Since the beginning of literature, no single aspect has been as deeply engrained in our physic as the idea of madness. From Shakespearian plays to New York Times best sellers, one theme runs clear; humans are deeply afraid of the thought of losing one’s mind. Any character who deviates from the societally views of normalcy is instantly branded as such, from the violent Hamlet to the laughable Mad Hatter, deranged Macbeth to disgruntled Holden Caulfield. But separated from these fictional beings are those of reality, whose true sanity is greatly contested. A prominent example of this is found in the novel “Into the Wild”, written by Jon Krakauer. In his famed book he tells the story of Chris McCandless, a 24-year-old college dropout who left behind a life of promise and privilege to explore the Alaskan wilderness, where he ultimately met his untimely end. And although his true motives may…show more content… When his staved corpse was discovered in an abandoned bus, it was found with little personal possessions. This wasn’t a factor of the length of his trip, but rather the packing for it. After spending several months exploring the western United States and Mexico, Chris entered Alaska with no weapons, food, warm clothing or shelter. Now it’s common knowledge that the woods and mountains of Alaska are harsh and unforgiving, even for the most trained of outdoors men, so why would an urban college kid enter this with such bravery, yet armed with no defense? Professional hunters and trappers dare not enter the same terrain unless armed to the tea, with pounds of nonperishable food, clean drinking water, guns, knives, sleeping bags and tents. In fact, had it not been for the man who drove him there, Chris wouldn’t have even had winter boots. This leaves the readers with a major unanswered questions; was this apparent act of madness just ignorant carelessness, or a something