The Truth outside Society in Penns Into the Wild - Essay Example

18 May The Truth outside Society in Penn’s Into the Wild In order to live, one must know the truth about the meaning of life, but in order to know the truth, one must escape one’s society. This thinking follows Henry Thoreau’s Walden. Chris McCandless (Emile Hirsch) is a modern version of Thoreau and Into the Wild is his Walden. Director Sean Penn uses Jon Krakauer’s book that has the same title to depict the inspiring life of McCandles. McCandless leaves everything behind- his family, savings, and material belongings- so that he can experience what it means to truly live. Some people might think that McCandless is a reckless nut and a narcissist, but he can also be seen in a more complex way. McCandless is reckless in a way that he is not fully knowledgeable enough to survive his “great Alaska adventure,” but he is not a wacko and a narcissist; instead, he should be admired for his naturalist idealism on human existence, wherein he reconnects to his soul through nature, while at the same time stimulating others to search inward for their happiness too. McCandless is reckless in a way because he fails to understand the range of skills and knowledge required to survive his lifelong dream. His lifelong dream is more than escaping the bitterness of his family’s reality because since he was a young child, he found happiness in his wanderings. He tells Ron Franz (Hal Holbrook) that he does not live alone and in the wild because he is “destitute,” but because it is his choice. He believes that travelling is the best way to live. Being a “tramp,” which refers to people like him who are nomads by choice, however, is not easy, especially in the wild. McCandless buys a book on local flora and fauna, but because of his lack of knowledge and skills in understanding the difference among plants, he eats a poisonous plant that looks like a wild potato root. This plant has the side effect of starvation and death if left untreated. His death is a product of his lack of full understanding of the forces that he must be able to handle in the wild. The scene where he dies alone is one of the reasons why some people criticize McCandless as a narcissist because he thinks he is good enough to survive alone. Instead of seeing him as a narcissist, he is more of a reckless inexperienced young man who has not attained critical knowledge and skills for long-run survival in Alaska. Perhaps if he studied Alaska for a few years, it could have increased his chances for survival. But he is impatient and he wants to live his dream immediately and because of this, he faces higher risks. McCandless’ recklessness is in his reluctance to wait and to be the best supertramp for his Alaska adventure. Despite some degree of recklessness, McCandless is not a wacko because he is prepared for his journey physically and mentally. Physically, he is an athlete, so he has the stamina to live off the land. He has the physical framework that gives him the strength and endurance for long-run walking and running. Moreover, McCandless has mentally prepared himself for the physical demands of trekking, hunting, and cooking and keeping himself warm during winter season. McCandless knows the risks of his tramp lifestyle and makes necessary preparations to ensure his self-reliance. For instance, he learned how to survive in Alaska from a friend. His friend told him what to do with his food once he kills it. McCandless also worked on a calisthenics program through exercise and walking steep mountains every day, so that his body can withstand the physical rigors of continuous mountain hiking. Also, in the beginning of the film, McCandless sends a note that he has bought a book on local flora and fauna, which means that he wants to know about the land, so that he can survive it alone. He adds that he has “stocked all necessary comforts to live off the land for a few months.” He used his money from the last job he held at Burger King to buy essential supplies. These preparations indicate that he used his intellect to organize his life, no matter how disorganized it might seem to others. A wacko will just go to Alaska without these means and preparations, but McCandless is different because he wanted to make sure that he is prepared physically and mentally for his great Alaska adventure. Aside from not being a nut, McCandless is not a narcissist because he is not centered on his own needs and dreams only, as he touched a number of lives along his adventure, wherein they also learned insights about life. A narcissist, in general, is preoccupied with his/her preferences, needs, and success, and how others see him/her. McCandless is driven by his ambition to travel and to go into the wild, but he does not do so in an extreme manner that he completely disregards other people’s needs and concerns. Since he left his home, he encounters several people who have inner struggles. He meets the hippie couple Rainey (Brian H. Dierker) and Jan Burres (Catherine Keener). They are having relationship issues because Jan’s teenage son left her, like what McCandless did to his parents. Her son’s loss becomes a wedge between her and Rainey. McCandless stays with them, helping Jan cope with her son’s departure. He tells Rainey that he understands Jan and tells him: “Some people feel like they don't deserve love. They walk away quietly into empty spaces, trying to close the gaps of the past.” He is saying that some people cannot let go of the past and those who have hurt them. As a result, they find it hard to be happy because they can no longer appreciate those who are in their lives. McCandless shares his knowledge of life with this couple, and Jan perceptibly appreciates that after knowing him, she understands now why her son wants to go and live on his own. Another example is McCandless’ friendship with Franz. Since his family died in a car accident, Franz lives a secluded life, working on his leather shop most of the time. He tells Franz: “The core of mans' spirit comes from new experiences.” On the one hand, some might think that McCandless is being a narcissist for forcing his way of life