Dances with Wolves

After finishing Into the Wild, I tried to think about how this book related to other stories that I have either read or seen on film. One that came to mind was a movie that I have just recently watched, a 1987 film called Dances With Wolves. Directed, produced, narrated, and starring Kevin Costner, the movie takes place during the civil-war era, with a young Kevin Costner playing John C. Dunbar, a Union lieutenant who is assigned to a new post in the far west. Upon reaching his post, Dunbar befriends some Sioux neighbors whom he grows accustomed to seeing. Through various events, Dunbar protects the Sioux from white intruders, with the Sioux returning the favor, as they save him from being executed for treason. Dunbar loves the wild and the animals in it, making him very similar to Chris McCandless.

McCandless and Dunbar have similar opinions on living life and what is most important in it. After being given the choice to be appointed any base that he wants, he chooses the one furthest out west, which little does he know is abandoned. He chooses the harsh wild over a cushy military base supplied with all the food that it will ever need. Even more so, he is there alone. He is forced to fend for himself in the wild until somebody brings in reinforcements, which never happens. He wants to be one with nature, to explore all that it has to offer. He does not care whether or not it is dangerous. All he cares about is being in the west, taking in the atmosphere and enjoying the scenery around him. I think Dunbar wants to get away from all of the fighting that is talking place, another reason why he chooses the remote area. I think this can also be related to McCandless, who wants to get away from society as a whole and just explore. In a conversation with Sgt. Fanbrough over where Dunbar will be appointed to next, Fanbrough questions, “You want to see the frontier?” to which Dunbar responds, “Yes sir…before it’s gone” (Blake). Seeing as the time period in which this movie takes place is a time of expansion, Dunbar is worried that if he does not see it now, the west will become industrialized like every other part of the country. I think he feels that the wild is one of the few areas of the world where one can just be one their own and explore their soul, kind of like McCandless. It is the once place where things have not been discovered, where possibilities are endless, which is what makes it so appealing to McCandless. Finally, I think both characters realize that although the wild is a fantastic place, one cannot live their entire lives there. There comes a time where one needs to move on and go back to where they truly belong. For McCandless, he realizes that “it’s time to bring his ‘final and greatest adventure’ to a close and get himself back to the world of men and women” (Krakauer 168). For Dunbar, he comes to terms with the fact that living a life with the Sioux would be a difficult task to handle, so he chooses to go back to civilization. In the end, both realize that going against what is normal to others is difficult, yet in the end can be very rewarding.

Drop the World

So yeah, I'm using a song for my collaboration. Not the most original idea ever, I'll admit, as Kayla already did it, and so did Mengli. But whatever. I'll do it too. I'm not using the whole song, however, I'm using only a short segment. The excerpt (do you call it that for songs?) is from Drop The World by Lil Wayne ft. Eminem, and it is part of Eminem's part. Please ignore all profanity.

It hurts, but I never show
This pain you'll never know
If only you could see just how lonely and how cold
And frostbit I've become, my back's against the wall
when push comes to shove, I just stand up, scream "Fuck 'em all!".
Man, it feels like these walls are closin' in
This roof is cavin' in, up, time to raise it then

This song I think embodies Chris' spirit in that he is very closed about his emotions. He puts on a persona of a happy and affable kid, but I get the sense he is quite turbulent emotionally. He will "never show this pain [that] you'll never know" and so nobody will ever truly glimpse the depths of his mind. It also shows his resistance to society, because when he is in dire straights, or his "back's against the wall", in other words, he resists all help in the matter, essentially screaming "Fuck 'em all!". He feels like he is all alone in the world, and that no one thinks the way he does, and that no matter where he turns, society is present. He think that as "these walls are closin' in", the walls of society will forever entrap him. However, he is possessed of an immense can do spirit, and when the "roof is cavin' in", he still tries to "raise it", and head out into the wilderness of Alaska, in a final act of resistance.

Chris McCandless is "Up in the Air"

There is a scene in Into the Wild in which Chris is reading Dr. Zhivago. As it turns out, this is the last book that Chris will ever read. While reading he comes across a line that strikes him, and motivates him to write in the margins, in all capitals "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED" (Krakauer, 189). The author, Jon Krakauer, hypothesizes that at that moment, Chris decided to "abandon the life of a solitary vegabond, stop running so hard from intimacy, and become a member of the human community." In other words, Krakauer is explaining that Chris realizes that happiness, experienced alone without special people around you and close to you, is not real happiness at all. In conclusion, Chris makes the decision to finally go home.

