![]() In describing his state of mind on Devil's Thumb, Krakauer writes, "At that stage of my youth ÉI was stirred by the dark mystery of mortality, I couldn't resist stealing up to the edge of doom and peering over the brink. Even so, he recognizes that such risks for "young men of a certain mind"-stubborn, passionate, idealistic and proud-hold an incredibly compelling power, like the thrilling unknowns of death or sex. By inserting his personal experience into his investigation of Chris McCandless's quest for a "raw, transcendent experience," Krakauer shows that the path towards self-discovery is fraught with unnecessary risks that are more often life-threatening than life altering. What Krakauer does recognize in himself is a deep urge to test his limits and live on the edge, a willfulness he suspects McCandless of possessing. In the end, however, Krakauer realizes that such a risky escapade did nothing to fundamentally change him. The young Krakauer believes that scaling this treacherous mount will transform his life for the better, paralleling McCandless's belief that living off the land in Alaska will also change his life for good. While Krakauer suggests that McCandless's new identity stems from his flirtation with danger, he also aligns his own daring climb on Devil's Thumb with McCandless's venture into the Alaskan bush. ![]() For instance, Krakauer surmises that McCandless abandons his beloved yellow Datsun in the desert, instead of seeking help from the authorities, so that his parents won't find out and end his cross-country road trip. Krakauer pairs McCandless's reinvention of himself with the risky behavior he exhibits throughout his travels. In casting off his family name, McCandless derives his new name, "Supertramp," from his life on the road, creating an identity that evokes this itinerant and trying lifestyle. McCandless's name changes document his shift in character and speak to the creation of his new identity. Underscoring his transformation is his transition from his given name, "Chris McCandless," to "Alex," or "Alexander McCandless" on the road, to finally "Alexander Supertramp," on the Stampede Trail. Through his travels he transforms from a willful recent graduate, eager to break away from his stifling family, into a practiced wanderer and amateur mountaineer. McCandless's journey into the wilderness is ultimately one of self-discovery and reinvention.
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