PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI PLAGIAT ...

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THE CRITICISM TOWARDS THE IDEA OF SELF-

RELIANCE IN THE 20th

CENTURY AMERICAN SOCIETYAS

REVEALED THROUGH THE MAIN CHARACTER IN SEAN

PENN’S INTO THE WILD MOVIE SCRIPT

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

In English Letters

By:

BUDI PRIHANTORO

05 4214 039

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2011

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJIPLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

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Believe in yourself!

Have faith in your abilities!

Without a humble but

reasonable confidence in your

own powers you cannot be

successful or happy.

-Norman Vincent Peale -


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This thesis is

dedicated to my beloved

father and mother


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ACKNWOLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to express my greatest gratitude to my Father,

Jesus Christ for His blessing and guidance. He gave me a wonderful chance in my

life, so I can finish writing this thesis because of Him.

I would like to give my sincere gratitude to my advisor Elisa Dwi

Wardani S.S., M.Hum. for her precious time and guidance in this undergraduate

thesis writing. I would like also to give my gratitude to my co-advisor Dr.F.X.

Siswadi, M.A. for his time and willingness to correct my thesis. I thank all the

lecturers and all staffs in the secretariat of English Letters Department too.

I would like to thank my parents, Valentinus Sugeng Harjono and Tri

Hertati Caecilia for their prayers, passion, advice and struggle to finance my

study. Both of them have been my motivation in finishing this thesis writing. I

thank my sister too: mbak Heni and Etik. I love them all.

My special thanks go to Maria Delfina Dhae for the love, laugh, support,

help, and encouragement. She makes my days colorful.

Furthermore, I thank my closest friends in campus: Jimi, Fajar, Ucok,

Miki, Yohanes Bayu, Surya, Yoesf Bayu, Bruno, Fuja, Hardian, James, Acong,

Adit, Rijek,Galih and Simbah. I thank all 2005 English Letters Department‘s

students and all family of The Underpants: Deva, Eci, Cita, Teti, Vivi etc. Thank

for the good time we have been through together.


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I am grateful to all my friends in my boarding house: Mas eka, Mas Joy,

Bembenk, Irfan, Ancah and Mas Bagus for the happiness, sadness, smile, tear,

anger, and all the precious time.

Next, my sincere gratitude goes to my friends in KKN Angga, Renda,

Dita, Siwi, Rita, Jeje, and Ayu. I would not forget to say thanks to my best friends

in Lingkar Hitam Deni, Tanto, Apenk , and Edo.My band mates Miko, Jay, Nizar,

Reza. They are rock guys. It is nice to have nice friends like them. There are many

wonderful and exciting moments that we have shared together, ―Thanks for the

memories friends!‖

Last but not least, I thank everyone whose name I cannot mention one by

one for helping and supporting me during the completion of my thesis. May God

bless you all.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE ........................................................................................................... i

APPROVAL PAGE ................................................................................................ ii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE .......................................................................................... iii

MOTTO PAGE ...................................................................................................... iv

DEDICATION PAGE .............................................................................................. v

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI................................. vi

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. vii

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... ix

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................. x

ABSTRAK ............................................................................................................. xi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1

A. Background of the Study ................................................................................ 1

B. Problem Formulation ...................................................................................... 4

C. Objective of the Study .................................................................................... 4

D. Definition of Terms ........................................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW .............................................................. 6

A. Review of Related Studies .............................................................................. 6

B. Review of Related Theories ........................................................................... 8

1. Theories of Character and Characterization ............................................... 8

2. Theories of Self-reliance........................................................................... 11

3. Theories of Relation Between Literature and Society .............................. 14

C. Review of Social Condition of USA in Twentieth Century ......................... 16

D. Theoritcal Framework .................................................................................. 22

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 24

A. Object of the Study ....................................................................................... 24

B. Approach of the Study .................................................................................. 25

C. Method of the Study ..................................................................................... 25

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 27

A. Concept of Self-reliance as Reflected in the Charcteristics of Christopoher

McCandless .................................................................................................. 27

B. The Criticisms Towards the Idea of Self-reliance ........................................ 41

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 53

BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 56

APPENDIX ............................................................................................................ 59


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ABSTRACT

BUDI PRIHANTORO. The Criticism Towards the Idea of Self-reliance in the

20th

Century American Society as Revealed Through the Main Character in

Sean Penn’s Into The Wild Movie Script. Yogyakarta: Department of English

Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma 2011.

This undergraduate thesis examines Sean Penn‘s Into The Wild Movie

Script. It presents a true story experienced by Christopher McCandless.

Christopher Mcandless as the main character shows a particular characteristic that

is very unique. He becomes controversial and does some unusual actions.

Somehow in this occasion, the movie script encourages the audience to think

critically about particular ideas and values contained in the film. This thesis tries

to analyze how a movie script criticizes the ideas of self reliance.

There are two problems to be discussed in this study. The first problem

deals with the characterization of Christopher McCandless reflects the concept of

self-reliance in the movie script of Into the Wild. The second problem deals with

criticisms toward the idea of self-reliance by revealing the main character‘s

characterization

The writer uses the library research in collecting the data. This analysis

uses the socio-cultural historical approach. This approach is suitable for the

analysis because it concerns on the criticism toward the self-reliance in America.

Based on the analysis, Christopher McCandless as the main character is

described as an independent, resolute, self-determined, brave, progressive,

nonconformist and nature loving man. From those characterizations linked with

social condition in USA, can be seen the criticism towards self-reliance as seen

through the major character of the story. The writer concludes that Self-reliance

causes some bad impact in the society like the loss of good social life in the

society, the death of many Americans in the wilderness and many more. In

conclusion, the right way to live is to share with others and the real happiness is

based on good social life within the society, not on solitary life of the individual.


