Into the Wild:
Take Home Essay
Directions:
Read the following prompt and write a multi-paragraph essay. This assignment is due at the beginning of
class tomorrow. You do not need to type this essay. Just be sure to have a finished essay at the beginning
of class and be ready to discuss the topic of the essay in a Socratic Seminar.
Essay Prompt
Is life on the road suited for everyone?
A question implicit in this book is whether something is fundamentally wrong with human society, which
McCandless says poisons him, or if there is simply a type of individual who desires the friendship of other
humans but can’t abide in society. Krakauer quotes Ken Sleight talking about Everett Ruess, another
wanderer like McCandless who disappeared in the wilderness. Sleight says that Ruess was a loner who
liked people too much to live in secret all his life. He says,
A lot of us are like that—I’m like that, Ed Abbey was like that, and it sounds like this
McCandless kid was like that: We like companionship, see, but we can’t stand to be around
people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell
out again. (96)
McCandless gives advice consistent with that view to Ron Franz, an 81-year-old man. He writes in a letter,
Don’t settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new
horizon. You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if you did not
take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an entirely new realm of
experience. (57)
Ron Franz actually follows the advice and moves out of his home. Is this good advice for everyone, or only
for a certain kind of person? What does McCandless experience on the road that justifies the risks and
discomforts of this kind of life? Considering the quotations and questions above, write an essay in which
you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of life on the road. Who should follow this path? You
MUST support your views with examples from the movie, text, and your own experience. Indicate clearly
which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary.
Use the space below to outline your ideas before writing.