Chris's quote on happiness immediately reminded me of this scene from Up in the Air. In this film George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a character who is similar to Chris in that he avoids intimacy with humans thinking it will enhance his life in some way. Near the end of the film, he goes to his sister's wedding and the groom gets cold feet. Ryan decides to try and talk him into getting married, but has some difficulty. He admits how he views marriage as a "pain in the ass" and that he's "not the guy you'd normally want to talk to about all this stuff" (Reitman, 103). But then he brings up an interesting point to Jim, his sister's fiancee. He asks Jim to remember some of the greatest memories from his life. Then he asks if he was alone during those moments or with other people. Jim admits that those best moments of his life were ones he spent with other people. Ryan then states, "I don't want to sound like a Hallmark card, but... Life? It's better with company" (Reitman, 104).

In the end, Ryan and Chris come to conclusions that are very alike. True happiness in life comes from the times were we are with our family, friends, or just people in general. Joy can only be a complete reality when shared with those in a person's life.

Up in the Air is a six-time Oscar-nominated film. It also stars Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick. I was written and directed by Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno)

-Mitchell Ward

Here is a link to the Up in the Air trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2-XBUdCtFQ&feature=related

Across the Universe

Across the Universe- The Beatles

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my open mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
restless wind inside a letter box
they tumble blindly as
they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva

This song really describes Chris McCandless’s life. I think he would really enjoy the Beatles and their music because the Beatles were a revolutionary band and focused some of their music on transcendentalist ideals. They influenced the world’s pop culture and redefined music.

The first line of the song- “words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup” describes Chris’ love of literature. Chris’ words are the words of Tolstoy, Jack London, Emerson, Thoreau, and many other influential writers. The rain of words stream neatly into Chris’ cup of knowledge. Like the flexibility of water, he can interpret anything from the words that he reads. From them he develops his own kind of religion to follow during his travels. When entering into the Stampede Trail “the heaviest item in McCandless’s half-full backpack was his library: nine or ten paper bound books” (162). His backpack of books is described as half-full, and not as half-empty. This and the fact that he bothers to carry books into the wild shows how valuable knowledge and books are to Chris. The words later “slip away across the universe” with Chris but are also passed on to be shared across the universe.

The chorus is very simple but also very interesting. “Jai guru deva om” is an Indian phrase that can be interpreted as “praise to the teacher/higher being.” Chris would have found this very interesting. Even though he wasn’t religious, he strongly revered nature- his guide or teacher. Chris also has a stubborn belief in his purpose in life and his existence. “Nothing's gonna change my world” is repeated several times as emphasis. It is described that Chris “went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul” (183). The world of Chris is his soul intertwined with nature, their dual existence together. Throughout his life, nothing will ever change that; not even his family, friends, or his death- his world lives on.

In the next stanza, I think the “images of broken light which dance before me like a million eyes that call me on and on across the universe” are the mass expanses of stars that litter the sky. In the city and civilization, you can only see a few, but out in the wild, they encompass and overwhelm you. It makes you realize how small you are compared to the rest of the universe. Chris concludes his journey and states that he is “no longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks along upon the land to become lost in the wild” (163). He would have loved this feeling of just being and not really mattering- of being lost in the wild.

Chris also strived to live without boundaries. Across the universe, “shades of life are ringing through my open ears exciting and inviting me.” Chris chased after these shades of life- the desire to really LIVE. They led him across the country and to Alaska, where he discovered his treasure.

Across the universe Chris McCandless went, literally and figuratively. His quest brought him across the country, across his mind, his soul, his knowledge, his existence, and eventually to his death, as well as to peace.

