Within Into The Wild (1996), Jon Krakauer portrays a tone that shifts from formal and indifferent to sorrowful and admiring. Krakauer exhibits this change by remaining unbiased and factual in the beginning, but then becomes more personally connected to the subject (Chris McCandless) in the end. He does this in order to give a neutral, journalistic account of Chris’s death, before burrowing deeper into his life and analyzing the personal choices made that led to his demise. Krakauer directs this text primarily towards other travelers and outdoorsman, speaking to them at first like a journalist, but then providing his own voice and opinions as he examines the story. Early on in the book, Krakauer expresses a formal view on Chris McCandless’ …show more content…
In chapter eighteen, after explaining McCandless growing lack of nourishment, Krakauer explains, “He was balanced on a precarious edge. And then, in late July, he made the mistake that pulled him down”(185). Here, Krakauer uses more descriptive language than before, such as the word “precarious”. Hence, this displays how invested he became while investigating McCandless’ case. Contrasting to his use of emotionless diction before, he now uses words that indicate his grieving view on the risks McCandless took. Also, once finished presenting some journals McCandless wrote before his death, Krakauer resolves that “It is tempting to regard this latter notation as further evidence that McCandless’s long, lonely sabbatical had changed him in some significant way…”(186). Further showcasing his increased interest in the case, specifically from the word “tempting”, Krakauer again demonstrates a change from his earlier indifference. The subsequent statement, “But we will never know…”(186), exemplifies Krakauer’s sorrow and regret at not being able to see whether Chris’ experience transformed him. Krakauer also illustrates McCandless’ physical state more descriptively. He depicts his body as “a feral scrawn of gristle and bone”(187) and that his condition suddenly “went to hell”(187). As a result, Krakauer creates a …show more content…
After analyzing how the possibility of eating poisonous seed pods might have quickened Chris’ death, Krakauer extends that “it was an innocent error”(193). Utilizing the phrase “innocent error”, he admits that McCandless might not have been as reckless or inept as previously thought, thus showing and improving view of McCandless. Furthermore, explaining how some people, at a certain point of starvation, no longer feel pain and instead experience euphoria, Krakauer hopes that the same applied to Chris, stating, “It would be nice to think McCandless experienced a similar rapture”(198). Once again, Krakauer’s attachment and affection for McCandless is clear in his word choice, since he hoped that Chris died painlessly and happy. Finally, Krakauer expresses that “if [Chris] pitied himself in [his] last difficult hours—because he was so young, because he was alone, because his body had betrayed him and his will had let him down—it’s not apparent from the photograph”(199). From this passage, the blend of anaphora and climax demonstrates the escalating anguish and despair that someone, such as Krakauer himself, might have undergone if placed in McCandless’ shoes. However, Krakauer describes that Chris himself did not lend himself to such a state, but instead “was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God”(199). Krakauer’s obvious admiration for Chris McCandless commends him for his acceptance of such a