Discussion Topic
Main events and their significance in Into the Wild
Summary:
The main events in Into the Wild include Chris McCandless's decision to abandon his possessions, his journey across America, and his ultimate demise in the Alaskan wilderness. These events highlight themes of individualism, the search for meaning, and the consequences of idealism. McCandless's story serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of extreme self-reliance and the allure of nature.
What are the key events in Chapter 12 of Into the Wild and their significance?
Chapter 12 opens with Chris graduating from high school and embarking on a cross country trip alone. It is later learned that he got lost in the Mojave desert and almost died, but Chris reacts with anger at gentle parental urging to be more careful. This is significant because it was the first of many such solo journeys he would undertake in upcoming years, and it accentuates his propensity for both taking chances and refusing to follow the advice of others.
Chris then enters Emory college, where he makes "nearly perfect" grades but becomes increasingly isolated, details that underscore his exceptional intelligence on the one hand and his antisocial nature on the other.
At one point during his college years, Chris learns that his Dad fathered a child with his first wife after Chris was born. This incident precipitated what was to become a virulent hatred toward his parents, by...
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whom he felt betrayed.
After graduation from Emory, Chris "donated the balance of his bank account...loaded up his car...and (essentially) vanished" from the lives of his family and acquaintances. This event marked the beginning of years of reckless wandering which would end only with his death.
(all quotes from Chapter 12)