US & World News: Social Issues

           Jon Krakauer covers many social issues in his New York Times Bestseller Into The Wild.  A prominent social issue discussed in the book is materialism and community. Christopher McCandless wanted to live in the wild where materialism did not exist but realized lack of community could be just as detrimental as materialism.

             Today in America technology is constantly changing and new objects are being produced or invented. Materialism is quickly growing and consuming our nation. People have become more and more greedy, always wanting to outdo one another with what they obtain. Materialism can consume a person’s life and mind (“Materialism in America”). One thing that Chris McCandless despised about our society was that we take for granted and forget how fortunate we are. There are millions of people who starve each day and we do nothing to help. Chris felt that materialism was corrupting society and he wanted to leave that behind.

            Leaving a world of corruption, Chris met many others who were also searching for solitude and happiness in the wild. He created bonds with these people and left a deep impression on them. Throughout his journey with every person he met he spoke of how the wild allowed him to see the world in a new way. It became even clearer to him that worldly materialistic distractions were not important at all. Towards the end of Chris’s journey he was isolated and essentially alone. Had he not been alone he might not have died because of help from others when he was suffering through starvation and later poison. Creating bonds with people is very important and isolation can cause illness, diseases, and early death (Szalavitz, Maia). Before Chris died he realized that happiness wasn’t real unless it could be shared with others. He realized the importance of loved ones and community.

            Chris found that through his relationships with people who held the same values as him, he was able to find happiness in the wild. Without people in the wild he was isolated and that may have been a contributing factor to his death. Chris understood in the last days of his life that materialism had the power to corrupt and isolation or lack of community was just as detrimental to a person’s health and well being.