Into The Wild (SPOILERS!)

Oh, I loved loved loved this book! And the movie! I saw it for the first time about a month ago. I had wanted to see it when it first came out over a year ago, but I put it off because I wanted to read the book first. I am not prone to buying books. I usually borrow them from a friend or the trusty library and then, if I think its a worthwhile book to own, one that I would read time and again, I go out and purchase it. Not so with this book! It was NEVER available, anywhere. My friends that had it had lent it out to other friends; the library never had it and the waiting list was crazy long. Even now, over a year after the movie's release, there is still like a 75 person wait list! So, I gave in and broke my cardinal rule and saw the movie first (and then, about a week later, read the book, which was given to me by somebody who read my facebook status, and saw how obsessed I was becoming about this story). The movie was so well done (good job Mr. Penn)...it could have held its own had it not been based on the actual life (death?) story of Chris McCandless. And that's what I'm getting at--was this story truly about his life, or was it about his death? I think the latter. We learn a little about his childhood in the story, but not much. We don't know much about the accomplishments of his short life. What we have from Jon Krakauer's investigation are snippets of what other people remember and very little insight into what Chris himself was actually thinking/feeling. How awesome would it be if they were to publish ALL of his actual written words/photos from his trip "into the wild".

So, I guess my question is: Did he go into the wilderness to die? His friends, family, and people he met along the way didn't think so. People will infer what they want and the same words can mean different things to different people in a different context. I am prone to think, just based on what I've read in the book, that he just wanted out of the life he was living. He wanted a change that would transform him mind, body, and spirit. And, I think maybe he went into it without any expectations, and that he was absolutely okay with the idea that the journey could lead to death. I only infer this out of what is written in the book, and what he underlined in the books that he read. I do that too. I love to underline passages and words in books which speak to me on a separate level outside the context of the actual story itself. Not just with the Bible, but with all books. I often feel hesitant to lend books to people because stuff is underlined and they may infer something about me based on that, just as I did with Mr. McCandless.

I just find the whole process of this his adventure fascinating. I agree whole-heartedly with Chris's point of view on society and relationships. The world takes too much for granted. What I find interesting about this young man's journey is that it is very similar to the disciples of Jesus. They (and actually we who call ourselves Christians) are called to forsake earthly things and follow Him. Leave everything that keeps us comfortable to endure hardships and the unknown. Exactly what Chris was doing. I don't know what his relationship was with God or if he had one. But, what I do know is that God has a hand in everything on earth because it belongs to Him, as does everything in it (Deut 10:14, Psalm 24:1). And I find it interesting that the last words Chris wrote, in his starved, weakened state, were: "I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless you all." Its somehow encouraging, that even facing death, a person is willing to acknowledge God, praise Him and offer His blessings over loved ones. Maybe Chris McCandless was suffering from hallucinations and starvation, but that doesn't mean that God didn't meet him there. I love at the end of the movie, he looks up at the light of the sun piercing through the clouds and smiles, just before his last breath. In the book, and in the movie, Chris has an encounter with an elderly man, a believer, and they develop a friendship of sorts. Whats interesting is that in the book, when the man learns of Chris's death, he renounces God and becomes an atheist! This actually happened! But, the "Hollywood" ending makes it appear like Chris embraced the idea that the old man had talked to him about--that the light of God will shine down on us, even at the darkest hour. So "not Hollywood" right? I love when God uses the secular to get His point across! I am getting goosebumps just thinking about it. I know that everything is open to interpretation and that I am seeing things this way because I am a believer, but McCandless's final words are real. And that is something!