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ABSTRAK

BUDI PRIHANTORO. The Criticism Towards the Idea of Self-reliance in the

20th

Century American Society as Revealed Through the Main Character in

Sean Penn’s Into The Wild Movie Script. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris,

Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Skripsi ini mengulas tentang teks film yang berjudul Into the Wild. Into the Wild

adalah kisah nyata yang dialami oleh Christopher McCandles. Christopher sebagai

tokoh utama dalam teks film ini memperlihatkan sifat-sifat yang sangat unik. Dia

menjadi perdebatan karena melakukan hal- hal yang tidak biasa. Bagaimanapun

juga dalam kesempatan ini, teks film ini mengharapkan para pembaca untuk

berpikir lebih kritis tentang sebuah ide dan nilai yang terkandung di dalam cerita.

Skrispsi ini mencoba untuk menganalisis bagaimana teks film Into the Wild

mengkritik ide self-reliance.

Dalam skrispsi ini ada dua rumusan masalah yang akan dibahas. Yang pertama

mengenai penggambaran perwatakan dari tokoh utama Christopher McCandless

sebgai cerminan self-reliance. Yang kedua, membahas tentang kritik terhadap ide

self-reliance melalui perwatakan tokoh utama.

Penulis menggunakan metode studi perpustakaan dalam mengumpulkan data.

Dalam pembahasan penulis menggunakan pendekatan sosialkultural historikal.

Pendekatan tersebut adalah pendekatan yang paling sesuai untuk pembahasan,

dikarenakan skrispsi ini mengacu pada kritik terhadap self-reliance di Amerika.

Dalam pembahasan, sebagai tokoh utama Christopher McCandles digambarkan

sebagai seseorang yang mandiri, berpendirian teguh, mampu menentukan nasib

sendiri, pemberani, maju, tidak mau menuruti adat dan pecinta kealamian. Dari

perwatakan tersebut dihubungkan dengan kondisi sosial di Amerika Serikat

makan akan tampak jelas sebuah kritik terhadap ide self-reliance yang dilihat

melalui tokoh utama dari cerita. Self-reliance di sini menyebabkan dampak buruk

dalam masyrakat seperti hilangnya kehidupan social dalam masyrakat, kematian

orang Amerika di alam liar dan masih banyak lagi. Dalam kesimpulannya, cara

yang tepat untuk hidup adalah dengan berbagi dengan yang lainnya dan

kebahagian sejati sesungguhnya didasarkan pada kehidupan sosial yang bagus

pada sebuah masyarakat, melainkan bukan pada kehidupan yang menyendiri.


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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

A literary work is the result of human thoughts and feelings which are

part of their life experience. The statement above is related to Hudson‘s definition

of literature in Introduction to the Study of Literature. Hudson states that literature

is a depiction of what men have seen and experienced in life. It can be said that a

literary work is the reflection of life through the media of language, which can be

found in the form of novels or poems (2006: 10). With literary works, the authors

try to appreciate themselves and share their thoughts and feeling with others.

Arnold Kettle in Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things: A Critical Appraisal

states that ―at the same time the good novel does not simply convey life, it says

something about life, it reveals some kind of pattern in life, and it brings

significance‖ (2004: 42). Therefore, a literary work can serve as an instructional

medium for others. Many values and knowledge can be obtained through

literature. Values that are delivered through literary works are expected to be

useful for the reader's life.

There are many types of literature, such as short story, novel, poem and

drama. As parts of literature, they have some values. Human life and manners are

presented on them (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 216). In his book Moral Choice,

Maguire says that as the imitation of real life, novels contains some values and

can reflect anything. Novels generally consist of several elements, such as setting,


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characters, plot, and theme. Those elements can be used to interpret the message

and the values delivered through the novels (1979: 3).

It can be said that the authors of literary works have certain purposes that

they try to deliver to the readers through the messages and values in their works.

In Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things: A Critical Appraisal, Amar Nath

Prasad mentions that ―every branch of literature has specific aim and novel, being

one the chief‘s branches of literature, has a decisive purpose or aim‖ (2004: 42).

Ideas or thoughts that are poured into a literary work have a specific purpose and

motive for the readers. It means that through the ideas in literary works, the

readers will be expected to think critically to understand the purpose. It can range

from the author‘s protest towards his surroundings to moral lessons.

Therefore, a literary work must have power and influence on the readers. This

idea is also supported by Holland in New Literary History, as shown in the

following quotation.

Literature shows its apparent power when we are "absorbed" in a literary

experience: Coleridge's "willing suspension of disbelief." We do not

sense our bodies or our environment. We cease to judge the reality or

probability of events. And we feel real emotions toward people and

things we know are fictions. Our sensory and emotional systems behave

in this special way because our "disinterested" stance toward works of art

inhibits the brain's action systems to which these other systems are linked

(2004: 395-410).

The process of revealing values and ideas in literary works can be done

in several ways; one of them is through the movie or film version. Nowadays,

many novels have been adapted to the movie versions. Therefore, everybody can

learn some values from literary works, both in the form of novels and movies,

because movies and novels have some similarities. This idea is supported by


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Astruc in the book France, he states that ―a film maker or author writes with his

camera as writer writes with his pen‖ (1971: 11). Movies also have a close

relationship with literature because films or movies must have a script, and

Giannetti states that ―a film script is rarely an autonomous literary product‖ (1987:

256). People can analyze a film script in a similar way as they analyze a literary

work because movies have aesthetical values which are also found in literary

works. Therefore, literary analysis can be applied on perspective film analysis, as

suggested by Boggs below.

Perspective film analysis is built on the same elements used in literary

analysis and if we apply what we have learned in the study of literature to

our analysis film, we are far ahead of those who do not (1978: 20).

The criteria above can be found in a true story experienced by

Christopher McCandless, which was chronicled in a novel entitled Into the Wild

by John Kreakuer and adapted into a movie with the same title by Sean Penn. Into

the Wild is an interesting story to discuss because McCandless as the main

character displays highly unique characteristics. Throughout the story, he has

done some controversial and extraordinary actions. The movie script conveys

messages and values to the audience through the character of McCandless.

Somehow, the script encourages the audience to think critically about particular

ideas and values contained in the movie that will be useful for the readers‘ life.

