The wild bit back

"Same story: idealistic, energetic young guys who overestimated themselves, underestimated the country, and ended up in trouble."(P.71)

This is a quote taken from John Krakauer's Into the Wild. Chris McCandless, a drifter that travelled into the Alaskan wilderness, was not a terrible unique case. Krakauer gives many examples of young and old men that are under-prepared and have an idealistic view of Alaska. Edward Hogland wrote that Americans have a tradition of "taking their wounds to the wilderness for a cure" and "if your wounds aren't too bad, it works. But this isn't Michigan. This is Alaska." This quote fits perfectly with the Chris's story. Chris wouldn't even acknowledge that he had parents to a lot of people because of his childhood. Chris turned to the call of the wild as a way to heal his wounds but the wild ended up biting back and taking his life.