
Genre
Biography, adventure, drama
Date
January 13, 1996
Author
Jon Krakauer
Type
Non-fiction book
Genre
Biography, adventure, drama
Major Characters
Chris McCandless
Based on
An article called “Death of an Innocent,” published in the Outside in 1993. The article, written by Jon Krakauer, discusses the adventures and death of Christopher McCandless.
Symbols / Motives
Survival, nature, adventure, wilderness, loneliness, asceticism, society
Influence
McCandless got inspired to live in the Alaskan wilderness by the writings of Jack London and Henry David Thoreau.
Plot
The book explores the two years that Christopher McCandless spent between college graduation and his death. He decided to hitchhike from South Dakota to Alaska. The book explores his adventures and asceticism. Chris survived for 113 days into the wilderness, and he kept a journal with his thoughts and experiences.
Why Is This Topic Important?
McCandless was a rebel against mainstream society. Instead of getting a “normal” job after college graduation, he followed the inner call for enlightenment. He gave up most of his material possessions and took huge risks to survive in the wilderness. His journey makes us question the comfort we enjoy in our society. Can we all find the strength to push the limits and find a more natural state of being?
Main Ideas
A man’s strength to go back to his nature and survive in the tough wilderness.
Key Quotes
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
“I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don’t want one.”
Interesting Facts
The non-fiction status of this book was challenged by people who were involved in McCandless’ real experiences. Craig Medred, an Alaskan reporter, blamed the author for inventing many stories to fill in the gaps in McCandless' scarce journal.
Arguments For
Into the Wild is a great story for a young, courageous, intellectually superior character. He challenged “the right way” of living. His adventures make us question: is our way of life too deep into the comfort zone?
Arguments Against
McCandless was an intellectually and athletically gifted person, but his personal heroism got close to arrogance and selfishness.
Major Characters
Chris McCandless
Based on
An article called “Death of an Innocent,” published in the Outside in 1993. The article, written by Jon Krakauer, discusses the adventures and death of Christopher McCandless.
Symbols / Motives
Survival, nature, adventure, wilderness, loneliness, asceticism, society
Influence
McCandless got inspired to live in the Alaskan wilderness by the writings of Jack London and Henry David Thoreau.
Plot
The book explores the two years that Christopher McCandless spent between college graduation and his death. He decided to hitchhike from South Dakota to Alaska. The book explores his adventures and asceticism. Chris survived for 113 days into the wilderness, and he kept a journal with his thoughts and experiences.
Why Is This Topic Important?
McCandless was a rebel against mainstream society. Instead of getting a “normal” job after college graduation, he followed the inner call for enlightenment. He gave up most of his material possessions and took huge risks to survive in the wilderness. His journey makes us question the comfort we enjoy in our society. Can we all find the strength to push the limits and find a more natural state of being?
Main Ideas
A man’s strength to go back to his nature and survive in the tough wilderness.
Key Quotes
“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservation, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.”
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
“I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don’t want one.”
Interesting Facts
The non-fiction status of this book was challenged by people who were involved in McCandless’ real experiences. Craig Medred, an Alaskan reporter, blamed the author for inventing many stories to fill in the gaps in McCandless' scarce journal.
Arguments For
Into the Wild is a great story for a young, courageous, intellectually superior character. He challenged “the right way” of living. His adventures make us question: is our way of life too deep into the comfort zone?
Arguments Against
McCandless was an intellectually and athletically gifted person, but his personal heroism got close to arrogance and selfishness.
