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Essay / Fatherly symbols in "Into The Wild" by Jon Krakauer "He heard this call, mysteriously exciting and attractive, he felt obliged to turn his back on the fire and plunge into the forest..." (London 33). With statements like this, Jack London's Call of the Wild embodies the inner need for freedom and control that comes from embracing nature and abandoning societal ideals. Describing Buck's innate call to abandon humanity, Jack London shows Buck's epiphany that leads him to reject modern society instead of living freely with Alaska's natural world. Buck submits to his primal desire and calling to the Alaskan wilderness rather than return to life as a domestic dog in the hands of a human owner. Learning to adapt and embrace nature and the wild world proved to be Buck's true calling to freedom and happiness for himself. Like Buck, Chris McCandless, the maverick depicted in Into the Wild, also found a calling in nature and learned to adapt to life alone within the confines of nature, believing that happiness comes from simplicity . Unlike Buck, who was initially forced to make this decision, Chris made his own choice to reject authority figures and modern society, motivated both by his resentment towards his father and by his lack of freedom in everyday life. In Into the Wild, John Krakauer illustrates how Chris McCandless's relationship with his authoritarian father led him to resent and condemn authoritative figures later in life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay As a child, Chris often felt repressed and enraged because of his father's authority; in fact, Chris visibly showed signs of annoyance and anger towards his father, often submitting bitterly to his father's demands. While hiking a mountain together, Walt told Chris to stop after a certain amount of time, "but Chris wanted to continue to the top. I told him that was impossible. He was only twelve then years old, so all he could do was complain” (Krakauer, 109). Walt's assertiveness contrasted profoundly with Chris's innate free-spiritedness, as Krakauer demonstrates with this example. Krakauer shows the reader that this was one of many experiences during Chris's childhood in which Chris' requests to his father were met with refusals and harsh restrictions, leading Chris to complain and finally to suffer in silence. Dominant and assertive, Walt constantly rejected Chris' demands, leading Chris to learn to deal with not having control, leading Chris to suppress his visible rage: "Chris submitted to the "Walt's authority in high school and college to a surprising degree, but the boy was angry inside the whole time" (Krakauer, 64). Krakauer offers this statement to show how Chris later allowed himself to be controlled, visibly showing no signs of resisting his father's overbearing personality Although he showed no outward signs, Chris possessed a deep contempt and deep-rooted resentment against his father, psychologically distancing him from Walt while bringing him along. to condemn similar forms of authority After Chris' childhood transitioned into adulthood, he began to find more reasons to resent his father, not only because of his authoritarian personality, but also now. because of his moral character: "After Chris discovered the details..
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