Talking about one of Into the Wild's themes

There are many themes in Into the Wild, but lets pick the reason MacCandless went to nature and live there which can also be the theme I am going to write about now.

The Allure of the Wilderness:

To MacCandless, wilderness has a specific taste to him, he believes that it is a place free of tensions and modern of society, this has been a reoccurring theme in many traveling books, which makes you understand that the allure of wilderness is overwhelming and enticing enough to cause a person to leave his people and live outside his society to feel what MacCandless first felt when he decided to go on a journey to find that free place.

However, that alluring felling will disappear as soon as you are there. MacCandless, for example, spent most of his time trying to find food and keep himself alive, so he did not even find time to cherish that wilderness!

So, as you see this is a central idea that runs through many travel books, which can help you understand the point of view from which the author is writing and also gives the story unity, influence and core.

My own response

I have read a considerable number of summaries about travel books and always wanted to know the reason behind writing them. Each traveler seek something when traveling, but I will concentrate on Chris's motive which is freedom.

Finally, I have my opportunity to give my own response to it using Into the Wild as a great example. Chris adopted that idea and set out in a trip to find himself, but did he succeed?!

HOWEVER..............

Most of the travelers who decide to abandon everything, either want freedom or spirituality. Lets take freedom for example, does nature unlock the secrets to it? Many travelers believe that freedom is associated with isolation, the more you are far away from society, the more you will feel free. But I think that is wrong, I mean do not all the people who live within your society have free life?!! Of course not.

To make it clearer, even when we are alone or isolated in nature, we still observe and act according to our ideas and concepts and more importantly our beliefs, so it does not matter if you live within your society or outside it as long as you will be able to control your feelings and use your ideas reasonably.

On the other hand, some people may contradict with me and say spending time in nature can help having more insightful understanding about oneself.

Well, the nature itself should not be the goal, you can spend time alone anywhere else with out the presence of people to feel that bizarre kind of freedom.

I am trying to convey a message that help travelers who seek that kind of isolation to have a better life and (productive-isolation)with out leaving their societies and families by changing the concept of restricting that kind of escape traveling to nature only. Think of Chris's case and you will know what I mean!

setting of (Into the wild)

Basically, this book talks about the travels of Chris McCandless mostly across the western region of the United States and Alaska, and sometimes in Mexico and Virginia. some of the events happened in various years, but the most important took place in the 1980s and 1990s.

What is peculiar about it is the full description of the country MacCandless traversed. I mean you can easily trace his journey across the country with a map by just reading this book, which gives more support to the setting used(wilderness)! And as setting fulfills most of the core aspects of a story, Jon managed to do this by including different time periods and places in which each event takes place according to what serve the story better and how certain settings can evoke mood and character.

For example, how that appealing nature attracted Chris and caused him leaving his town and family. Also, by providing that kind of setting, we can understand Chris's obsession with nature( emotional landscape) and how John connects it with Chris.

Characterization

What I like in this novel is the way the characters are presented and how they have different functions. Jon gives each one a different role in which they serve the story 'till it finishes.

I want to prove that each character has a different role regardless of their importance. Here, I chose two different characters: Chris who is the most important character in the story, and Gallien who is less important and appear for a short period of time, whom I will try and give a compact analysis of:

The Maniac:

Sorry, but I could not find more suitable character than the JOKER to compare Chris's Character with!

Firstly, Chris is the subject of this book, John presents him as a normal person. A person who is not that much different than any of us, he just has different motives, based on his specific needs, and goes to the wild to give satisfaction to these motivations and needs. In my perspective, I think that was a bit abnormal, those kinds of desires should be hidden and suppressed as they are capable of dragging you to death!

The Saviour:

Is not Gallien a real hero?!

Secondly, Gallien who delivers the hitchhiking McCandless to his final destination. Gallien tries to make McCandless change his mind about his plans. Gallien is certain that Alex, as McCandless calls himself, is not prepared for life in the Alaskan outdoors. Nevertheless, John gives Gallien what I think an important role: Gallien's roles functions as the potential saviour for Chris.

