Into the Wild (2007): One Man’s Departure From Society and Consumerism

In a society which constitutes so many rules, regulations and superficial responsibilities, it is easy to assume that several people have thought of ‘running away from it all’ to live a simple life. Living in a community has benefits of shared experience, but built on conservative grounds limits our individual freedoms and introduces norms and limitations to our true desires.

In Sean Penn’s Into the Wild (2007) the audience is brought to the realization that escaping the restraints of society is possible. By following the real-life story of a wanderer, Penn illustrates the benefits of rebelling from societal expectations without ignoring the costs that come with separating from social life.

The film centres around twenty-two year old Chris McCandless’ (Emile Hirsch) two-year journey across the United States to reach “ultimate freedom” in Alaska. The film begins in Alaska when Chris finds an abandoned bus and lives off the land in isolation for six months. In the first few scenes we see Chris hunt and trap, cook and survive in the wild. The rest of the film is a series of flashbacks showing his journey to escape civilization. The use of flashbacks allows the audience to effectively connect his present reflections to particular moments of his past experiences (Hayward, 2006).

The first flashback brings us Chris’ graduation day from Emory University two years prior. After the ceremony Chris, his sister Corrine (Jena Malone) and his parents go to a formal dinner to celebrate. During the dinner we see a stark contrast to the rough and tumbled Chris shown in Alaska; formally dressed, hair swept back and sitting up tall at a swanky restaurant, Chris expresses his future goal to attend the prestigious Harvard Law. We find out in the next scene that this goal was simply a lie to please his parents. Brought up a wealthy family in West Virginia, Chris chooses to reject the superficial lifestyle he sees ingrained in society and longs for a world that is not bogged down by money and material goods. Chris donates his life savings of $25,000 to Oxfam International and takes off for freedom in the West. We see Chris free from responsibility on the open road with the subtitle “Chapter 1: My Own Birth.”

So how can we make sense of Chris’ reaction to society and need for “ spiritual revolution away from poisoned civilization”? With global growth of industry and technology the Western world has gained access to an abundance of material goods and seemingly limitless opportunities for a ‘happy’ life. By equating material goods to happiness and fulfillment it is safe to say we live in a consumer driven society where certain credentials are necessary to hold your career and overall social status. Consumerism has been explained as a sort of “conspicuous consumption” a competitive advantage, a sort of ‘keeping up with the Jones’ to display income (Veblen, 1970). Veblen (1970) explains in his work “Theory of the Leisure Class” that the wealthy, who control much of society, remain in power by frivolous spending and ability to spend time in “conspicuous leisure” (ie. higher education or athletics) to portray high status. Furthermore, in order to be active consumers the lower classes must work to the point that they are too busy for individual thought or challenge the social hierarchy (ibid).

After returning from Mexico (where he illegally crossed) Chris spends one night in Los Angeles, California. Now back in the context of urban life, Chris no longer looks free but rather limited by his dirty appearance and homeless status. When asking a businessman for the time he is ignored and relies on the city shelter for food and accommodation rather than a friendly neighbour. The stigmatization of the homeless within urban walls and societal identities causes Chris to be chained down by his social status. According to Velbem (1970) the leisure class contains and promotes poverty by the creation of proper norms of consumption in which all social classes feel they can (and should be) a part of while “ reducing their available energy, to such a point as to make them incapable to the effort required for learning and adoption of new habits of thought” (p. 140).

In the industrial surroundings and societal walls the wanderer experiences judgement and isolation rather than freedom and spiritual discovery.

The lower class and homeless of LA pursue the consumerism ideal and are constrained by its structure. Within societal walls to not take hold of supposed equal opportunity to success is to be ‘unmotivated’ or a failure. An example of this philosophy can be seen in such films as Pursuit of Happyness (2006). While Chris Gardner (Will Smith) puts value in societal discourse of success he fights to achieve happiness within structural norms (improving education, networking, improving wardrobe).

Conversely, in Into the Wild we see Chris McCandless reject conservative ideas of success altogether. Both films depict real life searches for happiness and fulfilment yet the protagonists find it through very different means. It must be noted that Chris Gardner came from a working class family while McCandless was of upper-middle class and had a University degree to fall back on thus giving him certain liberties. However, the point is in McCandless’ choice to leave those material advantages that some may say are limitations of a modern, rational society.

Max Weber (2003) writes that there is an emphasis in society of economic efficiency and the use of calculable, formal rationality in everything we do. Without having expressive or emotional meaning (substantive rationale) as motivation for our decisions there forms an ‘iron cage’ of control where human life is trapped in a rule based control of our actions. McCandless’ decision to leave his seemingly bright future behind to travel to Alaska and live off the land is by social standards an inefficient rationale. This is seen when one man asks Chris why he doesn’t he have a job or ‘make something of [himself].” By building up no money or experience Chris’ travels have no economic gain and therefore have no value in consumer driven society.

