Into the Wild
Film Study
In conjunction with our study of Henry David
Thoreau’s Walden, we will watch the film version of Jon Krakauer’s novel
about the life and death of Chris McCandless. Chris was a good
student with an A average, as well as a good cross country runner. But he was very stubborn and strong willed. He would train his
cross country team mates hard taking them on practise runs in places where it
was easy to get lost. He saw it as a challenge, and he viewed running as a form
of spiritual exercise.
McCandless graduated from
High School in 1986 and shortly after took off on an solo adventure for the
summer arriving back 2 days before he was due to start college. He arrived at
college scruffy compared to his well-dressed roommate, and went on to earn
excellent grades. He graduated from Emory University in 1990, but saw titles
and honours as immaterial and irrelevant. Later he would say that university is
a 20th century fad and not something to aspire towards.
Shortly after graduation,
he gave the remaining money from his education fund to Oxfam. The cheque
written by Chris on 15th May 1990, totalled $24 000. He then left quietly from
home to begin his adventures and assumed the name Alexander Supertramp – a
pseudonym taken from the 1908 book The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp,
by William H. Davies. When asked by someone where his family were, he would
reply that he didn't have a family anymore.
He travelled through
various states of America in his car (which he left after it was caught in a
flash flood), as well as by train, by canoe and, of course, on foot. His
personal challenge was to travel with very few belongings and as little money
as possible. He had no map and no agenda -- only the will to travel. His
dream was to journey to Alaska, and he would tell all those he met along the
way about it. He reached his final destination on April 28, 1992 in Fairbanks
Alaska. Four months later, he would perish from a
combination of errors; his body was found in an abandoned old Fairbanks City
Transit Bus numbered 142 located along the Stampede Trail.
McCandless kept a journal
along the way and took self portraits now and then. His final self-portrait was
a picture of him holding a farewell note in his left hand and waving with his
right hand. He was but 30kg in weight and eventually died of starvation and
possibly poisoning from fungus on some fruit he had eaten.
His body was found by hunters 19 days after he
died. Jon Krakauer, a writer from Outside magazine, wrote an article
about Chris in January 1993 and later a best-selling book that was made into a
movie in 2007 by Sean Penn.
Chris' actions have given
rise to many debates about safety in the wild; many have said that what he did
amounted to suicide. But, he has also had a lot of praise for his courage and
spirit of adventure. Bus 142 has become a tourist attraction, and many people
visit the site every year.
Work
and Assessment:
I. Every student will write a film terminology
test during this unit.
II. Every student will read an
assigned selection from Jon Krakauer’s book to present in summary form to the
class.
III. Every student will write a Personal Response
to the following question that integrates our study of Into the Wild and
Walden:
|
Write about your own spiritual searching,
journeying, and questioning. Consider an experience of wonder or
transcendence that you have had through nature, through your interactions
with others, or by some other means. What new thoughts and questions have
such experiences given rise to for you? See if you can relate any of your
experiences of such things to the life-questions and searchings of Chris
McCandless and Henry David Thoreau. |
IV. Every student will complete ONE essay
from among the following possibilities:
1. Research McCandless’ exploits and decide for
yourself (in a well-crafted, authoritative critical-analytic essay) whether or
not McCandless’ death was the result of ineptitude or forces beyond any
sobre-minded human being’s control.
2. Read the excerpt from Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Dissertation
on the Origin and Foundation of the Inequality of Mankind . What story does
Rousseau tell about human beings in their original mythical “state of nature”?
What does his story about human beings in their “natural state” say about human
nature and the influence of society? What insights and deficiencies do you
detect in the view of Rousseau in this excerpt? What similarities and
differences do you see between the ideas of Rousseau and the idealism of Chris
McCandless?
3. Review what you have learned from having read
and reflected intensively on Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Write a
critical essay that explores the influence of Thoreau on McCandless’ journey
and adventures.
4. Read The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp
by William H. Davies (available online or in electronic format from Mr. Steel).
Write an assessment of how Chris McCandless draws upon this work in his own
life and understanding.
5. Write a critical essay that investigates the
nature of Chris McCandless’ quest, and what he learns from his searching.