Context

The Spirit of Adventure

The indomitable spirit of adventure connects the writer and the protagonist in the narrative and also makes the book a success. This is the story of a privileged, young man with a bright future who chooses a life of adventure over American materialism. This rare and bold choice of the protagonist, along with his tragic death, makes this book a success. The popularity of the story across many new media and platforms also points to the fact that ways of consuming news were diversifying as much as the sources of news.

Transcendentalism and Naturalism

The details in the book and McCandless’ life points to the fact that he was a believer in the philosophy of naturalism and transcendentalism. They purport simple living and an innate connection with nature: a relationship which is less anthropocentric and more about living in harmony with one’s own natural surroundings.