“Into the Wild” is a book written by Jon Krakauer and released in 1998, based on facts that served as inspiration for the movie of the same name. The plot of the book (and also the film) discusses the search for freedom of human beings against the unhealthy consumerism propagated by capitalism and its system, and the true discovery of meaning to their existence.
The book portrays the true story of Christopher McCandless, a young upper-middle-class from the United States of America, athlete and top graduated student from Emory University who, tired and annoyed by the materialism in the American culture, decides to abandon his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and go on an adventure of self-discovery.
The young man changes his name and begins a road trip through the rough and forgotten places of the interior of the USA, a capitalist empire, where many people are still living on the margins of oblivion and abandonment. Influenced by his experiences on the road, Christopher at one point abandons his car and spends all his money to feel freer. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his new lifestyle.
In search of his transformation, the young man decides to undertake a dangerous adventure with a lot of adrenaline on foot through Alaska. He faces all the difficulties the wild nature can impose on those who challenge it. Isolated in the middle of nowhere, the young man has gone further than he could ever imagine, and his quest for inner peace is achieved, in his last adventure.
“Into the Wild” is a book that teaches us to find another meaning to our lives through breaking the social conventions chains that imprison us, through refusing to be slaves of materialism, capitalism, and exploitation of the labour force. Like wild nature, we were born to be free.
In relation to the film, Sean Penn directed and written the screenplay alongside Jon Krakauer . The movie was released in 2007 and stars Emile Hirsch as McCandless and Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt as his parents; it also features Jena Malone, Catherine Keener, Brian Dierker, Vince Vaughn, Kristen Stewart, and Hal Holbrook. It received critical acclaim and grossed $56 million worldwide. It was nominated for two Golden Globes and won the award for Best Original Song: “Guaranteed” by Eddie Vedder. It was also nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Holbrook.
It is an impressive, enchanting and thrilling story!
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