Really, If Chris had listened to him, he would not have died!

Who do you think now is the most important character? think realistically!

Narrative Techniques

Regarding the narrative techniques in Into the Wild, John uses a various techniques to introduce the story comprehensively. I will try and analyze what I believe is one of the techniques!

utilizing the narrative storytelling technique of putting parts out of order was my first assumption, I mean when I first read the author's note, he gave a brief summary about the novel, and then started to read the first chapter. After reading the first chapter, I understood about 40% of story as John does not include much details about Alex's journey. However, When I started reading chapters 2 and 3 I was expecting him to go on with the story and tell what happens next with Alex after he is dropped off by Gallien,

But he starts to explain something else when he goes back and talks about the history of Alaska Range and how some projects were undertaken there. Then he starts to speak about Alex again and his calm town in much more details. In my perspective, this kind of storytelling confuses me since it is not presented directly and not in a logical sequence.

But my assumption might change after finishing the novel......................who knows?!

Analyzing a quotation from (Into the Wild)

"Nothing is more damaging to an advenurous spirit than a man with a secure future"

This is a quotation from(Into the Wild), but what does Jon Krakauer mean by that?!

I will interpret this in my way.

An adventure,or a quest begin with a human desire to experience something hidden or unknown. A lake or a forest could attract you by the impression that there is something there to discover. And as advernture lies deep within most of us, it is difficult to resist it, but what if we had a secure future(As Jon mentioned above)? Will that damage this spirit of adventure?

I think yes, and could do that drastically, after Alex decided to live off the land, he got rid of all his belonings! So there was something holding him from leaving and living that life, he was a university graduate and from a wealthy family. I think having that secure life can sabotage that adventours spirit, but how?

As we know and as I meantioned above, Alex had everything he needed, but that currupted his life, he did not even know how to manage his trip or adventure.
make it more cohesive by asking you this question
What would you do if you had these two things at the same time?

You have a successful life, a well-paid job ,wife and childern. On the other hand, your adventours spirit keep calling you and you really have the passion to have that adventure where you go and experience a new life and discover new things........ But stop, you can't go, have you forgotten that you have a wife and work to take care of?!! You will be stuck and your adventurous spirit may slightly disappear. Also, you might start to dissimulate your feelings!

That what the qoutation in (Into the Wild) means, and what I think of what it means generally.

the idea of using third-person narrative

Using the third-person narrative gives the narrator a bigger opportunity to share point ov views in underlying way. It is one of the most common techneques in storytelling.


To make it clearer, this techneque tends to offer more ,if not the most, objective view, neither the narrator(directly) or the reader are involved in this. Jon Karkauer uses this many times in his book(Into the Wild), and we can identify that by spotting pronouns such as they, it, he and she.


For example, (When the rangers pulled off the trap, they found an old yellow Datsun without licence plates,) if you look at this example, you will see that Jon uses(they) as a third-person narrative pronoun. If he used I and you, that would change it to a first-person narrative.... I think you know the difference now :)

This is basically the third-person narrative

Into the wild(a brief summary)

In April 1992, Christopher Johnson MacCanless, a young man from a wealthy family, hitchhiked to Alaska. Well, anyone could do that, but I thinkChris had gone extreme with this(literally). He left his family with out telling them and rid himelf of all his worldly goods. Alex, a name he gave to himself, so no one would indetify him and notify the police or his family, decided to experience the American freedom by spending the rest of his life off-land. But Alex did not think about that properly, he was arrogant enough to cause himself to die! I mean he left all his money, belongings and family, and was determined to not take anything from the city except his backpack with some stuff. No food! not any navigational tool! How could he have managed to survive?!!

He was relying on hunting animals for eating, but found himself unable to kill and eat. However, before he died, he had had agreat adventure that Jack was himself interested in and decided to write a book about it and spending a considerable time studying Alex's case. Alex in his journey, met many people, hitchhiked many times, crossed rivers, tunnels throught out the wilderness.

In his book, Jack writes the whole story including his perspectives on it describing the harsh wilderness Alex went through and how his journey progressed from the begnning time when he met Gallien.