In this study, the writer tries to analyze how the movie script of Into the Wild

criticizes the idea of self reliance. Self-reliance is an interesting topic to be

discussed, because self-reliance can influence a person to do unusual things, as

demonstrated by Christopher McCandless, the main character of the movie Into


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the Wild. For instance, he decides to live in the Alaska alone without money,

technology, and other important life necessities. He also leaves his wealth behind

just to find the answers of his thoughts about self reliance. Through the analysis,

the writer aims to find criticisms towards the ideas of self reliance in the movie

script, which are shown through the characterization of Christopher McCandless.

B. Problem Formulation

Based on the background of the study, the problem can be formulated

into the following questions.

1. How does the characteristic of Christopher McCandless reflect the

concept of self-reliance in the movie script of Into the Wild?

2. How does the movie script of Into the Wild criticize the idea of self-

reliance through Christopher McCandless‘ characterization?

C. Objectives of the Study

This study aims to answer the problems that have been stated in the

problem formulation. The first objective of the study is to understand the ideas of

self-reliance through the characterization of Christopher McCandless. Since the

movie script criticizes the ideas of self-reliance, this objective will be achieved by

obtaining ideas about self-reliance from the text. The second objective is to

identify how the movie script criticizes the ideas of self-reliance, as revealed

through the elements of literature such as character and characterization.


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D. Definition of Terms

To avoid misinterpretation and to help the readers understand this study,

the term used throughout this study is defined and explained in this part.

Therefore, both the writer and the readers have the same understanding of this

term.

Roget's II: The New Thesaurus defines self-reliance as the capacity to

manage one's own affairs, make one's own judgments, and provide for oneself:

independence, self-determination, self-sufficiency (1996: 842). On the other hand,

Emerson as the creator of the term ―self-reliance‖ states in the book Self-Reliance

that self-reliance is the need for each individual to avoid conformity and false

consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas (2007: 13-14).


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CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL REVIEW

A. Review of Related Studies

In the thesis entitled Christopher Johnson McCandless’ Trancendetalism

Values as Reflected in Sean Penn’s Into The Wild, Afida Arifiana from Sebelas

Maret University discusses about transcendetalism as reflected by the main

character. Christopher McCandless. Arifiana tries to find trancendetailsm by

examining the character of Christopher McCandless. In her thesis, she applies the

sociological, philosophical approaches and semiotics film theory. In her analysis,

she finds that Christopher McCandless in Senn Pean‘s Into the Wild reflects the

transcendentalism values, for instance by living in simplicity close to the nature,

believing that everything is Divine, having his own self-image and self-reliance,

and opposing oppressions. McCandless‘ transcendentalism values are revealed

through his dialogue with other characters, quotes, and expressions. In addition,

those values are also revealed from the mise-en-scène and cinematographic

elements, such as camera angle and shot (2009:74).

The writer essentially agrees to Arifiana‘s findings. However, she only

discusses the preface and does not discuss it deeper. As a result, her study

becomes too general. The difference between Arifiana‘s study and this study is

that this study will go deeper to discuss self-reliance as part of trancendetailsm

and find criticisms towards the idea self-reliance in Into the Wild movie script.


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Aditria Putri from Airlangga University also discusses the same character in her

thesis, which was entitled A Study on Neurotic Problem of Christopher Johnson

McCandless as the Main Character in John Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Even

though the object of study is the original novel instead of the movie version, the

contents of the story remain the same. In her study, Putri argues that the reason

behind Christopher‘s odyssey to Alaska is his neurotic problems, which were

caused by his father‘s poor parenting. Putri applies Karen Horney‘s theory on

neurosis to prove that poor parenting or parental indifference causes neurotic

problems in the future. From Christopher‘s family background, it can be

concluded that Christopher copes with neurotic strategies and fulfills his neurotic

needs through his journey to Alaska. This thesis argues that neurosis is one of the

causes of Christopher‘s death (2010: 61-65).

The study above focuses on the psychological aspect of Christopher

McCandless, while this thesis focuses on the criticism towards self-reliance. Since

Putri‘s study and this study analyze Into the Wild with different subjects and

points of view, this study is definitely different from Putri‘s. The difference

between Putri‘s study and this study is that this study will explore the subject of

self-reliance and focus on the impact of self-reliance in American society as

reflected in the movie script.


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B Review of Related Theories

1.Theories of Character and Characterization

Trottier in The Screenwriter's Bible he states the screenplay is a unique

literary form. A screenplay is written using technical jargon and tight, spare prose

when describing stage directions. Unlike a novel or short story, a screenplay

focuses on describing the literal, visual aspects of the story, rather than on the

internal thoughts of its characters (1998: 4) Despite the movie script or screenplay

does not focuses on character, it cannot be denied that movie script still analyzes

the characters. It means we can apply the literary analysis to analyze the character

on a movie script.

Since the movie script has similarities to the drama, the writer of thesis

uses the theory from Reaske. In How to Analyze Drama, Reaske said that a

character is the fictitious creation of person presented in dramatic or narrative

work that can be interpreted through the combination of the dialogue and action

expressed (1966; 40). While according to Roger B. Henkle, characters could be

classified into major and minor characters. Major or main characters are

characters that become the center of the story and are observed many times in the

story (Henkle, 1977: 90). The minor or secondary characters are characters that

support the main character in the terms of storytelling the major character‘s

personality in the story. Their function are various; as elements of society that

makes up the human context, as average or normal points or reference, as foils to


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the major characters, or they can be symbols of aspects of the governing state of

being (Henkle, 1977: 100).

In the book A Glossary of Literary Terms, Abrams defines character as

one of literary genre. According to Abrams, characters are not only about physical

appearances but also psychological. Both of the definitions are applicable for this

thesis. Another definition that he states about character is that: Characters are the

persons presented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by the

reader as being endowed with moral and dispositional qualities that are expressed

in what they say-the dialogue-and by what they do-the action (Abrams, 1981: 20).

