Compare and Contrast, “Into the Wild” Book versus Movie

In reading the novel, "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer and then watching it in movie format by Sean Penn, there were obviously similarities and differences even though the film was adapted from the book. The story line is the same in both the novel and the movie about Christopher McCandless’s journey into the wild and his death that became of it. Sean Penn took a different spin by neglecting to tell some of the important details, and then putting others in that weren’t in the book. However, some of the dialog from the book is in the film as well. It goes to show when two people tell the same story, it’s almost impossible to have it exactly the same since they’re telling it from different perspectives.
The first noticeable difference was that the book was written from the author’s point of view as he tells the story of Chris based on interviews with family and friends and the movie was narrated by the character that played Chris’s sister. In the novel, it tells of Chris’s parents visiting the bus shortly after he died and in the movie, that piece is left out. Penn and the crew shot the movie in 36 locations where McCandless traveled, not including the Alaskan bus where he passed away, because he felt it would be an invasion of privacy to have the whole crew down there. Some of the relationships that he encountered are in the film, but not mentioned in the book. In both the book and the movie, the story goes back and forth between past and present, and both used labels to indicate sections. Finally, the film has the use of visuals and music that the book obviously cannot capture.

At one point I questioned why Krakauer told of his own journey to climb the Devil's Thumb, but now feel that was helpful to me in having a better insight of the journey it would be. I especially liked that the book and movie had people involved in telling the story that were really invested and deeply touched by what happened to Chris and were able to convey that message to their audience. The scenery, the plot, the music, and the acting were all great in the movie. The book was a good read and I got a lot from it, but together with the movie, it gave me a clearer image of what Chris faced and it made it seem more realistic to me. I can’t say I liked one more than the other since they complement each other very well. Overall, both did well to shed some light on Chris’s life and I would highly recommend both the book and movie, “Into the Wild” to audiences of all ages for leisure reading and viewing.

Similarities and Differences

Although leisure and recreation are universal terms, most everyone has a different perspective on what it means to them. My personal view is any activity that I do purely for enjoyment. It’s time that’s not devoted to any type of work, responsibility, obligation or self-care. It provides pleasure and it’s time spent doing anything I want to do.
Chris McCandless and I view leisure and recreation very differently, yet with some similarities. Chris left society and went “Into the Wild” for solitary contemplation for his leisure. I am not a loner and therefore, hanging out with my friends playing a pick up game of basketball would be an activity of my choice.
In comparing how we are similar, I would have to compare myself to Chris before he left society. We are alike in that we both lived under the influence of the American society and followed through with working toward being productive citizens by pursuing our education and maintaining within the guidelines of expectations. We were both strong-willed and determined, had leadership qualities, physical endurance, and a firm idealism of what we wanted out of life. Most important, we both had an inner self-drive to work toward attaining our goals.
In terms of the type of leisure, I tend to like active leisure and doing things that exert energy. Generally, my active leisure would be playing a game of pick-up basketball, baseball, football, or going for a bike ride. Chris also seems to like active leisure such as hiking and somewhat hunting. I say somewhat because hunting ends up being more of a compulsory activity for Chris as he needs to hunt to survive. A passive leisure activity for me would be talking on the computer and for Chris, it might be reading or perhaps carving.
Chris really wanted to go “Into the Wild” and live free from society and all the materialism. Therefore, socializing certainly wasn’t one of his leisure activities. He wanted to create a personal frontier, free from everything and everyone and that’s why he didn’t bring anything with him that anyone would be able to identify him by while I, on the other hand, like to socialize within my own group of friends and would consider it an important leisure activity.

We are also very different in that Chris was unprepared and unskilled for what lied ahead in Alaska. He didn’t take the time to learn what he’d need to know to be successful. Before I ventured off to an area unknown, I’d be sure to be better prepared if I expected to survive. I think Chris tends to be more book smart with little knowledge on what is necessary to stay alive. As I said before, “he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth” and didn’t have to think about things like this and he didn’t use his head. I think I’d have better insight on what I was up against and plan accordingly for the adventure. I’d be proactive in my leisure adventure by being better prepared. This trip may have started out as something Chris wanted to do for leisure, but ended as a stressful situation where Chris had to fight for his life and proved he wasn’t able to endure his leisure activity.

