The romantic lure of the wilderness is fertile ground for storytelling. But this is not an easy read.
"In April 1992, [24 year-old] Chris McCandless [self-styled Alexander Supertramp] set off alone into the Alaskan wild. He had given his savings to charity, abandoned his car and his possessions, and all the money in his wallet, determined to live a life of independence. Four months later he was found, starved to death..."
'Into the Wild' is much concerned with exploring the rationale behind McCandless' decision- was he mad to be so reckless for instance? Was he stupid to be so unprepared? Further, how could he be so selfish as to completely cut off a loving family?
Perhaps it would be reductive to call this book Krakauer's defence of McCandless. And yet it's clear that McCandless is deliberately portrayed as a typical, energetic young man. Culpable, Krakauer will allow, of the arrogance that death would be far off and that he would be safe. But equally, commendably idealistic and hauntingly naive in his unwavering trust that nature would provide him with sustenance. Krakauer respectfully places McCandless into a special category of adventurers who have also lost their lives over time, likening McCandless to Everett Ruess and questioning the strength of the links that have cynically united him with Sir John Franklin. I feel that the scope of these comparisons serve to highlight the inherent intrigue and confusion surrounding an enigmatic, gifted young man made up of contraries - McCandless consistently dodged the 'impending threat of human intimacy' and yet would help people to improve themselves at great cost to himself. It makes for deeply interesting speculation and a mass of clashing opinions to unravel the motives behind his epic quests.
I mentioned before that 'Into the Wild'' is not an easy read. It's written unsettlingly loosely, picking up distant threads of the people with links to McCandless and slowly working its way in, spanning vast geographical and historic distances. In a coincidental way not too dissimilar, I first came across McCandless' story listening to the soulful growl of Eddie Vedder's Society. I was glad to pick up a copy of the book not long after at the charity shop where I volunteer and also to have finally sat down to read it at this time particularly. There are so many messages, I think, which can be drawn from this tale, relevant to the purportedly soulless and materialistically driven society in which we live.
"...The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. 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..."
If you're interested in the fervour of the human spirit or the terrible beauty of the wilderness, then this is a book for you.
With thanks to Sarah Hamilton for her painting'Alaskan Wilderness' which is the image .
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