Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer follows a young Chris McCandless, a college graduate looking to adventure into the depths of the Alaskan wilderness, leaving his family and friends behind. The author argues whether or not McCandless is "all there " and the possibility that he might be losing his sanity as his journey continues. Krakauer is empathetic towards Chris McCandless due to the situations and circumstances that came along with his journey into the wilderness.
In the book Krakauer made a connection to Chris McCandless and Alex. When McCandless left, he changed his name so it would be harder for people to find him.
Westerberg said, "On the afternoon of September 10, driving out of Cut Bank after buying some parts for a malfunctioning combine, he pulled over for a hitchhiker, an amiable kid who said his name was Alex McCandless, " (16). At this point in the book he introduced himself as Alex McCandless, which helped the readers make the connection that Chris McCandless and Alex McCandless are the same person. This connection displayed early on in Krakauer's book led to the discovery that McCandless was already dead.
Krakauer poses himself as a character in his book to further explain his feelings towards Chris McCandless's adventure. Krakauer says, "Although he was rash, untutored in the ways of the backcountry, and incautious to the point of foolhardiness, he wasn't incompetent- he wouldn't have lasted 113 days if he were. And he wasn't a nutcase, he wasn't a sociopath, he wasn't an outcast. McCandless was something else- although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps, " (90). When Krakauer started off his book he seemed indecisive as to whether McCandless was sane or not. It felt like he did not really have an understanding for McCandless because not everyday people that had just graduated college would risk their lives going on a life threatening journey.