into the wild
by jon krakauer
This novel looks back upon the incredible journey of Chris McCandless. He grew up in a fairly wealthy family but had formed a mindset different from his relatives about money and materialistic goods after seeing and learning about some of the atrocities in the world. He denounced money and its worth, claiming that the world had far more to offer in its natural state than money could ever buy. He grew up in a suburb of Washington D.C. and often voyaged into the city on his lonesome to interact with and feed the homeless people he encountered. He read classic novels by transcendentalists which inspired the creation of some of his morals regarding minimalism. After graduating from a high-ranking university with a bright future, Chris left behind his old life by donating all of his life's saving and not telling anybody, including his family, about his plans for the future. He was beginning his new life. He originally had virtually no money and limited possessions and went on the road in his old car. He had no itinerary and no plans regarding where to travel, and therefore made his decisions on where to travel solely by impulse. Though, a flash flood forced Chris to abandon his car and live the next few years on foot, hitchhiking around the country in search for new homes and new relationships. He traveled all around the North American continent, through the coasts of Mexico to the farmland of South Dakota. He worked with an incredible ethic at all the jobs he had in his time on the road, which included being a fry cook at McDonalds and operating farming machinery. He created lasting and impactful relationships with most of those who had the chance to meet him, and he kept in touch with many who had helped him along his journey on the road. He lived the life of a true adventurer and traveled with only what he could carry on his back. Though, in 1992, Chris went to Alaska in order to live in the wilderness for a couple months, and that is where his decaying corpse was found only months after he had departed into the wild.
The American Dream of wanting less material goods in order to live a more fulfilling life that is indulged in the natural beauty of the world was the American Dream that Chris McCandless was seeking. He was raised with more money than most people had but also was able to experience poverty by frequently visiting the poor in the slums of Washington D.C. He was able to see polar opposites of the economic world and realize that the world littered with money was so cluttered with useless items that the natural beauty of the world was blocked out and forgotten. He saw how his parents worked day and night in order to make enough money to drive their nice cars and live in their large house, but Chris saw more potential for the life he was living. He saw the life that he could live if he abandoned all the money and materials that were getting in his way. And that is what he did. He followed the American Dream. He didn't simply give up a few things to try to progressively simplify, but instead gave away all of his savings and his possessions and even abandoned his car in order to live the life that he wanted to live. He traveled across the country numerous times and was able to experience the wonders that many people did not get to experience because their overly complicated world prevented them. He kept journals throughout the majority of his journeys, and he often expresses how profound the world is and how he was finally able to witness it in a different light. The world can only be viewed in this light if the viewer has simplified their lives and tried to the best of their ability to get rid of excess. He wrote over and over in his notebook about how this new life has provided him with more happiness than he had ever had before. Even just days before his death, he exclaims how his life had been fulfilled and he was beyond grateful to have been able to experience the world in the manner that he did. Honestly, that is the American Dream. The American Dream is to live a happy life. Though, in order to achieve that happiness, it seems that the path to take is to get rid of all of the excess in life and try to experience life in all of its potential.
Like Chris McCandless, there are others who attempt to abandon the excess in their lives in order to live a simplified life. One of the figures that have tried to follow this path of life was Bill Bryson.
The American Dream of wanting less material goods in order to live a more fulfilling life that is indulged in the natural beauty of the world was the American Dream that Chris McCandless was seeking. He was raised with more money than most people had but also was able to experience poverty by frequently visiting the poor in the slums of Washington D.C. He was able to see polar opposites of the economic world and realize that the world littered with money was so cluttered with useless items that the natural beauty of the world was blocked out and forgotten. He saw how his parents worked day and night in order to make enough money to drive their nice cars and live in their large house, but Chris saw more potential for the life he was living. He saw the life that he could live if he abandoned all the money and materials that were getting in his way. And that is what he did. He followed the American Dream. He didn't simply give up a few things to try to progressively simplify, but instead gave away all of his savings and his possessions and even abandoned his car in order to live the life that he wanted to live. He traveled across the country numerous times and was able to experience the wonders that many people did not get to experience because their overly complicated world prevented them. He kept journals throughout the majority of his journeys, and he often expresses how profound the world is and how he was finally able to witness it in a different light. The world can only be viewed in this light if the viewer has simplified their lives and tried to the best of their ability to get rid of excess. He wrote over and over in his notebook about how this new life has provided him with more happiness than he had ever had before. Even just days before his death, he exclaims how his life had been fulfilled and he was beyond grateful to have been able to experience the world in the manner that he did. Honestly, that is the American Dream. The American Dream is to live a happy life. Though, in order to achieve that happiness, it seems that the path to take is to get rid of all of the excess in life and try to experience life in all of its potential.
Like Chris McCandless, there are others who attempt to abandon the excess in their lives in order to live a simplified life. One of the figures that have tried to follow this path of life was Bill Bryson.