As for the characterization, Abrams states in his book, A Glossary of Literary

Terms, that there are two ways to present characterization. Abrams writes ―first

showing (dramatic method), the author merely presents his characters talking and

acting and leaves the reader to infer the motives and dispositions lay behind what

they say and do. Second is telling, the author himself intervenes authoratively in

order and often to evaluate, the motives and disposal qualities of his character‖

(Abrams, 1981: 24).

There is another theory that talks about how to analyze a character‘s

characterization in a play. Reaske in his book, How to Analyze Drama, says that

there are six devices of characterization. These theories will be used in this study.

They are:

a. The appearance of the character

We can learn about the character from his appearance, which is often

described by the playwright on the prologue or in the stage direction. Through


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character‘s appearance we can know whether the character is old or young, small

or large, attractive or unattractive, etc. This appearance may be visible as well

from narrator‘s description or other character‘s opinion towards the particular

character.

b. Asides and soliloquies

Through aside and soliloquies, we also can learn about the character.

When a character speaks in short asides or in longer soliloquies, he is telling his

specific characteristics. For example; a lover, will have tendency to use poetic

statements. Therefore, we may learn that the person is a lover for using poetic

statements which one speaks in short asides.

c. Dialogue between characters

This means that we learn characters from dialogue between characters.

Through character‘s language when he speaks to other character, we can know his

personality.

d. Hidden narration

Sometimes, there is a character in the play who is never directly

described by the playwright. In that case, we understand that characters through

hidden narration, i.e. a narration of one character about another character.

e. Language

Language can also help to understand character. Both the kind of words which the

character uses and how the character speaks are two important parts of language

that can be used to learn the characters‘ characteristics.

f. Character in action


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This means that we can determine what kind of person a character is

when he acts on the stage. We can learn more about character through his action

in the play. (1966: 44-48)

2. Theory of Self-Reliance

In his Essays: First Series Self-reliance Emerson explains the importance

of thinking for oneself rather than meekly accepting other people's ideas. As he

states "To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your

private heart is true for all men—that is genius.‘‘ (2007:14). It means a man

should believe in himself. When he has an original thought, he should embrace it

and make it known to others rather than reject it. A man should trust his own

judgment of things and always try to search deep inside themselves for answers.

According to Emerson to get the glory men should speak to their latent

conviction, and it shall be the universal sense, for the inmost in due time becomes

the outmost. A man must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion when he

already has the conviction that envy is ignorance and imitation is suicide.

Something does not come instantly so people should hard work for something.

The power which resides in human is new in nature and none but man knows

what that is which man can do, nor does man know until he has tried.

In Emerson‘s essay someone must trust thyself, every heart vibrates to

that iron string. It means men are to be guides and adventurers, destined to

participate in an act of creation modeled on the classical myth of bringing order

out of chaos. A man should be brave to do something higher and better.


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we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same

transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner,

not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and

benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and

the Dark. (2007:18)

In his essay, Emerson also speaks out about the society. According to

Emerson society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of

its members. When people accept the society, it means they sell their freedom for

securing life. People become conformity. In the eyes of Emerson, Self-reliance is

its aversion. Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.

Emerson says ―What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think‖

(2007:20) therefore in self-reliance a great man is person that can keep his

freedom and independence of solitude. A man does not need or want the approval

of other men.

Emerson in his essay also underlines the serious problem of men. They

are conformity and consistency. As Emerson states ―To conform, to please others,

you put on a false face, smiling when in the presence of people with whom you

feel uncomfortable or pretending to be interested in dull conversation‖ (2007:20)

Conformity can turn man life into a lie because in living according to the will of

others it means a man is not being true to himself. If somebody doing this thing it

means what they do is fake. Second problem is consistency. If man strives to be

consistent in all things and live according to a pattern, he will afraid to break out

of because he is afraid that people will look down on him. According to Emerson

a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen


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and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to

do. Somebody may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.

In the Emerson opinion society is not the measure of all things; the individual is.

The individual can find the label true man in his nature. Emerson's label for the

ideal individual, "belongs to no other time or place, but is the centre of all things.

Where he is, there is nature." (2007:35) In this case nature is not only the objects

around person, but also person‘s individual natures. And these individual natures

allow the great thinker and the ideal individual to battle conformity and

consistency.

He says ―one should base on their life on the present and live naturally,

not relying on money or riches. Nothing but nature and you make up who you

really are inside‖(2007:26) From Emerson statement can be concluded that a man

must be themselves and rely on the nature.

Emerson also writes important things about self- reliance. He says ―Insist on

yourself; never imitate‖. (2007:45) It means for man it is better to learn by self. If

somebody learns from other people they will only get an extemporaneous, half

possession.

Emerson also argues that society does not necessarily improve from

material changes and the civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of

his feet. For example, advances in technology result in the loss of certain kinds of

wisdom: The person who has a watch loses the ability to tell time by the sun's

position in the sky, and improvements in transportation and war machinery are not

accompanied by corresponding improvements in either the physical or mental


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stature of human beings. He sees that nothing can bring men peace but

themselves. Nothing can bring men peace but the triumph of principles.

According to Emerson men who listen to themselves rather than to the

common herd are true men. And it is true men who leave their mark on history. If

all men became self-reliant, then all of their activities and institutions would be

better in religion, education, the way they live and the way they think.

In short paragraph self-reliance can be said as strong belief that someone

is capable of successfully dealing with the challenges and able to take guidance

from his or her self rather than from other people or other things. Put other way,

self-reliance means having the ability and courage to listen to self and cat by

yourself rather than letting other people, things or events decide what someone

should do, be or have. Being self-reliant, a person has to realize and accepts that

they are completely responsible for their life and if they want something done,

then they must do it themselves. They must follow his or her instincts and ideas in

done something. Being self-reliant also means avoid conformity. They have to be

nonconformist.

3. The Relation between Literature and Society

According to Wellek and Warren, there is an interaction between the

writer as the producer of the literary work and the society. A writer lives in

society and he is a part of society as social creature. From society we can collect

much information about his social background, family, and economy status.

Usually, literary work does not go away from the writer‘s background (1956:102).


