In the spring of 1992, twenty-four-year-old Christopher McCandless left society behind, hitchhiking 3,000 miles into the Alaskan wilderness.

Two years earlier, Chris had donated his entire life savings to Oxfam, burned his social security card, and headed west seeking life on his own terms - without telling a soul, particularly his parents.

In this episode, we delve into Into the Wild's larger cultural implications, exploring the conflict between self and society, community and solitude. Philosophers like Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and John Locke will weigh in. As well as George Carlin and Malcolm and the Middle.

We’ll investigate the concept of “wilderness” - how Euro-American settlers viewed it versus their Native American counterparts.

And for those of us who dream of escaping the troubles of society, we’ll explore McCandless as an inspiration and cautionary tale.

If you’d like to support Human Nature Odyssey, please subscribe wherever you enjoy your podcasts, leave us a review, and visit humannatureodyssey.com.

Join us on Patreon and get exclusive access to audio extras, writings, and notes.

CITATIONS

Into the Wild [book] by Jon Krakauer (1996)

Into the Wild [film] directed by Sean Penn (2007)

George Carlin’s appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien (1996)

Malcolm in the Middle [sitcom] (2000-2007)

How Chris McCandless Died [article] by Jon Krakauer (2016)

Myths of Wilderness in Contemporary Narrative [book] by Kylie Crane (2012)