Throughout the film the narration explains the lies and deceit Chris feels from the lives of his parents. In his travels he meets with relatives in LA and finds out his parents relationship was an affair and never officially united in marriage. He finds company in two travelling hippies Jan (Catherine Keener) and Rainey (Brian Dierker), which share their relationship troubles with him instead of masking realities for fear of judgment. The realness of Jan and Rainey exemplify real human emotions and are almost parents to his new birth out of society and into the wild. This also presents a re-evaluation of the institution of the family and how roles of others in our lives are constructed out of necessity.

Although Chris abandons formal rationale and avoids much of modern society, he experiences relationships along his journey most notably in the Colorado Desert known as Slab City, a place where wanderers often stop for the winter and living on the outskirts of modern society is acceptable. Although the wandering community shifts and is unconventional, it is still a community where Chris reunites with Jan and Reiney and forms a friendship with a young woman.

The last relationship we see of Chris is with foil character Ron Franz, an old sad man who has not experienced much life outside work and family. With the death of his loved ones Mr. Franz has reached the isolation that Chris is about to experience in Alaska. On Chris’ departure Mr. Franz tears up and says he’s going to miss him. Chris then assures him that “joy comes from more than human relationships. You have to change the way you see things.”

However once alone in Alaska, Chris realizes that his whole joy in life has been in the journey rather than the destination. It seems that although Chris may not experience the limits that are apart of social life in Alaska, he also lacks the benefits of cohesion and bonding that is key to human existence.

In the end of the film Chris slowly starves to death and is somewhat trapped in isolation. He writes a final note saying he has lived a happy life and we see his last look to the sky before he dies with a content, peaceful look on his face.

The mise-en-scène of Into the Wild is characterized by beautifully shot scenery, and changing perspectives. Generally, Into the Wild falls under the codes and conventions of a road movie : “[road movies] implies discovery, obtaining some self-knowledge ; conventionally the roadster is male and it is his point of view we see.” (Hayward, 2006, p.85) However, although the film centres on Chris’ thoughts on the world, his point of view is analysed through the narration of his sister Corinne as well as himself. The double narration gives the audience both Chris and Corinne’s perspectives of Chris’ life and motivations for leaving.

Also used effectively is the alternate use of camera shots. The use of subjective camera shots (or point of view shot) allows the viewer to see into Chris’ eyes at critical points in the plot to experience his emotions of fear, joy and panic (Hayward, 2006). Penn uses aerial and extreme long shots making him appear smaller and overwhelmed by his surroundings; these shots greater emphasize Chris’ isolation and make him vulnerable to the viewer (Barsam, 2007).

In one scene where he talks to an apple and explains it is the best apple he’s ever tasted, Chris looks straight at the camera, bringing us into the moment and allowing him to share his joy with the audience. It is has been noted by some that to keep this one shot was a mistake in keeping with the tone of loneliness (Newton, 2008). Although Chris is solitude in his travels, his interactions in Slab City, with Mr. Franz and others along the way are what keep him content. Therefore, I interpreted the eye contact to the camera as the only means to fully express his joy to the audience; this illustrates what Chris realizes in his final days: “happiness is only real when shared.”

The soundtrack written by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam speaks as a sort of third narration of Chris’ experiences on the road. Within each song are emotional riffs and descriptive lyrics that further articulate the protagonists experience (ie. “Leave it to me to find a way to be…I know all the rules but the rules did not know me”).

Since his death in 1992, Christopher McCandless’ journey has become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon (Christian, 2006); his journey has been of topic in television shows, inspiration for songwriters and explored in the 2007 documentary The Call of the Wild. Tourists have visited the “magic bus” in Alaska where Chris lived his last days. One Alaskan ranger wrote that he was foolish to go into the wild so unprepared and feels McCandless was committing to death upon his arrival (Christian, 2006).

It seems that Chris’ search for meaning may have been a form of what Durkheim (2003) called “anomic suicide”; a way to permanently escape the limitless social malaise of a limitless society (p.147). The film, however, leaves us with the idea that the rapids were too high to cross and McCandless died from starvation or poisoning.

We will never know whether Chris McCandless’ death was suicide or simply due to the forces of nature. Nevertheless, his jump into the wild, whether seen as brave or naïve, has touched an inner desire shared by many hardworking, time-constricted viewers: the desire to be free from social responsibility, identity and judgements attached to class.

After watching this film viewers are urged to re-evaluate the value of material goods as a means of achieving happiness. Into the Wild explores the common search for personal fulfillment and the need to find our own balance between the realities and illusions of contentment, successes and human needs.