Into the Wild ;, Jon Krakauer, pgs 144-207 (end)
<i>Death of a Salesman</i>, Arthur Miller, pgs 1-97
So, I finished <i>Into the Wild</i> and started rereading a book that I'm studying with my AP Literature class. As I read the first act of the play I was struck by the similarity between Chris McCandless and many of the characters from <i>Death of a Salesman</i>. The main character of this story, Willy Loman frets over a missed opportunity to accompany his older brother to Alaska to make money. Instead he is 60 and stuck in a dead end sales job. Interestingly enough, Willy's father abandoned <i>him</i> as a child to also seek fortune in Alaska. In a weird twist, Willy is disappointed in his son Biff because he is constantly seeking work outside of the norm of the day. He's worked on cattle farms and other jobs that Willy does not respect. Biff explains that he likes these jobs because he's not stuck inside at a desk and can be out in the open air.
In American culture the west has always been symbolic of the open frontier, a vast unexplored wilderness where a man could make his living outside of the realm of laws and societal constraints. It's interesting that these two books, written 50 years apart, have such similar themes.
Does anyone else know of any characters who seek a life outside of society? Anyone have a friend or family member who constantly wants to go out on the open road? What do you think drives a person to feel like this?
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<b>Dear Blogger:</b> This is not a spam post. I am mailing to publish this on all of my student's blogs in order to provide a sample and to engage in discussions. Please call off the spambots.
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