I want more

Have you ever got that disappointing feeling when you eagerly want to visit that city or place because you have heard many beautiful things about it, but once you have been there, your high expectations go down?!



I mean I have many times, in my country for example, visited cities that I used to see on TV as beautiful cities, but well, lets say did not live up to my expectations.




And this happened to me here in the UK as well.

London has a reputation to live up to – the city of fog, the city of multiculturalism … it’s pretty much THE CITY. So when I went there for a weekend from Nottingham, my expectations were high even if my budget wasn’t. And I think that’s why I was disappointed. London, has a lot to offer those with deep pockets, but is a little more difficult for the budget traveller(like me :) ).

Don’t get me wrong, I think London is a very nice city. Big Ben, London Eye and the National Museum are all justifiably famous, and there’s a lot of hidden treasures that are fun to discover. But it just wasn’t magical.

I want more.... something like this ...

Traveling together

As I said in my last post,traveling alone has its advantages, of course. If you’re looking for maximum freedom to go where you desire, when you desire and in whatever way you desire, solo travel might be the right thing for you. But for many people, having someone along for the ride is indispensable.

But what about traveling with a partner?!

I asked some of my friends about how it would be to travel with a partner(wife,friend...etc)

And he said about his wife...

She’s my pillow. She’s my photographer. She’s my driver. She’s a neutral. She’s an excuse. She’s a reason. She’s my guidebook. She’s my security guard. She’s my bank. She’s my cook. She’s my alarm clock. She’s my view point. She’s my medicine

He really can not travel alone, can he?!!

Other said....

To share a moment with someone when traveling is like no other. Enjoying that perfect sunset, catching a glimpse of a rare site or experiencing another culture is enhanced when you can share your excitement, laughter and opinions with someone. Better yet, you can re-live the experience once you come home for years to come.

I liked the latter the most, indeed we have to share our opinions and experiences to enhance our excitement and find someone to laugh with, and I also believe that traveling together offers you two different outlooks on one destination making the experience richer in the end :)

You will never be alone

I LOVE TO TRAVEL ALONE. Mostly because it gives yout ime yourself and to just think:) Unless the plane blows up and crashes and everyone dies. But lets think on the bright side!

But I am tellin' you this, YOU WILL NEVER BE ALONE :)

When traveling, things don't always go smoothly; often situations get a bit difficult or intimidating. But this is when you learn what you are made of! This is when you grow. And anyway, once you've got through that hectic moment you'll be laughing about it and telling it as a great anecdote a few days later this forward projection has seen me through many potentially depressing moments! The more you achieve and overcome, the stronger and more empowered you feel a feeling which is magnified if you've done it all by yourself.

Another thing is that , remember: when you travel to place that interests you, the fellows you're going to meet are a specific section of society they're people from all over the world who are also interested in coming to this place. All the boring stay-at-home folk have stayed at home. The people who get out and explore, the people who you'll meet every step of the way are your sort of people, interested in doing the very things you are doing. People who want to learn about the world, its cultures and differences. People who like to meet people! So everywhere you'll find open-minded and welcoming friends to talk with, share experiences and hang out.

I told you, you will not be alone :)

My Dream

I have three dream vacations or trips taht I would like to take. You might have something similar, so read it.

The first dream trip is. A vacation to Hawaii. perfebably when its winter here in Utah. I hate how the winters can be long and cold. I can only take so much of the cold weather. I don't like the snow after a while. It cases way to much ice for me. I can be dangerous on the ice. I would like to go to Hawaii to get warmed for a while.

The second dream trip is. To see the East coast. To visit all of the history places that there is. I love history so much. I would just love to see the history places and also get some lobster. Hopefuly that trip will come true soon. I would also be able to see my Something has been in mind for a while(my secret), sorry I can not tell.

The Third dream trip is. To see Europe. I would love to see all of the countrys that I could. Try all of food that they have. That would be so much fun to do with someone that I love. It would be nice to spend some time in places that I have ancestors from. Get to see how they would have lived.

