Into the Wild

As I watched the final few minutes of the film Into the Wild adapted and directed by Sean Penn (2007), my heart began to sink and a knot developed in my throat. My nose grew stuffier as I fought back all the new tears that ran down my face. The film had thrown me a curve ball, and I was not ready for it. The feeling of total disappointment began to envelope my thoughts. After having traveled so far and ostensibly learned so much, Chris McCandless' meets his fate in the most unimaginable of ways.

My expectations had deceived me. I thought if he was going to die in the wild, then of course he would die in a brave and arduous fight with a large grizzly bear. Or no. He would draw his machete and strike at the poisonous snake that crawled into his bed unexpectedly during the night. Perhaps, he would fall in the river and the freezing rapids would wash him away down the mountain as he heroically attempted to keep himself afloat.

He spends countless days and nights in that school bus battling his own shadows and demons. Does he mistakenly eat the wrong plant? Does he reach some kind of conclusion and intentionally poison himself? How much of the truth does he leave behind for others to read? But the most haunting question on my mind... Does he ever really find what he is looking for?

I don't think anyone will ever really know why or how Christopher Johnson McCandless dies. In the end, the film leaves me with a great sense of loss, no inspiration and no sense of accomplishment. Alexander Supertramp, as he calls himself during those last few years of his life, scribbles perhaps one of his last words and realizes that happiness is found when it is shared. Does he really believe he will find happiness alone out in the middle of nowhere, away from humanity? Is his pain or disillusionment with his family so great that he has no intention of ever returning to them?

An adventure and a journey to where? Alaska? No. He doesn't spend all those years wandering from place to place to go "to" Alaska. He searchs for a far away place, any place, cold and barren, void of human noise and human interaction. Snow covered mountain peaks, flowing rivers and abundant wildlife look great in pictures and would serve as an adventurous vacation for a few weeks, but who enjoys starvation and who would subject his body to the elements without necessity? This is not a journey into manhood. It is a futile attempt to escape pain.

Unfortunately, pain travels with us. We just don't leave it behind in another city, burn it or abandon it in the desert. Our pain belongs to us. We cannot trade it, sell it or easily discard it. Many people learn to wear their pain, accept it and move on. Perhaps, Chris in some strange way thinks he can erase himself and start new but only if he can change his name, starve his body and insert new characters into his play. Pretense and lies do not lead to truth and discovery. Denial serves only to prolong that which we fear or suffer from most.

The film reminds me of Steve Irwin's life and his death. Where did he face his greatest enemy? Of all the vicious wild animals that could have killed him, it was the thrashing spear of a docile stingray that ended his life, not in the swamps, jungles or forest but on a crystal clear beach. Death grabbed him when he was most at ease and least afraid. I cannot help but grin at the irony of such things.


FINAL THOUGHTS :
Watch the film but don't expect to feel good once it's over.
Eddie Vedder's music beautifully complements the breathtaking scenes.
I have not read the book written by Jon Krakauer(1996) and I probably never will.

Hard Sun, Eddie Vedder

Guaranteed, Eddie Vedder

Summary and Analysis of the Book
Book vs. Film by Tasha Robinson