Chris McCandless, also known under the pseudonym as Alex Supertramp, is the main protagonist in Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild. In the very beginning of the story, audience are offered an author's note to summarize the backstory behind why Chris McCandless is overcome by a stint of idealism and, "did not mesh readily with modern existence." McCandless in the book was characterized as "an extremely intense young man and possessed a streak of stubborn idealism that did not mesh readily with modern existence" (Krakauer 3). McCandless grew up in a well-to-do family and was a great student with a bright future ahead of him. Recently graduating from Emory University in the summer of 1990, had his future planned out for him by his parents who had little to no regard for his thoughts and feelings. In contrast, his sister, Carine McCandless was more accepting of his thoughts on life and his acceptance of a minimalistic lifestyle. McCandless re-invented himself and looked towards Mount McKinley to find an answer to why he was annoyed by modern society. In doing so, he changed his name, gave the entire balance of his savings account to OXFAM America (a charity which fights hunger), abandoned his beat up car and the remaining cash in his wallet. Sean Penn's movie adaption of Krakauer's Into the Wild, articulate literary elements that display the struggle of a man's journey to reconnect with nature. Through the use of journal entries, epigraphs and interactions amongst those he met on his journey do we see the story of McCandless's odyssey of the Alaskan Frontier unfold. Both Penn and Krakauer use journal entries and epigraphs to highlight the main theme being portrayed in the book. This method is affective in highlighting the changes of mood McCandless endured on his trek and the effect of nature in his final days.

In the text of Krakauer's Into the Wild the use of epigraphs is exceedingly important to the development of McCandless's story. The implementation of Epigraphs allows the reader to be one with Krakauer and experience the same situations and experiences that Krakauer used to depict his lifestyle. These epigraphs are, but not limited to journal entries and topographical maps of the terrain. One epigraph where Alex writes to Wayne sending his regards once arriving in Fairbanks complaining of the difficulty to catch rides, while also showing uncertainty of returning. This highlights the ambiguity of whether Chris will make it through his journey or not.  "Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return south. If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk into the wild" (Krakauer 5). The inclusion of this epigraph highlights the uncertainty of whether he will survive the journey or not. This is a reoccurring theme in the book, and the reader is confronted with the sense of helplessness throughout the book. Examples include his near death experience in his canoe, his encounter with the rushing stream, or even the starvation he succumbs to multiple times on his journey. McCandless's Journal also proved to be helpful in creating the story. The lack of notes in his journal was a hindrance towards creating the story's plot, while on the other hand the notes and autobiographies helped developed the story. McCandless often read books that focused on nature and the serenity of life. One author in particular that McCandless adored was Jack London. Jack London had many impressions on Alex and he even was able to write it in a carving, "Jack London is King, Alexander Supertramp ,May 1992" (Krakauer 9). This carving was found embedded into a tree at the death site of McCandless. The use of journal entries and epigraphs was pertinent in understanding the context of what McCandless went through in his journey through the Alaskan territory of Fairbanks, as well as the sun burnt deserts of Arizona and the plains of Carthage, SD. 

Sean Penn's ability to turn the text into a major motion picture film was directly consequential from his ability to instill the same effects of the epigraphs, but in a different form, voiceovers. The voiceovers in Into the Wild were effective in the sense that offered a two-sided approach to developing the story. We would see the actions of McCandless, but at the same time hear the sympathetic voice of Carine in the background. This effect allows us to see the activities being displayed, but also at the same time, injects another input into the scene being portrayed. 

Sean Penn was able to mesh together a scene so that it offered the same effect of an epigraph. The use of split screens in the movie also dilates time in a way that seems to make the scene drawn out and offers more material for the viewer to comprehend. This compares to Krakauer's maps because on one page there is the map of McCandless whereabouts and on the next page is the epigraph of what the chapter is comprised of. In the movie, the scene where McCandless is enjoying his time in the wilderness and frolicking through the woods and bathing under the waterfall, the camera splits frames to capture the distraught parents of McCandless. This is very effective in captivating two sides of emotion being displayed, which gives the audience more to think about on whether McCandless really understands the severity of his departure from modern society. 