Man's Best Friend

Chris’ dog Buck in Into the Wild made me think about Will Smith’s dog Sam in the movie I am Legend. Chris was emotionally attached to Buck: “Chris was crazy about Buck… That summer he disappeared he’d wanted to take Buck with him. After he graduated from Emory, he asked Mom and Dad if he could come get Buck, but they said no…” (Krakauer 128). Similarly, Will loves his dog and makes sure she is safe at all times, even before himself. Because there are barely any humans left, Will is left with only his dog to relate to. I think Chris found it easier to relate to his dog Buck rather than his family because he considers the dog as part of nature and considers him to be less judgmental. As part of his romantic (nature-oriented) viewpoint on life, I think Chris would agree with the fact that humans are corrupting nature, and therefore sees his dog as a way to get closer the wild. Additionally, as with Will Smith, Chris wouldn’t put Buck in any situation where he thought the dog could get hurt: “Chris wouldn’t think twice about risking his own life, but he never would have put Buckley in any kind of danger. There’s no way he would have taken the same kind of chances if Buck had been with him” (Krakauer 128). Because of this, Chris’ family now believes that letting him take the dog would have saved his life, as he wouldn’t have been so risky and care-free during his adventure in Alaska. Will Smith acts more cautiously and is able to keep his cool during the hardships and dangerous events that take place in I am Legend because he has his dog Sam right by his side. Though only a small amount of information is written about Buck and his owner Chris in Into the Wild, Buck is arguably the difference between life and death for Chris.

I have included a picture of Will Smith and his dog Sam from the movie I am Legend:



-Paul D.

Role Models and Criticism

Chris McCandless looks up to a long list of people whose ideas contradict their lives. The only one he was unable to forgive was his father. I think this resulted from Walt's role as a father figure rather than than a philosophic teacher. Chris learns directly from his father simple, important life lessons, where Chris's literary role models are only that, words to live by and less a person to learn from. As kids grow up they often expect their parents to be perfect, because thats all they know. Parents become the ultimate role model from a young age, but there comes a point one realizes they aren't as perfect as many children have grown up to believe. Chris admits to how much he really looks up to his father at a party for Chris's graduation. Upon giving his father a telescope for his upcoming birthday, "[Chris] was grateful for all the things Dad had done for him. [He] said how much he respected Dad for starting from nothing, working his way through college, busting his ass to support eight kids" (118 Krakauer). Although often he resented being told how to hone his skills and ideas, Chris admits his appreciation for the effort his father put into raising Chris. It wasn't until he made the discovery of Walt's past, did he become critical.

I think the chief reason Chris became as introverted as he did was because of this discovery and he began to criticize all those around him. When I have felt socially stressed and unhappy with society, I seek comfort, as Chris did, in to comforts of nature. Of course I never attempted a trip to the outskirts of the wilderness, I find comfort in the solitude of parks, or conservation lands. I feel like the intensity of this discovery lead him to the wish to be as far from society as possible, and the critical eye he grew from this discovery was because he felt that if the two individuals he looked up to most weren't perfect what does that make everybody else. with this final straw, he immediately saw only the flaws around him and at that point had enough. To him, myself and I'm sure many others, nature is soothing and allows for one to calm down and clear one's head. His father was not the only role model he had that was far from perfect, of course, but once again the other individuals he professed to admire greatly were admired for their works, because even if their lives were not exemplary, the advice and the wisdom they imparted was the critical and important information.

Loss of a Child

During the part when Alex's parents are describing their feelings about their death, it made me curious about just how deep their pain could be. Their struggle reminded me of a book that I read 2 years ago, "Still with me: A daughter's journey of Love and Loss" by Andrea Collier. In that story, The narrator's grandpa recounts his feeligngs about the loss of one of his children. He clearly seems broken up about it still, even though it is fifty years later. He says "You should never have to see your child waste away and die", also also believes that "Losing your child is the worst"(155). Never having known any grief near this magnitude myself, I wondered if Chris' parents were changed by the experience. Chris' mother Billie was described as "weeping as only a mother who has outlived a child can weep, betraying a sense of loss so huge that the mind balks at taking its measure"(132). Just what is it about losing a child that has the power to completely shatter someone, as it clearly has done to both Billie and the grandfather? Well, parents bring the child into the world, it's the biggest treasure they have. It comes with a sense of pride and accomplishment. They obviously want their child to be safe, healthy and happy. As they get more and more attached to the child, the more the child seems to become a part of them. I asked my own parents about this, and they said they felt the same way. This is why I think the loss of a child is particularly shattering for a parent, because it dashes some of their own dreams and aspirations as well. Billie in particular seemed a bit frustrated with Alex, saying "I just don't understand why he had to take those kind of chances"(132). This seemed to add another dimension to the grief: dissapointment. In a death where the child has somehow contributed to their own death, as in Chris's case, a sense of failure probably accompanies the initial sadness. Chris's parents seem frustrated that they didn't do something different to "save" Chris, while in "Still with me", where the child died of illness, the grandfather never expressed frustration with the child, only with the circumstances. I think I can now understand just how Chris' parents felt a bit better, and where their sadness and frustration originated from.