These are the trips I would like to do someday :)

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen... (my review)

I like journeys that involve meeting new people, discovering exotic places or even facing death! However, when I first read the Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen, I started to love it as it involves the three elements I just mentioned. But all that disappeared right away when I had known the real purpose of this novel.

When I read books like this one, I want enjoyment and excitement but peter was looking for something else when he set off on that journey. Here is the essence or main idea of the book:

Peter sets out on a journey that takes him and his accompanist, George, into the heart of the Himalayan region of Dolpo. This voyage is on the quest of one of the world’s most elusive big cats, the Snow Leopard, a creature that is rarely spotted as to be nearly mythical.

by now, I assume you think this story is awesome and exciting enough to make go to the nearest library to buy it. Well, I thought of this when I first read this, but after I read more, I found that Peter used the Snow Leopard as a metaphor to describe his wife loss. He says:”If the snow leopard should manifest itself, then I am ready to see the snow leopard. If not, then somehow (and I don’t understand this instinct, even now) I am not ready to perceive it, in the same way that I am not ready to resolve my koan; and in the not-seeing, I am content. I think I must be disappointed, having come so far, and yet I do not feel that way. I am disappointed, and also, I am not disappointed. That the snow leopard is, that it is there, that its frosty eyes watch us from the mountain,that is enough.”

In this way, Peter associates two ideas: the animal can not be found, but I am sure it is somewhere watching us. Similarly, I can not bring my wife back, but I am sure that she is somewhere watching me. So, as the animal is nearly considered as a mythical one, Peter tries to associate it with something that does not exist too(his wife).

At the end, by reading this book, it will give you the sense of wonder at the world’s beauty and how Peter experiences many things such as his encounters with villagers, animals and discovering the Himalaya.


Live long and prosper.

New Bus's Year!!

In the last New Year’s Eve in London, my friends and I went to watch the celebration, fireworks and all the noise made by people there. You probably think I am going to write about it now, but NOT!

After the celebration finished, we went to find a bus. But all the public transportation was suspended on that day, the New Year’s Eve day, and we could not find the bus that stops near our hotel. We had been movin’ for 2 hours till’ we found a police officer whom we had this conversation with:

. Hey!

. Hello guys

. We are tryin’ to find a bus or even a taxi to get to the hotel, but all the roads are still closed for the celebration, which means no cars or buses are allowed to enter here, and we are lost.

. I think you can use the underground, it is free tonight. Do you know the way to it?

. No! We do not even know where we are. Actually, We have been thinkin’ of takin the bus we took when we first came here earlier, but so far, no signs of buses....

. Fair enough, all the buses will operate again in one hour, we can wait for your bus or use the underground.

. Ok! thanks we will wait for the bus because the underground must be packed now! Thanks for your help

. My pleasure, bye.



We wandered on the streets till’ all the buses operated again. we took the bus and........

the bus was overcrowded, I had never seen something like that. There were no available seats, most of the people were standing and above all, all were drunk! I said to myself:” this trip is goin’ to be a disaster!” However, My friends and I managed to find seats after 5 mins of standin’. My friends were lucky enough to sit beside sober ones, but I was unfortunate when I sat with an intoxicated guy. He looked at me for one min and said:

. Is this your first time flyin’ on a plane?

. What?!!

. This plane is rubbish, no food, no TV, no beautiful attendants.

. You must be wrong, you are on a bus and on the land... not flyin!

. This flight is the worse ever, There are no toilets.

When he said that, I started to panic, I mean if he had peed, that would have made my night the worst ever in my life. Luckily, he did not do that :)

Anyway, he kept talkin’ while I was lookin’ through the window.. ahhh, the window was VERY dirty from outside and impaired my vision for the entire journey...(if you call it a journey)

The journey home took only 20 mins as if Schumacker himself was drivin’ us! he jumped two red lights and crossed the corners as if he had snow-tyres on the two-storey wheeled object!

After we arrived, I got off the bus, and stood still for a couple of secs tryin’ to comprehend what I had just been through that night.

This trip was exciting enough to stop me from goin’ to London again! I have had enough :)


Live long and prosper