Thoreau’s Influence on Krakauer’s Writing

Rina Haimson

Dr. Simel

December 19, 2018

Blue Group
OUTLINE:
Thesis: Henry David Thoreau's ideas in Walden, including a disdain for school and work,
self-sufficiency, and a general hatred for money or possessions, influenced Chris McCandless
actions in Krakauer’s Into the Wild.
1. In refusing to pursue further school or any work, McCandless closely mirrors Thoreau’s
own misgivings about the values of these pursuits.
a. “Actually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day … [h]e
has no time to be anything but a machine” (Thoreau, 9).
b. “Those conveniences which the student requires at Cambridge or elsewhere cost
him or somebody else ten times as great a sacrifice of live as they would with
proper management on both sides” (Thoreau, 43).
c. “He had spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd
and onerous duty; to graduate from college” (Krakauer, 22)
d. “[C]areers were demeaning ‘twentieth-century inventions,’ more of a liability
than an asset, and that he would do fine without one” (Krakauer, 114).
2. As McCandless goes into the wild, his resolve to live on his own in Alaska demonstrates
that he has been influenced by Thoreau’s idea of self-sufficiency.
a. “The very simplicity and nakedness of man’s life in the primitive ages imply this
advantage at least, that they left him still but a sojourner in nature” (Thoreau, 33).
b. “For more than five years I maintained myself thus solely by the labor of my
hands, and I found, by working six weeks in a year, I could meet all the expenses
of living” (Thoreau, 58).
c. “intended to go to Alaska and embark on an “ultimate adventure” (Krakauer, 51).
d. “an experience that made him confident he could harvest enough food to survive
an extended stay in the Alaska wilderness, too” (Krakauer, 162).
3. Before going into the wild, McCandless destroyed his possessions and money, an act
reflective of Thoreau's ideas.
 a. “Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only
indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (Thoreau,
15-16).
b. “I wonder that the floor does not give way under the visitor while he is admiring
the gewgaws on the mantelpiece” (Thoreau, 33).
c. “[h]e arranged all his paper currency in a pile on the sand – a pathetic little stack
of ones and fives and twenties – and put a match to it” (Krakauer, 29).
d. “During that final year in Atlanta, Chris had lived off campus in a monkish room
furnished with little more than a thin mattress on the floor, milk crates, and a
table” (Krakauer, 22).
Conclusion: When going into the wilderness of Alaska, Chris McCandless took inspiration from
many sources, including David Thoreau. The two of them shared a similar disgust for school or
jobs, a wish to be able to be self-sufficient, and a hatred for money and what it could buy.
Following these ideas, McCandless went on his journey, and based many of his actions off of
what he had learned.
 Henry David Thoreau's ideas in Walden, including a disdain for school and work,

self-sufficiency, and a general hatred for money or possessions, influenced Chris McCandless

actions in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. In Into the Wild, McCandless is frustrated by his life, and

so leaves to wander the world, dying alone in Alaska two years later. In Walden, Thoreau is

similarly tired of the people around him, and goes to Walden to observe and write a book.

McCandless draws inspiration from writers, including Thoreau. Thoreau’s ideas can be found in

Krakauer's telling of McCandless’s journey, and they share many opinions on how people should

live their lives in order to get the best experience.

In refusing to pursue further school or any work, McCandless closely mirrors Thoreau’s

own misgivings about the values of these pursuits. Although a common idea in American society

is that school and work are both essential to live a successful life, Thoreau disagrees, preferring

instead to contemplate life as it happens. He even suggests that working was a burden rather than

a help, and that “[a]ctually, the laboring man has not leisure for a true integrity day by day …

[h]e has no time to be anything but a machine” (Thoreau, 9). Since working and having a job

takes time, workers have no “leisure for true integrity,” or time for thinking about life. Thoreau

also points out that jobs can often be mindless and boring, turning a worker into nothing “but a

machine.” McCandless shares a similar dislike for jobs. When his parents ask him to get a job, he

replies that “careers were demeaning ‘twentieth-century inventions,’ more of a liability than an

asset, and that he would do fine without one” (Krakauer, 114). Some of the same ideas can be

found in both Krakauer’s and Thoreau’s work, such as the concept of a career being a “liability.”

However, it isn’t only work that they both think are useless. Thoreau also thinks that school is

overpriced and not very useful. He believes that the studies “which the student requires at
Cambridge or elsewhere cost him or somebody else ten times as great a sacrifice of life as they

would with proper management on both sides” (Thoreau, 43). It would make more sense, in his

opinion, to have people learn skills important for life, and that “with proper management on both

sides,” they could excel. Early in McCandless’ life, he shares the same disdain for school, and

believes he has wasted his life going there. In his opinion, “[h]e had spent the previous four

years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty; to graduate from college”

(Krakauer, 22). Believing that school is ultimately useless is a direct reflection of Thoreau’s

criticism on the matter. Since he views college as “absurd and onerous,” he eventually left for

Alaska instead of going to graduate school. Thoreau directly influences McCandless about work

and school, and leads to him leaving both behind in favor of living on his own.