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Literary work is the result of writer, so it can be concluded there is a relationship

between literature and society. Rene Wellek and Austen Warren in their book

Theory of Literature state:

The relation between literature and society is usually discussed by

starting with the phrase, derived from the De Bonald, that literature is an

expression of society, but what does this axiom mean? It is assumed that

literature at any given time mirrors the current social institution

‗correctly‘, it is false; it is common place, trite and vague if it means only

that literature depicts some aspects of social reality (1956: 95).

Therefore, they offer a specific evaluative criterion stating that the

relation between literature and society is that literature mirrors or expresses life

because an artist is supposed to express life in his or her work. Yet, it does not

mean that an artist expresses or mirrors the whole life of a given time but means

his or her time completely; the artist is aware of the specific social, economic,

political, and religious condition in his or her era, and he or she should be

representative of his or her age and society; it is the artist‘s duty to convey

historical as well as social truths as a symbol of artistic values in literature. Thus,

literature can also be viewed as the essence, the abridgement, and summary at all

history. Therefore, the relation between literature and society is very close in

which the reader can catch literature as the mirror reflects the society as well as in

the author‘s era (Wellek and Warren, 1956: 95)

Elizabeth Langland in Society in the Novel explained that society in the

novels does not depend on points of absolute fidelity in an outside world in details

of costume, setting, and locality because a novel‘s society does not aim at a mirror

of any real thing. The society in the novel is not always resemble or same with the

society in the real life. The society in the novel can be an independent aspect in a


16

novel which is not influenced by the outside world. Society in the novel cannot

always be found in the real world, but there is a possibility that we can find it in

the real world, although it is not exactly the same. Society in the novel might not

be an absolute realistic mirror of the existent society in the real life, but there is a

possibility that it comments on the society in our life (1984: 5). The society in the

novel has a possibility to become a social criticism in the real life of society.

Langland also explained that everything which is seen such as norms,

conventions, codes, background, places, peoples, institutions are included in

society. But its particular manifestations in a novel will be determined by its role

within the work (1984: 6-7).

C. Review of the Social Condition of USA in the Twentieth Century

In the twentieth century Americans can be said as individualist and self-

reliant. It is proved by Hoover in his successful speech at 1928 presidential

campaign, Hoover. He expresses his view that the American system is based on

rugged individualism and self-reliance

(http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=466).

Ronald E. Purser in Beyond Individualism and Collectivism explains that

Americans place self-reliance as the important things in their lives. The image of

the self-reliant individual, so prized in American culture, can be traced back to

Ralph Waldo Emerson‘s reaction against the cultural superficiality of

commercialism.

< http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~rpurser/revised/pages/CREATIVITYwam.htm>


http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=466

http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~rpurser/revised/pages/CREATIVITYwam.htm

17

Jorn K. Bramann states that the individualistic self-reliance that

expresses itself in a general disregard for community and tradition, has come to be

considered a central part of American ideology—together with such ideals as

unabridged freedom of speech, free enterprise, democratic self-government, and

other support structures of individual liberty (http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/

forum/Tocqueville.htm).

Besides self-reliance, independence in America also becomes the

important thing. Lord Bryce observes that everything tends to make the individual

independent and self-reliant. Both Those independence and self-reliance – a trait

that has served Americans well in the past can manifest itself in go-it-alone

policies and behaviours, reinforcing distrust of other nations efforts and concerns,

and antagonizing America‘s actual or potential allies.

While William Herberg (1988:79) in Protestant, Catholic, Jew: an Essay

in American Religious Sociology sees that the American way of life is

individualistic, dynamic, pragmatic. It affirms the supreme value and dignity of

the individual, it defines an ethic of self-reliance, merit, and character, and judges

by achievement: deeds, not creeds are what count. The American way of life is

humanitarian, forward-looking, and optimistic. The American believes in

progress, in self-improvement, and quite fanatically in education. But above all,

the American is idealistic. Americans cannot go on making money or achieving

worldly success simply on its own merits; such materialistic things must, in the

American mind, be justified in higher terms, in terms of service or stewardship or

general welfare.


18

In American society, the individual must choose his/her own path in life.

Although this opportunity is energizing, it is also disintegrative. The American

middle-class is particularly possessed by the acquisition of wealth, and aspirations

of upward social mobility. Elshtain in Democrazy in Trial asserts that this

obsession has forced children to break ties with community, family, and church as

they search for opportunity. (1995)

Bellah et. a.l. notes "In a culture that emphasizes the autonomy and self-

reliance of the individual, the primary problems of childhood are what some

psychoanalysts call separation and individuation - indeed, childhood is chiefly

preparation for the all-important event of leaving home" (1985., 56-7). It shows

most of Americans believe the virtue of self reliance, the belief that somebody

must free his or her self from his/her families of origin to pursue wealth, is a core

element of American culture.

In The Age of Independence: Interracial Unions, Same-Sex Unions, and

the Changing American Family, Rosenfeld explains ‖ Young adults began to live

on their own, and to postpone marriage. A new life stage for young adults began

emerging after 1960, the Independent Life Stage ―(2007:3). The Independent Life

Stage usually includes travel away from home to college, living apart from

parents, moving to the city, travelling abroad, and exposure to a variety of

cultures.

The independence of young adults from their families has some

important potential benefits. For instance, young adults are better able to choose

mates without undue interference from their families. This has resulted in a rise of


19

interracial and same-sex couples in the last few decades. The greater freedom of

young people to select their own mates may be experienced as a benefit of

modernity by young people; their parents may have mixed emotions about this

kind of freedom.

In addition to some beneficiaries, there are also certain to be some

casualties of the new Independent Life Stage. Not all young people are well suited

to independence, and even young people who have plenty of independent spirit

can get in to trouble. Without family close by, i.e. without family government,

small problems can grow into more serious problems. Some therapists and

scholars believe that independence from our families of origin makes youths more

vulnerable to anxiety and depression (Olds and Schwartz, 2009).

On the other hand, Americans also have conception to the social life.

