Many would say, “who would ever throw away all their money and travel to Alaska with a skimpy backpack and a bag of rice?” In August 1992, a man, who entered the Alaskan wild with only skimpy preparation, was found dead inside a bus in Alaska

Into the Wild is a nonfiction written in 1996 and by Jon Krakauer, an American writer and a mountaineer, and many of his other works include Under the Banner of Heaven, Into the Thin Air, When Men Win Glory, and more. Also there is also a movie that is based on the book, called Into the Wild.

The book talks of a man named Chris McCandless who travelled across the country and into Alaska, where he met his demise in a old bus. This book is not a biography but contains much more deeper meaning and purpose for writing this book.

Chris McCandless was born in an upper-middle class family where his father was a NASA engineer and his mother was a painter. He had a younger sister who he adored. He was very smart as well and loved literature that dealt with nature. He graduated top of his class and he seemed to have a solid path to his success. So why and what lead to Chris leave his luxury and go into the wild?

The story runs much more deeper. His father was actually still together with his old wife, and it is revealed that the father abused Chris’ mother. Chris and his sister grew up with constant domestic abuse. Also Chris, disgusted at his father and further influenced by books, despised corruption and wealth. He loved the peace and tranquility of the nature, and he was attracted to living a modest life in the wilderness than the corrupt society.

He traveled all around the country and makes various friends. Later he travels to Alaska with only a backpack and a bag of rice that was given to him by a driver who drove him to Alaska. He ends up dead in a old bus by eating poisoned seeds.

Krakauer’s storytelling doesn’t stop there. He tells of how some people thought of him as a naive fool, and then Krakauer disagrees to their statement, recalling his own experience. Krakauer, in this book, attempts to show people the other side of Chris’ story. Krakauer’s own stories add more persuasion to his argument and entice the readers more. He transform a story of a dead man into a story that is much more deeper and is relevant to the modern society today.