Carlos GodinezProfessor CooperENGL April 22, 2014Into the Wild: book versus filmSo many books or literary works have been made into films. Sometimes movies can reflect exactly what the author wrote and hoped to convey, but often movies can either create this feeling of valorization of the book or completely distort it due to more or less background information and change the perspective of the main character. The book Into the Wild, written by John Krakauer, was one of those films recreated into film by director Sean Penn. It is the story of a young man destabilized by the poisonous morals of society. He destroys his old identity and creates a new one. He abandons his home, his car, his savings and his family life to live on the road and in the Alaskan wilderness. It was mentioned that he was trying to escape society at large and find himself and happiness. The book and movie follow a fairly consistent plot that correlates, making it clear that Chris was a polarizing subject. So why does the book portray Chis McCandles as a charismatic, outgoing, well-educated nice boy, while the movie portrays him more as a stupid, immature, unprepared boy, biting off more than he can chew? It all depends on your interpretation of the two sources in the information provided. The following comparison will discuss the book version versus the film version of Into the Wild and raise the question of the amount of background information provided in the book compared to the film and the change in perspective of the main character Christoper Johnson McCandles. John Krakauer published Into The Wild in 1996. He first wrote about the story of Christopher McCandless in an article he published in Outside Magazine in January... middle of paper...... which was addressed to me after watching the film: “. . . And I also know how important it is in life to not necessarily be strong but to feel strong. Measure yourself at least once. Finding yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions. Facing the blind death stone alone, with nothing to help you but your hands and your own head. This quote truly embodied McCandless's view and interpretation of life, which I found significant in forming my opinion. From a personal point of view, I really enjoyed both Krakauer's literary portrayal and Penn's film. Although their organizational plans and representation of McCandless are slightly different. Their transmission of McCandless will only affect readers to the extent that they allow it. Both the book and the film were unique in that they told the life lessons and great adventures of Christopher McCandless..