According to Bellah et. Al in Habits of the Heart, the therapeutic conception of

community is destroying American civility. The therapeutic doctrine holds that

social life is an arrangement created for the fulfilment of the needs of individuals.

Individuals gather together to meet their needs and validate themselves, rather

than to work toward shared ends.(1985:102)

The loss of community in America also is noted by Putnam in his book

Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Social

scientists have been complaining about the loss of community for as long as social

science has existed. In the modern era, they may have a point. The long term

trends suggest that Americans are less involved in political and social life, and

that Americans seem to have fewer friends (Putnam; 2000). Modern life can be


20

lonely and disorienting, especially for young people who are only beginning to

figure out where they are headed. Even when the young adults have a strong idea

of where they are headed, the path to full adulthood can be full of twists and turns.

Parents will inevitably worry about their young adult children, even as their young

adult children exercise the very independence that the parents taught them to have.

Daniel Yankelovich in How American Idividualism Is Evolving (1998) calls the

transformation in value from 1960‘s- 1970‘s as expressive individualism. He

mentions some important value shifts. One of them is concept of duty: less value

placed on what one owes to others as a matter of moral obligation. It means

American tends to do something they want rather than do for others.

Americans often justify their morals and values on the basis of their own

idiosyncratic preferences. Selves are defined by individual predilections. If each

self constitutes its own moral universe, there exists no method by which to

reconcile conflicting claims about what is good in itself. The authors write,

All we can do is refer to the chains of consequences and ask if our

actions prove useful or consistent in light of our own value-systems. All

we can appeal to in relationships with others is their self-interest,

likewise enlightened, or their intuitive sympathies (Bellah et al, 1985:

76).

There is an absence of fixed moral ends. Therefore, the self and its

feelings become the only moral guide. Because American souls lack such absolute

moral obligations, Americans have the ability to alter our behaviours to become

adaptive. Instead of acting out of goodness, Americans are obsessed with self-

gratification. As Bellah et. al write,

Separated from family, religion, and calling as sources of authority, duty,

and moral example, the self first seeks to work out its own form of action


21

by autonomously pursuing happiness and satisfying its wants (Bellah et

al, 1985: 79).

As has been mentioned before by Daniel Yankelovich in How American

Idividualism Is Evolving (1998) there are important value shifts in America. In

respectability, Americans less value placed on symbols of correct behavior for a

person. In social morality, Americans less value placed on observing society's

rules. Then in expressiveness, Americans placed a higher value on forms of

choice and individualism that express one's unique inner nature. The last is in the

environment: greater value placed on respecting and preserving nature and the

natural. (http://www.danyankelovich.com/howamerican.html)

Talking about greater value placed on respecting and preserving nature

and the natural, there is a fact shows that American loves nature. In 1964 there is

Wilderness Act. It is the act to preserve and protect nature. Wilderness, according

to the act, is space ―where the earth and its community of life are untrammelled by

man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.‖ Within those areas, the

act forbids cars, roads, structures and anything else that could impair the

―outstanding opportunities for solitude.‖

(http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/documents//publiclaws/PDF/16_USC_1131-

1136.pdf)

At the same time, though, Congress wanted people to use the land for

recreation, so it allowed access to wilderness areas for hunting, hiking, canoeing

and climbing. The other fact come from The Right to Risk In Wildreness,

according to Leo H. McAvoy and Daniel L. Dustin, some people in America want

to enjoy wilderness under controlled circumstances which allow ease of access.


22

sociability, and freedom within limits. Others seek a more primitive experience

characterized by adventure challenge and risk.(1981:150). Robert Marshall, one

of the leading proponents of a national wilderness preservation system in the

United States argued that ―wilderness should provide an opportunity or complete

self-sufficiency.‖(1930:148). More recently, and others interpreting the

Wilderness Act of 1964 have added that ―wilderness is a place where users are

responsible for their own safety, where a physical and mental challenge to survive

exists, and where self-reliance reigns‖ Nash (1978:5). Lucas also has suggested

that wildernesses meant to offer "the fascination of the natural scene, the

observation of natural processes at work, and the challenge of essentially

undeveloped land.". (1973:152)

According to Aw, Wilderness! (Stroll, 2010) Over the decades an obvious

contradiction has emerged between preservation and access. Many people do not

understand with the meaning wilderness. The mistaken view about wilderness

area can be a recreation place. The result is every summer numerous backpackers,

hikers and hunters get lost in the wilderness, with occasionally fatal results. The

other example is many hikers lost for days and nearly ran out of food

(http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/27/opinion/27stroll.html).

D. Theoretical Framework

In this study, the theories above are applied to answer the problems.

Firstly, the theories of character and characterization are used to get the

descriptions about the main character. These theories enable the writer to consider


23

the main character‘s personal description, speech, thought, manner, and reaction

as the method to understand the meaning of the main character‘s attitude. Since

the character exhibits a kind of attitude called self-reliance, the theory of self-

reliance is used to find the meaning and the specific traits. It is used to answer the

first problem and second problem formulation. The theory of relation between

literature and society is also used because this study applies the sociocultural-

historical approach.

In order to discover important points in the second problem formulation,

the writer uses information about the social condition in the United States of

America in the twentieth century because it helps the writer to understand about

life in American society. This theory is needed to provide an insight to the social

condition experienced by the main character and to demonstrate that the society in

the novel cannot be separated from the characters, because society has a strong

influence to the characters. This theory also proves that this work is the author‘s

criticism towards the concept of self-reliance.


24

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of the Study

The object of this thesis is the movie script of Into the Wild, which was

written by Sean Penn. Into the Wild is a 2007 American drama film by Sean Penn

based on the 1996 non-fiction book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. The script

consists of 165 pages, while the movie itself runs for about 148 minutes. Into the

Wild was released in September 2007 in the United States, and it has won several

awards, including the Academy Awards, Golden Globe, Grammy Awards,

Writers Guild of America and many more.

Into the Wild is an inspirational movie which is loaded with many values.

