Into the Wild in Pick-a-Shelf

Mar 06, 2017 Mickey rated it it was ok

So I am not a nature person. I know that it is beautiful and without its preservation we will all die, and I should probably have more appreciation for it, but I don't. So I knew that was going to be a barrier for me when reading this book. I am never surprised when I hear about people losing their lives in the wilderness because it's exactly what I expect to happen to people who venture out into the wild. I am a city girl through and through, and I'll admit that I might be what's wrong with the So I am not a nature person. I know that it is beautiful and without its preservation we will all die, and I should probably have more appreciation for it, but I don't. So I knew that was going to be a barrier for me when reading this book. I am never surprised when I hear about people losing their lives in the wilderness because it's exactly what I expect to happen to people who venture out into the wild. I am a city girl through and through, and I'll admit that I might be what's wrong with the world. At the end of the day, I can appreciate what McCandless stood for and what Krakauer was attempting to do with this book, but I just didn't care.

Krakauer says that people who read this book fall into two categories: people who think McCandless is a hero and people who think he was a fool. I am neither. I don't think he was hero, but I don't think he was a fool either. He's a man who found a way of thinking and believing that he believed offered him ultimate freedom and true happiness. He chose to live life by the philosophy that felt right to him and to hell with what the rest of the world thought about it. I believe he was courageous to do so, but I don't think his way of living is the only way to be free and happy, and I believe he sacrificed much to live that lifestyle.

The thing that struck me the most while reading this book is how McCandless affected the people he met along the way. He left lasting impressions on people, enough to make some people completely change their lives and this fascinated me about him (especially since I personally was not very charmed by him). He built these connections with people, but in order to live the life that he desired, he had to let them go. By avoiding attachments, he avoids the complications that come with human relationships; he avoids the pain. Some people may say that is smart, but I think it's lonely and a bit selfish.

Sometimes when Krakauer would directly quote McCandless from his journal, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Sometimes he just came off as didactic and judgmental and pretentious. The fact that he called himself Alexander Supertramp made me gag. The reasons proposed for why he broke from his family, particularly his dad, shows a lack of emotional maturity. Again I really admire him for really attempting to live by the principles he espoused to others. I've heard my share of overeducated-super-philosophical-dudes who'll preach about the need to let go of material things and return to a simpler more primitive lifestyle, but none of them have the actual guts to do it long-term. But when McCandless is sleeping in a homeless shelter, and he lets one of the homeless men know that he's there by choice, I couldn't help think about how great that must be to have a freaking choice. McCandless preaches to his family about the dangers of wealth and materialism, and the way that capitalism creates these gross inequalities in the world, but he feels no responsibility to change them. His philosophy doesn't require him to deal with the messiness that is humanity except when he's battling within himself. He feels no duty to anyone but himself which some may say is the ultimate freedom and the way things should be but through other lenses, it can also be seen as selfish and an easy way out. I just personally didn't relate to his philosophy on life.

At the end of the day, McCandless was a very complicated figure, and I understand why so many people are fascinated and/or inspired by his story. I'm just not one of them. I didn't really enjoy reading this and was happy when it was over. I know some people who would probably get a lot out of this book; it just wasn't for me.
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