on Franz because he is asking him to leave his house and explore the world. Maybe Franz is happier as a craftsman than a tramp. On the other hand, McCandless might be right in influencing Franz to live outside his sheltered life. Franz says to McCandless: “Yeah. I am going to take stock of that. You know I am. But there is some kind of bigger thing that we can all appreciate and it sounds to me you don't mind calling it God. But when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines through you.” He is ready to be a tramp too, but he also wants McCandless to forgive his parents for being imperfect. This way, he can love more and enjoy his tramp life with God’s light on him. In this case, these men learn from one another. Despite their brokenness, they heal each other’s sadness. As an advocate of a tramp’s life, McCandless is not self-centered and has helped others to search inward in answering troubling questions in their lives. Aside from these explanations, McCandless is not a narcissist because he does not care about what others think of him. He does not value material possession as a worthy end in life. For example, as a graduation gift, his parents wanted to buy him a new car, but McCandless rejects it. He hates modern society’s materialism. He does not care about what people think of his own car, as long as he loves and uses it the way he sees fit. Moreover, McCandless does not value social appearance. Carine McCandless (Jena Malone) is one of the voices of her brother in the film, and she narrates what happened after Chris learned that their mother is a mistress: “These revelations struck at the core of Chris' sense of identity. They made his entire childhood seem like fiction.” Their parents told them a story that they met in college and married after graduation. It seemed like a fairy tale romance, when in reality, they had an illicit affair. The situational irony is that they are so concerned of what others people think about them when they are hypocrites. One time, Chris is washing his car and fooling around and his mother warns him because his neighbors are looking at them. For an adulterer, it is ironic for Chris that she will be so appearance-centered, when she fools herself and children every day. From here onwards, Chris develops a passion for knowing the truth. In addition, some might think that Chris is a narcissist for cutting all family ties. Even Carine feels a little hurt that her brother did not contact her for two years. However, she understands that for her brother, their love is enough for her to understand his absence. Others wonder how Chris can leave his parents like that. Whatever faults they might have, including their domestic violence, they are still his parents. Chris, however, teaches them a lesson on what is important in life. His parents might not have appreciated his philosophy in life before, but after he left, they must have gained enlightenment about their flaws. One scene shows his father sitting in the middle of the road crying. He learns that life is nothing without loved ones and their respect. Another scene is Chris’ mother looking out to each hiker. Because her son is missing, she knows that material things can all be gone, but it cannot compare to the loss of her children. The McCandless all realize the meaning of Chris’ journey, a journey toward the truth that comes from a knowledge that is within. After discussing what Chris is not, it is equally crucial to understand who Chris is, wherein he should be admired for his idealism and belief in ultimate freedom as the best way of determining the truth about life and destiny. Chris is an idealist because he believes that everyone is capable of becoming their true identities without being a part of materialistic society. He tells Tracy Tatro (Kristen Stewart): “When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” He wants her to learn that she does not have to doubt her talents because doubt will eat her ability to know herself and find happiness in herself. Furthermore, McCandless is a naturalist idealist because of the value he places in nature. He tells Franz: “You don't need human relationships to be happy, God has placed it all around us.” He is saying that Franz should not limit his family to his dead family members, but expand it to include all of God’s creations. These scenes - running with horses, not shooting an animal because its baby follows it, and feeling sorry for a rotting dead moose - show that McCandless has connected to nature in a profoundly spiritual and emotional way. It is emotional because he feels their pain and freedom, and it is spiritual because he gains truth about life through nature. He is an extremist when assessed through modern norms, but he only wants to feel life as it is, not how it should be. He writes on a wooden board: “And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage.” Modern society is poison to the human soul because it feeds illusions about identity, happiness, and success. McCandless escapes society and reunites with his soul through his escapades with nature, wherein he understands that life is about absolute freedom, or there is no life at all. Stripped down to the most basic needs, McCandless pursues his dream of being absolutely free- free from money, social obligations, and government obligations. He inspires people to not necessarily “go Walden” as he has done, but to simple be truer to themselves by simplifying their lives. In the end, McCandless might have gone alone, but he too learns something important. Solitude with nature is a wonderful way to be free, but, to be happy in the long run, a human being needs other people too. Life is more truthful and meaningful without materialism and it is happier when shared with loved ones. The wild is not the wild in its physical sense alone. To go into the wild is to go deep inside the human soul, responding only to the call of love and truth, the most basic and only meaningful aspects of human existence. Work Cited Into the Wild. Dir. Sean Penn. Perf. Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, and Catherine Keener. Paramount Vantage, 2007. Film. Read More