Do Now:Open your books to the author’s

note and read the 3 pages it covers. Write down some important notes, then

prepare to answer some following questions…

Author’s Note1. How long did Chris McCandless’ journey in the

Alaskan wilderness last? 2. Immediately after graduating from Emory

University in 1990, Chris McCandless dropped out of sight. List 5 things that he did to support his “plan”.

3. What are some themes Krakauer mentions are the result of his “meandering inquiry”?

4. What do you think Krakauer means when he states “I won’t claim to be an impartial biographer”?

5. What reason does Krakauer offer for writing this book?

How did Chris McCandless develop his philosophy of life?

(and how did it go so wrong?)

McCandless’s Major Literary InfluencesJack London and Naturalism

Henry David Thoreau and Transcendentalism

Leo Tolstoy and Realism

Jack London (1876-1916)Born in San FranciscoAs an adolescent, London worked at various

hard labor jobspirated for oysters on San Francisco Bay served on a fish patrol to capture poachersailed on a Pacific sealing shiptravelled around the country as a hoboattended high school at age 19

Chose to become a writer to escape horrific prospect of working in a factory

Jack London Bio ContinuedVery famous figure in adulthood; used fame to

endorse political movements such as socialism, women’s suffrage and prohibition.

Although his socialist views can be seen in his writing, there is also a strong drive toward individualism and capitalistic success.

London died November 22, 1916, in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch. He was in extreme pain due to complications from kidney stones and taking morphine.

It is possible that a morphine overdose, accidental or deliberate, may have contributed to his death.

Jack London’s WorksHis novel The Call of the

Wild was thought to be McCandless’s biggest influence

The Call of the WildLondon intended to write

about a dog who merely reverts to the wild

He states that he unconsciously wrote “the human allegory (extended metaphor) in the dog’s life-and-death struggle to adapt himself to a hostile environment”

Jack London and NaturalismNaturalism:

A type of literature that uses realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity and environment shapes the individual and determines his fate

Directly contrasts Romantic works like Anthem where the individual shapes his own environment and is master of his fate

Expose the dark harshness of lifeCharacters can be studied through their

relationship to their surroundings

Naturalism ContinuedCharacters in Naturalistic works are often ill-

educated or lower class whose lives are controlled by outside forces

Characters try to exercise free will and find they are powerless to outside forces beyond their control

Exposed the dark harshness of life including: poverty, racism, sex, violence, prejudice, disease, corruption, prostitution, and filth.

How did this inspire Chris McCandless’s philosophy?He believed that environment shaped the

individual and sought out an environment that would better shape him; sought to leave what he felt were negative influences

He took The Call of the Wild quite literally as a call to live in the wild to seek one’s true potential

London’s socialism may have contributed to McCandless’s disdain of money and anti-materialism

Where did it go wrong?Naturalism was a literary movement, not a fact

of reality. Few truly believe that individuals are powerless to the influence of their environment.

Likewise most environments are not completely pure or completely corrupt.

His hero, Jack London, obviously realized his works were fiction and not a plan to follow. He chose to write to avoid hard labor and died among the conveniences of modern life.Did McCandless mistake fiction as a literal guide

for living?

Henry David Thoreau- 1817-1862

Lived at a time of increasing modernity—business and technology beginning to dominate American life

Grew up in a liberal family in Concord, MA

Regarded as an oddballAttended Harvard and became a

teacherEmphasized more reverence for

nature (cabin for 2 years)Published only 2 moderately

successful books during his lifetimeDied of tuberculosis

Transcendentalism: What did they believe?Most people “lead lives of quiet desperation”

(HDT). In day to day modern life, we simply go through the motions and never stop to truly live.

In order to live deliberately, one must become self-reliant, intuitive ,become reflective, and get in touch with nature.

Example: HDT left his life to live deliberately in a cabin in the woods. His experience turned into Walden

Walden Pond and a Replica of Thoreau’s cabin

Transcendentalism (continued)When a person lives deliberately

and follows his intuition, he “transcends” everyday life and experiences the sublime.

The sublime is beauty, wonder and awe. An overpowering feeling of respect for life and nature.

The transcendent person becomes god-like. She trusts and relies on herself and her instincts.

Why did this backfire on Chris McCandless?Although following your own intuition is a major

part of Transcendentalist belief, total solitude is not.

Thoreau did go to Walden Pond to live deliberately, but he was not a hermit. He entertained many visitors.

Additionally, self-reliance does not require refusing all help and advice. One might argue that an aspect of self-reliance is recognizing when to seek help.

Was McCandless self-reliant or merely stubborn?

And Finally…Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)Russian writer of primarily

novels and short storiesHis two greatest works, Anna

Karenina and War and Peace, considered to be the pinnacle of realist fiction

Born into Russian nobilityDropped out of university after

teachers called him “unable and unwilling to learn”; ran up huge gambling debts and joined the army to escape

Tolstoy’s Political BeliefsAfter viewing a public execution, Tolstoy wrote,

"The truth is that the State is a conspiracy designed not only to exploit, but above all to corrupt its citizens ... Henceforth, I shall never serve any government anywhere.“

Led to his belief in non-violent anarchy as the only way for people to get along

Believed in equality among all social classes and opened a school for the children of serfs

Opposed private property and the institution of marriage (despite being married himself)

Valued chastity and abstinence

Tolstoy’s Religious BeliefsConsidered to be a Christian ascetic, meaning he

believed he must reject all worldly pleasures in order to find spiritual fulfillment

Took Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount literally which guided his belief in pacifism, nonviolence and nonresistance

Believed that a true Christian could find lasting happiness by striving for inner self-perfection through following the Great Commandment of loving one's neighbor and God rather than looking outward to the Church or state for guidance

Died of pneumonia in a train station at age 82 after giving up all worldly possessions (including his family) in order to live as a wandering ascetic

And in case you thought you had nothing in common with Leo Tolstoy…Tolstoy on Shakespeare…

"I remember the astonishment I felt when I first read Shakespeare. I expected to receive a powerful aesthetic pleasure, but having read, one after the other, works regarded as his best: King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and Macbeth, not only did I feel no delight, but I felt an irresistible repulsion and tedium...".

RealismWorks that depict contemporary life and society

"as they were." Realist writers try to capture everyday activities The character is more important than action and

plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject

Plots are generally plausibleCharacters diction is natural, not heightened or

poetic

(This is why Tolstoy did not enjoy Shakespeare.)

What did McCandless take from Tolstoy and Realism?A disdain for money,

worldly possessions, and romantic relationships (asceticism)

A belief that lasting happiness could be found only by achieving inner self-perfection

Desire for realism and a life based on strong ethics

What went wrong?As McCandless writes, “Happiness only real when

shared.” Are human relationships equal to worldly possessions? Is asceticism really the best way to live?

•Are basic survival tools “worldly possessions”? Where does survival end and luxury begin?

•Did McCandless’ beliefs set him up to fail?

Discuss: