Brothers In Blog

I recently watched the 2007 film “Into the Wild” based on the short life of Christopher McCandless who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness on his own only to die of starvation 4 months later. Though I’m not a real Sean Penn fan, I’ll have to admit that he did a good job of directing the film, which is based on the book of the same title by Jon Krakauer. Unfortunately, Mr. Penn felt it was more important  (and probably more profitable) to romanticize the vagabond lifestyle of McCandless instead of pointing out that therapy and a good dose of common sense could have saved his life.

A 1990 graduate of Emory University, McCandless believed that society was too materialistic and he wanted no part of it. Instead, after graduation he set out for the open road in search of solitude and contentment. His nearly 2-year journey took him across the continent and eventually to the Stampede Trail outside of Fairbanks, Alaska where he walked into what would become the last chapter of his life. Armed with little in the way of adequate supplies for survival in the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless managed to document his solitary experience until the end.

Although the official cause of death is listed as “starvation”, both the book and the film try to make the case that McCandless’ death was due to accidental poisoning from the ingestion of toxic plant seeds. Toxicology reports found no evidence to support this theory and the starvation ruling stands. Regardless of how McCandless died, the fact remains that he could have made it out alive had he possessed a simple compass and a decent map of the region.

A few months into his backwoods experience, McCandless made an attempt to return to the road where he started from. However, when he reached the Teklanika River it was much more formidable than we had originally crossed it and he found himself trapped. Defeated, McCandless returned to the abandoned bus he had been living in, which later became his tomb. Little did McCandless know that just a quarter-mile downstream was a hand tram that he could have used to get across. This fact and others were left out by the movie in what critics believe is Hollywood’s attempt to avoid tarnishing McCandless’ puritan image and upsetting his cult following.

Despite the film’s omissions of what I feel are important facts, I recommend it. There is some language and brief nudity, so this is one for viewing after the kids have gone to bed. After you’ve watched the film, and before you start lighting a candle for McCandless, visit Into the Wild Debunked for those omitted facts. The combination of both film and fact is best summed up by Anchorage Daily News columnist Craig Medred who said, “McCandless didn’t need the wilderness, he needed help.”