"Into The Wild" by Maggie

"Into The Wild" by Maggie - February 2015 Scholarship Essay

Throughout high school, teachers are constantly reading books with their students in order to expand the perspectives and knowledge of their students in regards of the world around them. Many of the books that students are forced to read throughout high school are books that do not obtain the attention of the students mind; much less do they retain the information. All high school students should read one book that can truly change their point of view about life; a book that they will preserve in their mind and in their heart. Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer is a book that all high school students should read before graduating.

Into The Wild is a nonfiction piece of literature that talks about the journey of a young man named Christopher McCandless through the Alaskan wilderness. Christopher McCandless, whom later on changes his name to Alexander Supertramp, sets out to hitchhike in the Alaskan territory in order to get away from the pressure that was set on him by his parents along with the rest of society. McCandless was a major fan of Henry David Thoreau (a transcendentalist), which was one of the reasons why McCandless decided to escape. All throughout the book, Krakauer inserts interviews that he had done with people who met McCandless throughout his journey. Unfortunately, McCandless does not end up surviving the harsh climate of Alaska and ends up being frozen to death.

The reason why I believe all high school students should read Into The Wild before graduating is due to the fact that majority of students feel that they are constantly being pressured by the society in which they live in. I am not saying that students should run away from their fears and into a dangerous location without any resources. However, students should know that life is not all about going to school and becoming successful. Parents and society are constantly drilling the idea into young people’s minds that they need to choose a career in which they will make good money. Teenagers are often terrified that they will choose a career that their parents will not approve of. Thus, adolescents should be able to do anything that will make them happy. Whether it be an enjoyable career or running through the Alaskan wilderness.

I believe that Into The Wild will help all high school students realize that they do not have to do or become something that the rest of the world wants them to become. Adolescents should have the courage to pursue anything that they please, without having the thought of whether they are going to be judged in a negative way. Into The Wild gives its readers a new perspective on life and it gives them courage, and that’s why I believe all high school students should read it before graduating.