The movie describes the unusual life journey of Christopher McCandless, who is

depicted as an idealistic dreamer. After graduating from Emory University as one

of the top students and athlete, he abandons his possessions, gives his entire

savings worth $24,000 to charity, and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the

wilderness. Along the way, he encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

He thinks and acts differently from ordinary people. For instance, ordinary people

seek wealth, but Christopher always has his own idealism. He decides to live in

the nature alone outside the society. He learns particular concepts like Walden and

call of the wild. He is unique but also controversial. Into the Wild is a reflective

and sad movie about a young man who gets swept away by his uncompromising

choices.


25

B. Approach of the Study

The sociocultural-historical approach is chosen as the approach in this

study. This approach is considered suitable since according to Rohrberger and

Woods in Reading and Writing about Literature, the only way to locate the real

work is in reference to the civilization that produced it (1971: 9). It means that it

is necessary for the critics to investigate the social condition in which a work was

created and which it reflects. The reasons are firstly, literature is not created in a

vacuum, and secondly, literature embodies ideas significant to the culture that

produced it.

Therefore social-cultural-historical approach is an appropriate approach

to be applied in this study, since this study analyzes a literary work from its social

and historical aspects through the attitude and action of the main character.

C. Method of the Study

Library research is used as the method of this study. Based on this

method, some sources are used in this study. The primary source is the movie

script of Into the Wild, while the secondary sources are collected from various

written texts on the topics of literature, character, characterization, self-reliance,

and historical background. The library research method is used to collect as much

relevant data and information as possible.

Some steps were taken in conducting this study. The first step was

reading the movie script of Into The Wild and related texts, such as books, articles,

and information. It would not be enough to read the data only once, so the writer


26

re-read them in order to get a better understanding. After all the data had been

collected, the data were examined, studied and divided according to the problem

formulation. The second step was collecting theories related to the problem

formulation. Those theories were used to answer the problem formulation. The

third step was analysing the problem formulation. To answer the first problem, the

writer used the theories of characterization and the theory of self-reliance, while to

answer the second problem, the writer used the theory of literature and society

combined with information on the social condition of America in twentieth

century. After the answers were found, the last step was drawing a conclusion

based on the analysis.


27

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

In this chapter, the writer will analyse and find the answers of the

questions in the problem formulation. This section is divided into two parts. The

first part describes the characterization of Christopher McCandless in relation to

the concept of self-reliance. This part contains a clear and detailed explanation

about the character of Christopher McCandless, while the second part discusses

the criticism towards self-reliance through Into the Wild movie script. The writer

focuses on the movie script, which contains criticism against the idea of self-

reliance.

In this study, the characterization of Christopher McCandless plays an

important role. Through the characterization, the readers are expected to gain a

clear understanding of the idea of self-reliance. The writer applies the theories of

characterization to find the specific form of self-reliance in the character of

Christopher McCandless.

A. The Idea of Self-reliance as Reflected in the Characteristics of Christopher

McCandless

Characters are important intrinsic element in a literary work. They can be

interpreted by the readers as having moral and dispositional qualities that are

shown through their dialogue and actions. Therefore, through characters, the

author can present moral and dispositional qualities in the story. According to


28

Henkle, there are two kinds of characters, namely the major characters and the

minor characters. The major or main characters are characters that become the

center of the story and are observed many times in the story. The minor or

secondary characters are characters that support the main characters in terms of

telling about the main characters‘ personality in the story (Henkle, 1977:90).

Based on Henkle‘s theory, Christopher McCandless is the main character in Into

the Wild, because he becomes the center of the story and he is observed many

times in the story.

This study sees that the idea of self-reliance as a certain motivation as the

reason for behaving as character does. This specific motivation is his immediate

reason, perhaps unconscious, for any particular speech or act.

To prove that self-reliance is the motivation for Christopher McCandless‘

behaviors, the writer analyzes the characterization of Christopher McCandless

based on Abrams‘ theory in A Glossary of Literary Terms. Abrams states that

there are two ways to presents characterization, namely ―first showing (dramatic

method), the author merely presents his characters talking and acting and leaves

the reader to infer the motives and dispositions lay behind what they say and do.

Second is telling, the author himself intervenes authoratively in order and often to

evaluate, the motives and disposal qualities of his character‖ (1981: 24). By

analysing the characterization of McCandless, the writer can find the motivation

for his behaviors.

In order to discover the characteristics of Christpher McCandless, the

writer also uses Reaske‘s theory. Reaske in his book, How to Analyze Drama,


29

says that there are six devices of characterization. By using the theories above, the

writer will present a detailed description of Christopher McCandless in order to

reveal the idea of self-reliance.

1. Independent

Christopher is an independent young man. His independence can be

identified through Carine‘s naration about Christopher. According to Carine,

Christopher is a young man who does not want to rely on the riches of his parents,

as shown in her statement, ―At last he was unencumbered. Emancipated from the

stifling world of parents and peers. Abstraction, security, and material excess‖

(penn:1997 : 19).

In this movie script, Christopher is portrayed as a young man from a rich

family. Although he is rich, he does not want to rely on his family‘s wealth. He

rejects all the wealth from his parents. His independence can be seen in his action

of leaving his material possessions and his family to go to Alaska. He decides to

live alone in Alaska without any money, equipment, or help from people around

him, including his parent. The other evidence of his independence can also be

seen in his reaction when he is in a conversation with Jan.

JAN : Alex could have a vehicle. If he didn‘t burn his money. Why

would you want to do that?

CHRIS: I don‘t need money. It makes people cautious.

JAN : (a little irritated) Well, you have to be a little cautious Alex.

That book of yours is all well and fine but you can‘t depend

entirely on leaves and berries.

CHRIS: I don‘t know if you‘d want to depend on much more than that.

(penn:29)


30

The conversation above shows that Christopher does not want to depend

on money. He presents his opinion that someone can live without money. He

believes that living naturally is the right way to live. Because of this, he leaves his

family and decides to live alone in Alaska.

Christopher‘s independence can also be seen in his action before his

journey to Alaska in the movie script. Before starting on his journey to Alaska,

Christopher does some unexpected things. He counts all of his savings, then

donates $24,000 to Oxfam charity foundation in America. He also destroys his

credit card and other important cards in his wallet.