McCandless’s resolve to live on his own in Alaska demonstrates that he has been

influenced by Thoreau’s idea of self-sufficiency. When Thoreau travels to live at Walden for

years, he wanta, ideally, to support himself fully without the need for outside help. He states that

“[f]or more than five years [he] maintained myself thus solely by the labor of [his] hands, and

[he] found, by working six weeks in a year, [he] could meet all the expenses of living” (Thoreau,

58). Although he may have been exaggerating when he states that he lives “solely by the labor of

[his] own hands,” the overarching truth remains that living by oneself is not impossible, but is

difficult and laborious. Thoreau, when going to live in Walden, clearly possesses enough vital

skills to make him confident that he could survive, and, given that he only has to work six weeks

a year, these skills are enough to give him a comfortable life. McCandless, when leaving for the

wilderness, also believes he has enough skills due to staying out in more calm climates, “an

experience that made him confident he could harvest enough food to survive an extended stay in
the Alaska wilderness, too” (Krakauer, 162). As Thoreau writes, living on one’s own was ideal,

and possible if one has the right mindset. McCandless also wants to be self-sufficient, but he

takes it a step further by attempting to survive in an extreme climate. All this suggests an affinity

for nature, one that Thoreau and Krakauer share. As Thoreau states, “[t]he very simplicity and

nakedness of man’s life in the primitive ages imply this advantage at least, that they left him still

but a sojourner in nature” (Thoreau, 33). Even before technology, in the primitive ages, men are

nothing but a “sojourner in nature,” and not truly part of it. This is one of the reasons that

Thoreau wants to live at Walden Pond, to be closer to nature. Along with Thoreau, McCandless

also desperately wanted to be closer to nature, which is part of the reason why he “[intends] to go

to Alaska and embark on an ‘ultimate adventure’” (Krakauer, 51). Alaska represents an

unexplored wilderness, a place where people do not normally live due to extreme climates, and

all of this may have drawn McCandless there, to be close to nature. McCandless’s desire to live

on his own in the wild is partly influenced by Thoreau’s own teachings.

Before going into the wild, McCandless destroyes his possessions and money, an act

reflective of Thoreau's ideas. According to Thoreau, money is not only unnecessary, but actually

harmful to humanity, as it takes away people’s appreciation of more fundamental items. He

believes that “[m]ost of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only

indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (Thoreau, 15-16). According

to him, money prevents the “elevation of mankind” by keeping them tied to it, as opposed to

being able to make decisions based on simple desires. McCandless also thinks that money is a

burden, and when he went to Alaska, he distances himself from money. When he leaves for

Alaska, “[h]e arranged all his paper currency in a pile on the sand – a pathetic little stack of ones
and fives and twenties – and put a match to it” (Krakauer, 29). Krakauer's use of the word

“pathetic” to describe McCandless’s money reveals that he thinks little of money, part of the

reason why he destroyes it. This is a similar idea to Thoreau’s concepts that material wealth is

pointless. Along with money, Thoreau, also despises useless, showy possessions that people buy

in order to impress others. He wryly remarks that he “wonder[s] that the floor does not give way

under the visitor while he is admiring the gewgaws on the mantelpiece” (Thoreau, 33). Since

“gewgaws” have no use, and only are for show, Thoreau believes that they are a waste of space

and should be gotten rid of in order to live a more substantial life. McCandless seems to live his

life based on these principles at school, and “[d]uring that final year in Atlanta, Chris had lived

off campus in a monkish room furnished with little more than a thin mattress on the floor, milk

crates, and a table” (Krakauer, 22). His “monkish” lifestyle mimics Thoreau’s ideas, mainly the

ones about only owning the essential items for survival, and not useless junk. Thoreau strongly

believes that money and possessions inhibit people from living a fulfilled life, and McCandless

follows his example to try and improve his own life.

Into The Wild’s Chris McCandless, as written by Jon Krakauer, lives a minimalist

lifestyle, and eventually left to live on his own in nature. His decision to be self-sufficient and

disassociate from society is partially influenced by Henry David Thoreau. Walden, written by

Thoreau, documents the same ideas that McCandless follows. McCandless has a distaste for

traditional learning, as does Thoreau who believes that universities could not possibly teach one

all that they need. Thoreau does not want to be reliant on other people, similarly to McCandless,

who removes himself from other people. Both Thoreau and McCandless se money as an

obstacle, although McCandless does more to rid himself of it.

WORKS CITED:

Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. New York, Barnes and Noble

Classics, 2003.

Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. New York, Anchor Books, 2015.