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  • Essay / Into The Wild: The Story of Transcendentalist Chris McCandless

    Into the Wild follows the life of a brilliant young man named Chris McCandless and his journey into the wild. Both mediums focus on his relationships with family, friends, and society, and how they contributed to his actions and ultimately his unfortunate demise. It was first published as a book by Jon Krakauer and later adapted into a film by Sean Penn. Although both interpretations were drawn from the same events, their depictions of Chris were different. Sean Penn distorted and fabricated events to persuade his audience to share the same opinion as him, while Jon Krakauer attempted to be more transparent and objective in his portrayal of Chris. They also illustrated Chris' relationships differently, showcasing different aspects of his character. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay There are many instances where Sean Penn created or manipulated events in the film that did not happen. An example is when Chris was hunting and saw a moose and its kid, but didn't shoot. Given his situation, it is very unlikely that he would have passed up the opportunity to obtain meat. This scene was created to develop Chris' morals to make him a more merciful character. He also ruled out the fact that Chris was unprepared for his trip. Many readers of the book criticized Chris for this, and the lack of this information prevented the film's audience from arriving at this opinion. For example, his lack of suitable camping equipment and his unfamiliarity with Alaska's game and environment proved to be a hindrance to his success and led to his death. He also didn't know the bus he was using for shelter until he arrived. This wasn't explored in the film as much as it was in the book. Additionally, at the end of the film, as Chris is dying, the film is edited so that the audience perceives that Chris is imagining that he is running to his parents and hugging them. This could be seen as a symbol of reconciliation. While this is a sign that Penn is using his artistic license, we don't know if this experience happened or if he forgave his parents. The dramatization of his death can be attributed to Penn wanting to portray Chris as an idol or wanting to celebrate him. Also in the film, Chris realizes that he is dying because of the plant he ate. However, it is unconfirmed if Chris realized this was the reason or if it was the reason at all. The book does not definitively state the cause of death, Krakauer speculates many plausible explanations. Sean Penn praised Chris through romanticizing his story and trying to convey it as the cold truth. On the other hand, Krakauer admitted that he had a polarized opinion on Chris, but he did his best to be impartial and include as much information as possible. This notion was first mentioned in the author's note: “I will not pretend to be an impartial biographer. The strange story of McCandless struck a personal note...I tried...to downplay my authorial presence. Later, he reinforces his intentions by saying: “I leave it to the reader to form their opinion on Chris McCandless. » These statements prove true throughout the book because, despite his beliefs, he never forgets the information that would support his perception of Chris. For example, unlike the film which began with Chris's graduation, Krakauer included facts about Chris's childhood and beyond. This imparted a multi-faceted insight into Chris to the audience. He also explored.