Two major elements Sean Penn utilizes effectively in this movie are the lighting and sound of each scene. The scene in which McCandless is on the verge of death, laying on his cot in the abandoned bus is very gloomy and dark, but as soon as he passes over to the other side it instantly turns bright and glorious. This is affective in showing the stark contrast between life and death. In one instant everything is gloomy and dull, but the next it is filled with light and serenity. While the use of sound throughout the movie was determined by the scene's temperament. For example, when McCandless was being swept away by the river's current the music was rapid and loud. When McCandless was wandering in the woods the music was absent. These effects had a crucial role in establishing the mood of the given scenes. The soundtrack throughout the movie was indie-like, in a manner that acoustic guitars were used and offered a foreign sound to many tracks that made me feel in the woods myself. 

The use of autobiographical material in Krakauer's Into the Wild highly captivates McCandless's troubles and feelings throughout the book. McCandless casually wrote in his journal and wrote letter/postcards that offered an outlook on his life thus far. "APRIL 18. Arrived in Whitefish this morning on a freight train. I am making good time. Today I will jump the border and turn north for Alaska. Give my regards to everyone. TAKE CARE, ALEX" (Krakauer 49). This an example of a nonlinear narrative because it was dropped in an unchronological order throughout the book and often was followed by a flashback, which in return made the book hard to read at times. The use of nonlinear narrative is effective in creating a time scale which may have the effect of keeping the reader on their toes, but at the same time could possibly lead to blotchy writing. In this case, Krakauer demonstrated control over this mechanic.

McCandless's lack of possessions is one way that Krakauer highlighted McCandless need to separate himself from materialistic possessions and submerse himself in nature. In the book Krakauer describes his load as being "weighed only twenty-five or thirty pounds" (Krakauer 5). McCandless only carried his backpack, a camera, a journal, a 22 caliber rifle and little food. This contrasts to Sean Penn rendition of the book in that it looked like he had more gear than that of McCandless in the book. Taking notice to the difference of the Magic Bus on the Stampede Trail in the book, in comparison to the Magic Bus in the movie are there flagrant changes. In the book it is described as very dull, little to offer, a cot to sleep on and a little stove. In the movie the Magic Bus is portrayed in what seems to be very cozy and above par to what one would suspect. McCandless was trying to escape a materialistic society but often sought shelter in this bus, where he was surrounded by comforts not accustomed in nature. This bus offered situational irony in the hypothetical sense that he escaped society's possessions but ended up dying in the bus filled with objects of society (I.E. cot, stove, pots, pans, the bus itself). For McCandless to truly experience the full effects of nature and to succumb to what nature had to offer, he should have veered away from hitch-hiking, job searching. These were all little pieces of society that made him fragile in preparation for the extremes of the Yukon Territory in Alaska. 

Throughout the movie, McCandless' sanity was often questioned. Through the use of cinematography (camera angles, costumes and acting) we can see McCandless's character begin to decline in all senses. In the scene when he shoots a moose for food we see the savagery of his true self. His hunger overpowers McCandless's soft natured personality which raises the question of whether McCandless is truly cut out for the nomadic lifestyle of a woodsman or not. This acting highlights McCandless sporadic need for food and shows he is inept at finding sustainable food sources. We can also observe this sporadic movement as he hurries to find berries to eat, flagrantly not knowing which berry is edible or not. McCandless often went through many costume changes throughout the movie, which suggests that he isn't being battered by the elements as much as we would like to think. Throughout the movie he turns down many kind acts of kindness that others offer to give to him. These gestures ranged from boots, money, to even a new car. McCandless's outlook on receiving possessions hindered his ability to navigate the wild. The movie did a great job at showing the significance of McCandless's rejection of the objects being gifted to him. Being unprepared to take on the wilderness of the Alaskan Frontier was captured through the rejection of largesse, his lack of knowledge of maintaining food stores and ultimately his brief run ins with modern society. These reasons of why he didn't survive in the wild ultimately raised the question of his sanity and whether he truly believed he could survive 100 days in the wild.

Both the movie and text of Krakauer's Into the Wild highlighted McCandless's love for books. "The heaviest item in McCandless's half-full backpack was his library: nine or ten paperbound books, most of which had been given to him by Jan Burres in Niland. Among these volumes were titles by Thoreau and Tolstoy and Gogol" (Krakauer 111). Both text and the movie highlighted that in times of stress and discomfort he would turn to a book to escape nature and to bring himself to reality. Supertramp had a set representation of what nature had to offer through the eyes of Transcendentalists. This was where he went wrong and should have prepared more for this venture, rather than reading up on it. Sean Penn and Krakauer both share several elements that highlighted the struggles of Chris McCandless. Ranging from voiceovers to epigraphs, autobiographies and letters could we paint a picture in our mind to re-live what McCandless went through in his final days of being left into the wild. 

