Editor's Choice
What is a key relationship in the film Into the Wild, and how does it influence characters?
Quick answer:
A key relationship in the film Into the Wild is between Chris McCandless and his father, Walt. This strained relationship influences Chris's decision to venture into the Alaskan wilderness as a rejection of his father's materialism. Chris's disdain for wealth and societal norms, fueled by his father's values, pushes him toward a life of exploration and ultimately leads to his unprepared entry into the wilderness. This relationship also negatively impacts Walt, causing him distress and worry over Chris's disappearance.
One important relationship shown in the film adaptation of Into the Wild is the relationship between Chris McCandless and his father, Walt McCandless.
While the film doesn't go into as much detail about the relationship between Chris and his father as the book does, their relationship is critical to the plot of the movie and the book. Chris arguably would not have had the idea to enter the Alaskan wilderness if it were not for the impact of the relationship with his father. His father is a wealthy man that Chris views as materialistic, or concerned with buying things instead of exploring new experiences.
This relationship is best exemplified in the film by the scene (link below) where Chris’s dad says: “We want to buy you a new car.” And later Chris says upset: “Are you worried what the neighbors might think?” and “I don't want a new car, I...
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don't want any thing. Thesethings, things, things.”
Chris believes in pushing yourself and exploring new horizons, and he dislikes money ideologically. His relationship with his wealthy NASA scientist father can be viewed as a positive catalyst for his rich, yet unconventional, life experiences. It can also be viewed as negative, because if his father was not wealthy, Chris may not have become so extreme in his “anti-society” beliefs, which eventually led him to enter a dangerous wilderness (somewhat unprepared) and die.
The relationship between Chris and his father negatively impacted his father. From his father’s point of view, Chris may have come across as ungrateful for the help he tried to provide and unconventional in terms of his life goals. Due to the fact that Chris did not contact his parents after he left, his parents were extremely worried and spent a lot of time trying to find him, which would undoubtedly have a negative effect on a parent's mental health as well.
References:
Film:
Linson, Art, Sean Penn, William Pohlad, Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder, Emile Hirsch, Marcia G. Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Brian Dierker, Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook, Eric Gautier, Jay Cassidy, Derek R. Hill, Mary C. Hannan, and Jon Krakauer. Into the Wild. Hollywood, Calif: Paramount Home Entertainment, 2008.
Book:
Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.