Pulls all the cards and pictures from its sleeves. Considering each, he

flicks them into a trash bin, one by one. Finally coming to his social

security card, he holds it to the candles flame. As the flame burns bright

we – (penn:9)

In reality, money is an important thing in human life. Without money,

human beings cannot live. It can be concluded that human beings depend on

money. This fact is the opposite of Christopher‘s actions. He does not want to

depend on money and social security system, which becomes the main reason

why he donates his money and destroys all of his important cards. He wants to

start an independent life without any money or help from others. His crazy action

does not stop there. Another indicator of Christopher‘s independence can be found

in the narrator‘s direct comment below.

What remains of Chris‘ travelling money burns in a pile beside the Datsun

on the sun-lit but muddy desert floor. The abandoned Datsun nearly a mile

behind Chris as he walks toward us wearing his backpack.(Penn:11)

Christopher leaves his family driving his old Datsun car. In the middle of

his journey, he reaches a desert. Then he leaves his car there and burns all of the


31

money given by his parents. He wants to go on an adventure naturally. He does

not want depend on the car, which helps him to move from one place to another

place easily in his adventure.

All of the evidences above show how Christopher does not want to

depend on his parents and his wealth. He throws away valuable gifts from his

parent, such as savings, credit cards, other important cards, and his Datsun car,

and he refuses his parents‘ gift in his own graduation dinner.

Christopher‘s action is in accordance to the idea of self-reliance

mentioned by Emerson, namely that ―one should base their life on the present and

live naturally, not relying on money or riches. Nothing but nature and you make

up who you really are inside‖ (2007:19) It means that every individual has to be

able to depend on himself or herself for everything. In the movie script,

Christopher McCandless is portrayed as a graduate from Emory University who

rejects a materialist, conformist life. Therefore what Christopher did in the story is

relevant with the idea of self-reliance, where someone has to reject the material

and depends on himself.

2. Brave

The other ways to identify a character can be seen from a narration of

one character about another character. According to Reaske, there is a character in

the play who is never directly described by the playwright. In that case, we

understand that characters through hidden narration. Christopher McCandless‘

characteristic can be identified through Carine‘s naration about his past life.


32

CARINE: Chris had always been driven, had always been an adventurer.

When he was four years old he once wandered six blocks away

from home at three o‘clock in the morning. (p.63)

Christopher has shown an adventurous spirit since he was 4 years old. He

walked alone to his neighbour‘s kitchen at midnight at that age. Even as a child,

he was already brave to make a journey at midnight. In Carine‘s opinion,

Christopher is built with the soul of a wanderer. From his past life described

above, it can be concluded that Christopher is a brave young man. Four-year-old

children are usually afraid of the dark, but Christopher was different. He was

brave to walk alone in the dark without thinking of the risk.

In the movie script, Christopher McCandless is portrayed as an

adventurous young man. He is a nature-lover and an adventurer who dares to face

dangers. This portrayal is actualized through Christopher‘s plan to live in Alaska

alone, as shown in the conversation between Christopher and Wayne below.

CHRIS: No, Alaska, Alaska. I want to be all the way out there. On my

own. No map. No watch. No axe. Just out there. Big mountains,

rivers, sky. Game. Just be out there in it. In the wild. (p.49)

The conversation above is the evidence that Christopher McCandelss is a

brave young man. He wants to unite with nature and dares to live alone in the

wilderness of Alaska without any survival equipment to help him. He is not afraid

of the tough condition in the wilderness of Alaska. Going to Alaska without any

preparation also demonstrates Christopher‘s bravery. In the story, Alaska is

described as a wild place that has no life and is difficult to live in, but Christopher

dares to take the risk by living there.


33

As stated by Emerson in his essay Self-Reliance, men have to do

something higher and better, even if they have to face high risks. Men have to

make big changes in their life because it is their destiny.

we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same

transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner,

not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and

benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and

the Dark (2007:15).

It can be concluded that Christopher McCandless‘ braveness is a

reflection of self-reliance, which demands men to do something higher and better

even if they have to face a great deal of dangers and risks.

3. Self-Determined and Resolute

During Christopher‘s journey to Alaska, he meets several people who

love him as a friend or family. These people advise him to live a reasonable,

ordinary life. They ask him to cancel his intention to go to Alaska due to several

considerations. Christopher sticks to his decision and he gives rebuttal to those

suggestions with his own arguments.

The first people whom Chris meets in the story are Rainey and Jan. In the

conversation, Jan asks some questions about Christopher‘s reason for leaving his

car and burning his money. Christopher answers that he burns his money and

leaves his car because money makes people feel conscious. Then Jan responds by

giving him an advice. She asks Christopher to live reasonably, to depend not only

on nature but also on society, family, love, and money. In the end of their

conversation, Jan gives her last advice to Christopher. She asks Christopher to go

back to his parents.


34

JAN: Come on Chris. You look like a loved kid. Be fair.

CHRIS: Fair?

JAN: You know what I mean.

CHRIS: I‘ll paraphrase Thoreau -- ―Rather than love, than money, than

fairness, give me truth.‖ (p.29)

Jan is described as a mother who has lost her son, who had similar

characteristics as Christopher. She advises Christopher to go back to his parents.

Jan tries to describe a parent‘s feeling when they lose their child. Although Jan

almost cries, Chris does not care about her advice. Referring to Murphy‘s theory,

the conversation above shows that Christopher is a self-determined and resolute

young man. He is still not influenced by the people around him; he makes a

decision to determine his own life and remains resolute to his principle, namely

the principle that true life can be found in nature, rather than in love, money, or

family. Christopher‘s principle as depicted in this movie script is a reflection of

self-reliance.

Person needs to be able to live on his on and stand on his own two feet.

Nothing but nature and you make up who you really are inside. Its nature

is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike. He cannot be

happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time.

You must be the way you are, the way nature made you (2007:32).

In his journey, