BOOK REVIEW #4; INTO THE WILD

Many great authors decide to present the main character by presenting what makes that character unique, and in some cases, idiosyncratic. The autobiography Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer has one of those stories in which the main character acts in an obscure fashion, revealing many genius qualities that cannot be seen in other novels. The novel starts out in an odd fashion. Christopher McCandless first introduces himself as Alex to an electrician named Jim. Jim is shocked as to find out that Christopher wants to head out into a national park and reside there for a few months. This statement shows Christopher displaying the quality of wonder. Although that thesis can be debatable, it is due to the fact that Christopher is willing to reside in a national park and explore the open land without human interaction that shows Christopher wondering about the natural world around him. Throughout the course of the autobiography, the reader will tend to see Christopher's obscurities come into place, actually becoming the center role of the novel as a matter of fact. The reader will then notice Christopher doing things one might think would be unconventional. This includes burning $120 worth of cash, using a microwave in an improper fashion, and becoming detached from his parents for two years. These cryptic and opaque gestures prove McCandless to be otherwise creative. One might argue this statement as well, but the fact that McCandless would go out of his way to do the unconventional, to stray away from society and to shape the world in the image he wants it to be proves that McCandless is a creative genius who strays away from being otherwise typical. Although living in the wilderness may seem exiting from one standpoint, it eventually got emotionally troublesome for McCandless. He struggled to find food for himself (this was a main issue for McCandless since the start of the novel since he didn't have the necessary tools for hunting). He writes in his journal that he is in "weak condition" and finds himself death of starvation. This shows Christopher being physically sensitive, a genius quality he displays as he shows himself struggling to survive in the wilderness. Krakauer's way of displaying wonder, creativity, and sensitivity through McCandless proves to be universal even in today's society. There are many people out there who wonder about the world around them, go out of their way and create the world around them, and maybe even react and become sensitive to the world around them. Into The Wild is a novel in which the main character displays his genius potential and makes his story and his genius qualities relatable for many generations to come.