Into the Wild

This thread is for comments on the article "Into the Wild"

I finally watched Into the Wild this past weekend. Despite the rave reviews, I had been avoiding the film, not wanting to get sucked into arguments about whether Christopher McCandles...

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Hmmmm ... Alicia, are you telling us you are not in the least idealistic and have never done anything foolish (which could also be stated as "never taken any risks")? Somehow I don't believe that.

I have done many things in my life (still keep doing them) that people (like my mother and especially Barb's father) told me were foolish and much too risky. But I survived and learned a lot from them (sometimes "NEVER AGAIN!!!, and sometimes "That was sure dumb, wasn't it?", but thankfully most of the time "That was really great!"). And I hold certain beliefs and try to practice certain ways of approaching life that many people would say are overly idealistic and totally unrealistic.

We all make mistakes (I've made probably more than my share), but hopefully we survive and learn from them and become better for the adventure. One of the things to note in Chris' story in his diaries was the epiphany during his final days. Unfortunately it was too late for him at that point.

Krakauer has pointed out that he did much the same things McCandless did. I know I did, too, and I know many others who have done the same. These are some of the most interesting people I know or knew (truth to tell, some of the least interesting people as well). I am grateful to Krakauer for researching this and writing about it, so that I could learn through living through it, at least vicariously. If only I could write as well as that about my experiences ...

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I thought it was an ok movie, but way too long.

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Bill, you’re quite right that I’ve made a mistake or two (well many), and I’m sure I’ll make more in the future. If I don’t, consider me self-deluded. Hopefully I’ve learned something from at least a few of them.

Maybe it got lost in my blog, but I think we’re actually on the same page here.

I didn't intend to imply that no one should take risks. What struck me was my own reaction to the McCandless story. At 22, while I understood his idealism and desire to get away, I simply didn’t identify with him and was blinded by my own judgment of some of his choices.

Returning to the story (in movie form) more than a decade later, I surprised myself by being so non-judgmental of him and his choices. Conventional wisdom expects you to be less idealistic over time, but I found that I was far less rigid and accepted his story for the human one it was. This time around I didn’t judge him. I simply observed (also a credit to the movie).

I honestly think part of that open-mindedness comes from listening to the range of voices we get on Trailspace. Thanks to our community members’ shared experiences I’ve changed my mind a number of times and broadened my opinions.

I completely agree that we can always learn from others, and that was what I was trying to get across—that it's more valuable to learn from others' mistakes than play Monday morning quarterback from the comfort of your couch (that criticism is intended toward my younger more rigid self). We're all human. McCandless paid the ultimate price for his risks, but they were his risks to take (or not).

So, that’s why I’m now going to reread Krakauer’s book.

Maybe I’m growing more flexible with age.

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Maybe I’m growing more flexible with age.

Naaah, just more mellow. Just like wine and cheese improve with age. Ummm, that could be taken the wrong way - it was supposed to be positive.

Anyway, I was just ribbing you a bit. Remember, don't take anything OGBO posts too seriously. Life's too short.

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No worries, Bill. I like wine and cheese.

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I've not seen the book, but have read the book twice and have seen a live presentation by Krakauer. For all of McCandless's faults, he survived a very long time in the bush with very minimal food and gear. This is especially relevant since he was not a life long student of the outdoors, he figured out most of it on the fly. Few of his critics would be able to last as long with such little stuff. I don't fault McCandless for wanting to attempt the experience, sometimes you make it and sometimes you don't. Many who try such endeavors and survive rarely admit that good luck plays into their survival.

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I thought the same thing about his self-sufficiency while seeing the movie, Alan.

I'm now eager to reread the book (as soon as it arrives) and see how I reevaluate his experience.

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I saw the movie when it first came out ... didn't read the book.

My main gripe had hardly anything to do with the pluses or minuses to Chris's approach to the outdoors. I just found him to be annoying because he didn't seen to appreciate all the stuff he had going for him: college paid for, upper-middle-class upbringing, etc.

I come from people who never had money and was the first in my family to get a bachelor's degree, so I resented the way he casually threw away things most of my people would fight and scratch to get, and feel lucky to have it, scars and all.

He also inflicted needless pain on his family.

The myth he leaves behind -- chucking the trappings of so-called civilization and living as people have always lived -- is compelling, though.

A myth is never entirely true, but it's also never entirely false.

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tommangan,
The question that the story raises is "what do you want out of life, anyway?" Do you want all the material things you refer to that so many people want? Is a college education necessary for happiness or success in what you want to do (my father did not complete grade school in a formal setting, but used correspondence courses and life experiences to become what most would consider very successful; my mother kept adding to her formal education while she was teaching, eventually ending up with a doctorate, many years after my father passed on).

For some occupations, you do have to have a college, med school, or graduate education, though,having a degree is no guarantee of success in your chosen field (I know all too many people in my field who ended up homeless, despite having doctorates).

Having money does not guarantee happiness or success, either. Remember that McCandless gave a large portion of his money to Oxfam, where it ultimately did and continues to do, more good for people in need than he was able to do personally. Is an upper middle class upbringing a guarantee of success and happiness? No, of course not. I can point to a man who was in grad school with me, whose father was one of the primary inventors of technology that you and I use every day (like right now). He had all the advantages that growing up in an upper class family can bring. Last time I saw him, a couple years ago was on a street in Hashbury, homeless, penniless, in tattered clothing. I talked to him a while, offering him help if needed. He turned me down and walked away saying basically that the world was against him. He is not the only one I know who had everything a family could offer who ended up miserable.

Again, what it comes down to is what you (each individual) value, what makes you happy, what fulfills you. I guarantee you that it is not money, and it is not a family that is superficially privileged. It comes from inside - your own personal values. Some of the happiest people I know have what most of American and European society would consider nothing and live in extreme poverty.

By all accounts, McCandless grew up in a high-pressure, dysfunctional family (though not as much so as the film portrayed - one of the differences with the book). He was pushed in a direction different from his interests. One thing I have observed in many people is - if what you are doing is not something that you enjoy, then it is not worth doing, no matter how much you are paid. If you are getting paid to do "just a job", go do something else, even if it is at much less pay (you would be surprised how often doing what you enjoy pays off in monetary rewards, as well as in happiness).

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I feel sorry for all you monday morning quarterbacks who still have no idea why he wanted and did what he did. Not one of you has the guts to do what he did. Of course none of you would want to because you're all so happy with the perfect life and have to many commitments, a convenient excuse. Very sad.

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One of the things I wrote about the movie on my web site was that I was reacting to the story -- which is an artificial construction gathering certain facts into a certain pattern which creates a narrative. Life doesn't really happen that way, we just tell stories because they are more efficient ways to convey how something happened.

I don't have any idea what really happened in Chris McCandless' life, or what was in his head, or even the consequences of his demise. So I can't really judge whether what he did was right or wrong.

Any story that generates so much interpretation must rise to the level of art/legend ... you can't take that away from McCandless. He left something that lasted long after his passing. Not much more you can ask from the inevitable shedding of this earthly coil.

He still should've called his mom, though.

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Actually, I think the comments have largely been about NOT being a Monday morning quarterback to tragedy.

Still, not everyone is going to identify with McCandless's story (or rather the book or movie portrayals of his personal story), because we're all individuals, even those of us who enjoy getting outdoors.

Everyone has his or her own reasons for getting out into nature. I don't think that's sad at all. It's just different.

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Ron B said

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I feel sorry for all you monday morning quarterbacks who still have no idea why he wanted and did what he did. Not one of you has the guts to do what he did. Of course none of you would want to because you're all so happy with the perfect life and have to many commitments,...

I don't see much Monday Morning Quarterbacking here on Trailspace. Pretty much everyone has said that he chose what he did for his own reasons, and that was his right to do so. Some comments were to the effect that he made mistakes (we all do, all the time), some quite avoidable, and one with the ultimate price.

When you say "not one ... has the guts", I'm not sure that's quite the right term. Some of us have done things during our lives that were quite similar, had our share of "learning experiences", and survived, though in some cases paying a price (thankfully less than McCandless did - according to some counts, I have used up 6 of my 9 lives at this point).

"perfect lives" - hunnh?? I do not know anyone who has a perfect life, in the stereotype, traditional sense of a "perfect life". On the other hand, a large majority of the people I know and spend time in the woods and hills with would not have their lives any other way, with all the problems, troubles, and imperfections. Having those tales to tell around the campfire or sitting in a tent for a week waiting out a blizzard adds to the spice of life.

Commitments? Those are what you make them. Some people (perhaps you, from your comments) believe that when you have a spouse and kids, you give up all adventure and excitement with your "responsibilities" to your family. But if you read the many posts here on Trailspace, you will encounter a group with very different viewpoints. I was brought up in the middle of the Sonora Desert in a family that spent lots of time in the outdoors, and Barb's and my son was being taken into the woods and hills from virtually the day he was born (his first snow camping and backpacking was when he was about 3). Dave and Alicia, owners of Trailspace, are getting their offspring into the woods and hills, as well. A couple of other regular contributors are taking care of spouses or parents who need fairly constant care, including getting them out and not just sitting or lying around in a darkened room waiting to die. Is "responsibility" sitting around passively, protecting children from all possible harm (an impossibility), or sitting around passively waiting for an infirm spouse or parent to die? Or is it involving them in the enjoyment of this universe?

LIfe without risk is pretty boring (and besides which, there is risk in everything - as Indianans found out this morning, it isn't just California that has earthquakes). You can't avoid all risks, but you can choose them to keep life interesting and fun.

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As ia always the case the book was way better than the movie.The sad part was due to lack of forsight a life was needlessly lost.

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