Henry David Thoreau is My Inspiration

The person that inspired me the most to take my journey into the wild was Henry David Thoreau. His quote, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” has stimulated me to live my life the way I wanted to live and not live it to meet the expectations of society or anyone else. I wanted to live without all the outside influences and I felt well prepared to take a risk and meet the challenge of starting life all over with only the clothes on my back and a few other things. Thoreau and I were similar in many ways, specifically, we detested the material things in life and we both have a deep appreciation for the relationship we have between man and the serenity of nature.
As I journey down the snow-covered trail in Alaska with my rifle, a camera, a few books, some rice, and my journal, I can only think of Thoreau. One of his many quotes comes to mind and I clearly know why I’m on this venture. I’ve got the opportunity to make the most of my life and figure out what is really important to me. I definitely knew that I did not want to live the rest of my life in Virginia, living a basic life like everybody else; I wanted more out of life. Until now, I followed the plan my life had for me and currently, I want to live life deliberately the way I want to live.
I will live with a purpose and no longer live to jump every time I’m told to do something and I’m not going to live just to survive. Most people work all their life with the hope of earning enough money to someday retire and enjoy their life. I was “born with a silver spoon in my mouth” and I could have the best things in life, but as Robert Frost put it, “Two roads diverged and I chose the one less traveled.” I want to live my life now and enjoy the essential facts of life.
Why would I want to fit into my life living like a robot and become lost in my own life? Getting an education only meant that I’d be skilled and that skill would become my pay. It’s such a vicious and mundane circle of work, get paid, and spend with pressure and stressors galore. So, you see, living my life in the wild won’t make me rich in money, but it’ll reward me with more importance in my life. Now I know that I want to live my life and that’s why I took the road less traveled by and when I die, at least I’ll know that I have lived my life.

Living My Destiny

My family was a good family and would give me the world. We enjoyed our time together, had great conversation, and were happy for each other's success. So you may wonder if I had things so great, why did I choose to to discard my identity and past without looking back. My family had an impact on my decision to simply up and leave because I didn't want to hurt them after the love and care they provided all through my life, but I had to do it for myself and not look back. I knew if I talked it over with them, they would have tried to talk me out of it and I knew in my heart that I must go, except I had to tell just one person. My sister Karen was the only one that would understand why I was doing this and the only one that I could trust. After all, we were as close as siblings ever could be and we confided in each other about everything.

I gave up my comfort because I didn't want to be like anyone else; I didn't want to have my life planned out for me the way my parents expected. I wanted to be able to take each day as it came and enjoy life and the gifts that life gives you that aren't always accounted for. I rejected my parent's lifestyle mostly because they lived such a life of comfort and never wanted for anything so they never realized what it would be like without all the things they took for granted. I wanted to be able to live my life freely and live off the land and I was certainly willing to meet any and all challenges that I was up against.

My dad's leisure was so different than mine. While I liked to take walks, go on hikes, sit by the stream, or read a book, my father's leisure was more like having a group of men over, having a few drinks and talking about business. My dad would give anything to us as far as material things go, but he certainly wasn't able to share his leisure time with his family. Most certainly the American society has become lazy as well and uses their time to sit and watch TV, drink alcohol, do drugs, play videos, and in general be unproductive. But I did not choose to live that lifestyle. The person I'm probably most like is Jon Krakauer. Being an author, he's obviously interested in reading/writing and doing something productive, like me. He chose to tell my story so he must have an interest in my lifestyle. If I had the opportunity to meet him, the first thing I'd ask is a little more about his interest and what interest he had in my journey. It's unfortunate that I've never met him because I can tell we have so much in common and I'd love to have a conversation with him to see how much we are alike.

My Life of Leisure in the Wlderness.

My life has always been well planned with goals in mind and a schedule to meet until one day when I decided to follow my heart and live a life of leisure in the wilderness. I desired to live my life the way I wanted so I gave up my well paying job and secluded myself from the life I had been living. I could only think of Jack London's novels and imagined myself living in some of those situations and wondering how I would handle them.
I took my savings and gave it to OXFAM to fight hunger. What did I need money for. I wanted to live in the wilderness and live off the land. I just love the outdoor living without the interferences of commercial living. The thought of living in the wilderness fascinates me because there's never a plan or schedule to meet. You live one day at a time dealing with things as they happen and never knowing from one moment to the next what might happen next. Talk about living life in the purest form and enjoying all the signs of nature such as rivers flowing, leaves blowing, animals roaming, birds singing, and expecially meeting the challenge of living off the land to survive.
My motivation in taking this journey across the country is because I wanted to follow my dream. I wanted to meet the challenge of roaming freely, living off the land and simply doing what I wanted. I want to live my life without being influenced by society. I no longer wanted to live the hectic lifestyle that I was so used to living. I will fish and hunt for food, take long hikes, set up shelter and build what I need from whatever I find in nature.
Leisure in my life is crucial to get to know myself and to learn about my surroundings. In doing this, it gives me the opportunity to explore diversity in my world. Living my life like this will allow me the leisure that so often gets crowded out in everyday hectic lives.