“Into the Wild,” released in 1996, was an instant classic in more ways than one. Blending his personal outdoor adventure experience with an empathetic retelling of a young man’s journey of nonconformity, Krakauer’s philosophical adventure novel is a masterclass in storytelling and must read for all those coming of age, struggling to find their path, or bored with the monotony of their routine.
Christopher McCandless, a young man born into a wealthy family in 1968, graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with honors at 22 years of age, donated his remaining savings and promptly removed himself from mainstream society. Long influenced by writers who espoused strict individualism and existential thought, McCandless spent the next two years among the fringes of America. While his peers were starting families and laying the groundwork for their careers, he was immersing himself in freedom and practical living.
His personal journal documents just enough of his comings and goings to piece together a truly riveting account. Short, introspective thoughts jotted in his own hand reflect his state of mind and give the reader a glimpse of the coming climax of Chris’s story: Alaska.
“I now walk into the wild.” These are the words of Chris McCandless as he stands at the beginning of the Stampede Trail, all of his travels and experiences having led him to this moment. Alone and on a quest to “kill the false being within” deep in the woods of Alaska. Driven by a desire to be free of not only societal constraints but also personal and familial ones.
Whether this account resonates with the reader or not largely depends on her own state of mind. For some, this account will be a cautionary tale, more reason to play by the rules and reap the benefits of conformity. For some, it will affirm already long-standing feelings of unrest and discontentment with the way things are. For others still, Chris’s story will, perhaps for the first time, stir questions and inspire their own journeys of individualism. No matter the takeaway, the moral of this story is true community. The type that only comes when individuals decide to be individuals, together.
Chris said it best. Scrawled at the top of the page of a well worn paperback: “Happiness is only real when shared.”