Bamstutz
asked
Michael Finkel:
As I read your book about Christopher Knight I couldn't help thinking about Christopher McCandless. They were both part of the post-boomer generation (born in the mid 1960's), rejected modern life, and went off to find authenticity in the wild/woods. What are your thoughts about the cultural significance of these two men? What can we learn from their quests?
Michael Finkel
Good question. Depending on how you look at it, McCandless and Knight either have a great deal in common, or almost nothing in common. First, what they have in common: Both escaped the word in a rather radical way, and when both were quite young. Both have provoked a wide array of opinions, from deep admiration to utter disparagement. And both are named Christopher!
But they are mostly very, very different. McCandless survived only four months in the wilds -- he did not even make it through one winter. Knight survived for 27 years and walked out strong as an ox.
McCandless was actually quite outgoing, and like other people's company. Knight never liked being around other people. McCandless' adventure was supposed to be a short-term stunt, and he kept a journal, and was surely going to tell may people about his adventure. Knight was committed to living his entire life in the woods, never wrote down a single word, and was not planning to tell anyone about what happened to him (those plans changed when he was captured, and I am grateful that Knight agreed to share his story).
Though of course I read "Into the Wild," I never mentioned McCandless in "The Stranger in the Woods" -- to me, the men were completely different, except in the way other view them.
I hope this answer was helpful!
But they are mostly very, very different. McCandless survived only four months in the wilds -- he did not even make it through one winter. Knight survived for 27 years and walked out strong as an ox.
McCandless was actually quite outgoing, and like other people's company. Knight never liked being around other people. McCandless' adventure was supposed to be a short-term stunt, and he kept a journal, and was surely going to tell may people about his adventure. Knight was committed to living his entire life in the woods, never wrote down a single word, and was not planning to tell anyone about what happened to him (those plans changed when he was captured, and I am grateful that Knight agreed to share his story).
Though of course I read "Into the Wild," I never mentioned McCandless in "The Stranger in the Woods" -- to me, the men were completely different, except in the way other view them.
I hope this answer was helpful!
More Answered Questions
Miriam W.
asked
Michael Finkel:
Hi Michael, I just finished your excellent book, The Stranger in the Woods. I thoroughly enjoyed it and particularly love your writing style. I appreciated your insights and details regarding isolation and the role of suffering which were woven into the story so beautifully. I am recommending your book to my book club and wondered if you could suggest a few questions for our discussion? Miriam
Jacob Wall
asked
Michael Finkel:
Have you ever heard of a book called "Torment in the Knobs", published in 1976? It's also a true story (though written nearly 90 years after the fact) of a man abandoning modern life to live in the woods. It's extremely obscure and wasn't published far beyond East Tennessee, but upon reading a synopsis of "The Stranger in the Woods" it was the first place my mind went.
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