Into The Wild Rhetorical Analysis

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Escaping from the constraints of society is not a new concept. Often, it’s young people that feel invincible from society or rather disgusted with society. The purpose is often unique, differing from person to person, although it often is rooted from a desire for fulfillment. This fulfillment we crave to satisfy curiosity, exploration, and self reliance, are all resonated in Christopher McCandless’ own escape into the wild. Through the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, a period biography of the adventures of Christopher McCandless, we learn of his physical and mental escape from society through a secondary source, the author. In order to piece together the life of McCandless, the author has extensively researched the life of McCandless,…show more content…
Krakauer employs this stylistic technique in order to establish his credentials and divulge to the reader that McCandless was not a fool, but just a man who sought his own meaning. Krakauer, promptly at the commencement of the novel, uses an appeal to ethos in order to establish trust between himself and his readers. He demonstrates his awareness and qualifications to write about McCandless, alluding to his lengthy and detailed research “retracing the convoluted path” (2) of McCandless’ journey. The background knowledge presented about Chris, the personal stories and experiences as derived from many interviews from family and friends, allows the reader to trust the author and discern the research Krakauer has performed. Inevitably, this trust allows the reader to discern that Krakauer’s overall purpose, emphasizing one’s own meaning, is noteworthy and significant. Krakauer mentions McCandless’ views on “moral purity” (65), expressing an appeal to ethos regarding McCandless himself; he expresses to the reader that McCandless had morals and deeper values, thus arguing for his credibility in his making of life decisions. McCandless’ credibility is further reinforced in the author’s appeal to logos, which logically justifies McCandless confidence in his journey into Alaska. Jan Burres, a friend McCandless makes on his journey, describes his confidence and his ability, “I thought he’d be fine in the end. He was smart” (46). It is evident that throughout the time he spent with Jan Burres, McCandless proved himself as resourceful and knowledgeable about his endeavors, he had done his own research prior into his venture. Krakauer further uses McCandless’ apparent confidence, also seen by those who
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