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Comment by l_t | Hacker News Reader

IMO (having only watched the film), preparation was meaningless because McCandless had a mentality that led him _toward_ risk -- a kind of death wish. He escalated his personal risk more and more, and eventually suffered the inevitable consequences.

But, I get the impression that in his own head, he didn't feel a choice in the matter, or rather the alternative was worse.

Therein lies the true "moral" of the film, as I personally interpreted it: McCandless was trapped in his own head, no matter how far he traveled he couldn't escape his own mentality. The tragedy is that it seems he himself realized this too late. But, who knows -- personally, I imagine him being at peace with his decision and the ultimate result.

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It's been over a decade since I read the book and saw the film, so what I am about to say may be a product of my imperfect memory rather than the reality of the book and movie, but here goes anyway:

I see how you got the impression that McCandless was trapped in his own risk-addicted thinking from the movie, but I think that impression is editorializing on the part of the filmmakers.

I'm a rock climber and it's my experience that the risk taking in rock climbing isn't a death wish. On the contrary, it's a life-wish, a desire to experience life to its fullest even if that means risking your life. You will die--risking death is not a risk. The greatest risk you take is dying without achieving your deepest desires and dreams.

This is a pretty common view in the rock climbing community, and I think that Jon Krakauer, a mountaineer the author of the In To the Wild book, probably held a view of risk similar to my own, which is why the book presents a much more sympathetic view of McCandless' risk-taking.

I climb too, and I agree with your perspective.

When I read the book I felt McCandless was a romantic. Naive perhaps, and his death was unnecessary, but he lived his life on his own terms to a degree which is relatively rare today.

Same here. It was a romantic drive. Not even really for an adrenaline rush which is partly what something like base jumpers are after. And even then, only some of them could be said to have a death wish.

I think that everybody ends up "living their lives on their own terms" in one way or another. Life presents facts to you. If you wish to go on living, you adapt to them. If you choose not to go on living, that's your choice, but I think it's misleading to imply that other people aren't making their own choices -- including, most of the time, choices that bring them to stay alive.

I don't mean that as anything negative about McCandless. It's just that I think it's worth saying that other people aren't also lesser for making their own different choices. They are also doing their best with the difficult problems life throws at you, giving you lots of options and few clues.

Interesting, it sounds like I should read the book.

For what it's worth, the "death wish" thing wasn't meant to be pejorative -- maybe I should have used a different term. I like your "life-wish" phrasing better, thank you for that perspective.

The book is a short read and worth it. Follow it up with the movie if you're not familiar with a few of the places so you can get a feel for his travels.

I enjoyed both and admire his path.

Krakauer's other book on mountaineering would seem to lend credence to your view

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