The doors of the top law schools in America stand wide open for Christopher McCandless after he graduates from Emory University, but rather than follow the path of “The American Dream” towards financial gain and personal comfort, he strikes out on a road less traveled.
Sean Penn brings Jon Krakauer’s book Into The Wild to the screen by getting a great performance from Emile Hirsch (Christopher McCandless) as well as solid support from better known Hollywood players like Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener and William Hurt.
In a time when consumerism in America has never been more intense and pervasive, Christopher McCandless’ story stands as a picture of what it looks like to leave that all behind. But Into The Wild is more than a cultural critique or a call to action—it is a look at the danger of swapping idealisms.
The end of the film [which I wont share in case you don’t know the story already] begs the questions ‘was the exchange worth making?’ and ‘did he find the fullness and meaning he was searching for?’
If I am going to ask those questions of his story, I must ask some of mine: Am I running away from something without considering what I might be running towards? Am I running from one kind of brokenness to another expecting a fullness that can never be found in either?
Are you?
 |
 |
 |
Into The Wild American Idealisms
|
| Title | Into The Wild |
| Release Date | 2007 |
| Genre | Drama |
| Director | Sean Penn |
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (4)
Sarah Schumacher
said:
 |
living in the tension Hey guys, I just saw Into the Wild this past weekend and man, has this movie really stuck with me. I knew the story ahead of time, but was unprepared for the anger that welled up in me as I watched this movie, and slowly my own anger turned into a feeling of despair once it was evident Chris' own extreme idealism left him literally trapped. I found Chris at first to be irritatingly arrogant, thinking only of himself and his own desires. At times, though, I desired exactly what Chris was experiencing--adventure, sweet friendship, deep community with individuals and with nature. Although Chris very well found some truth while he travelled from place to place, what I fear he missed was the hope of redemption--both of his parents and his culture. I was relieved to see there was some redemption of Chris by the end of the movie. In your question about running towards and running away from, I think the struggle is to live in the tension of both. I have thought about this a lot even in my own life. Those things I struggle with, that I resent--are they best dealt with if I run away from them? Maybe. Or are they resolved if I run towards them? Maybe as well. I compare this to people's struggle with the instiutional church--one can develop sweeping idealistic thoughts about church and at the time same develop bitterness and resentment towards a faith tradition they grew up in. In a search for a place that welcomes the sweeping idealism, the other tradition becomes wrong. Yet, I would contest there is value in both. Is one wrong and the other right? Is the culture Chris left behind wrong and his right? Can redemption only be found in what one believes to be right and not in what one has labeled wrong? And therein lies the tension we must put ourselves in. |
Peter Boumgarden
said:
 |
... I think you are right that Christopher had some idea of what he was looking for... and as noted in your post, this resulted in a swapping of idealism for idealism, or idol for idol. What I think is one of the profound take-aways of the movie, however, is the potential of redemption, even given our misguided motivations. Regarding Christopher's motivations... I think if he were able, he would tell you he was very clear on what these were from the beginning. This may not be the only relevant issue when it comes to understanding ourselves. The research in psychology is relatively clear that our motivations are multifaceted, and not always available to conscious reflection. I think Christopher's story is a clear example of this. In the beginning of the film, we see Christopher deeply enmeshed in a reactionary posture-- one in which he is motivated by movement away from his past, his family, and the ideas that each of these things stood for. I think we can also agree that, though somewhat glorified in the film, these are not necessarily the best motivations. From a pragmatic standpoint, they led to separation from his family, and resulted in life of bitterness and anger. But, as you note in your comment, by the end of the film, it seem as though one of his final realization is the importance of others, and the necessity of having these people there to share the journey. Given the fact that our motivations may be blind and unavailable to our own understanding, perhaps this is a beautiful picture that there may be something redeemable even in our broken desires. With regards to these multi-facted motivations, I think Christopher had to have had some sort of implicit commitment to the idea of love, care and family. Had he not, the lack of these things would not have been such a big part of what he felt was lacking in his life, and eventually such a big motivator of his journey away. Even though Christopher may have had confidence in what he was searching for, it is clear that what he eventually found was something fundamentally different than these espoused motivations. What I would argue though is that there is some notion of the good or the pure or the beautiful deep within his psyche, that provided the opportunity for the redemption of these motivations. And I think the same is true with us (at least it is what we ought to hope for). I know that my own motivations can often be selfish, self-centered, destructive, and blind the needs of others. Christopher's motivaitons seemed to be laced with many of the same problems, as in this film they seemed misguided, childish and immature. At the end of his story, however, we see some degree of redemption. I think the film offers a vision that laced within all the anger and bitterness that Christopher housed was some knowledge of the good-- and that is ultimately what he stumbled upon as seen in the last reflection of his journal. |
Eric Kuiper
said:
 |
great thougts peter i'm not sure i would say that christopher thought he was totally heading into an unknown. while he very much didn't know what may lay around the next corner, i got the feeling from the film that he had headed into the wild alaskan wilderness thinking he would find something very specific. i don't think it was as much a 'leap of faith' for him as much as an abandonment of a life he didn't like in pursuit of one he thought he would. as he writes those final words in his journal 'happiness can only be shared' [i believe that is what it said] it seemed to me that he was suprrised to find himself in this place - that he headed out looking for something very specific but never really found it. i didn't get the feeling that this was a film about journeying out into the unknown--while he did do that in someways--i felt like he thought he knew exactly what he was getting into. what do you think? |
Peter Boumgarden
said:
|
To what extent can we know what we are running towards? Hey Eric Really like what you guys are doing with the site. Been thinking about the contrast between the idea of running towards and away from from something. I think you are right that we need to be running towards something, but sometimes I question if we always must be certain what that is. Christopher knew what he was running from yet did not fully know what he was running towards. And I think that is the reality of dealing with the unknown. At some point, these journeys away from the comfortable require a Kirkegaardian 'leap of faith' into the unknown... for we can only know through immersion into that reality. Perhaps it is rather that we need to see 'through the glass darkly' what we are attempting to run towards... or that we need to know in what posture we pursue that journey towards this unknown (e.g. a reverent humility... committed to the questions, etc.). I just think the pursuit of something like wonder (for an example relevant to this site) is in many ways a journey into the unknown-- one that must begin with a leap of 'faith' and hope that we reach a place more near to that which captured our imagination in the first place. pb |
Write comment
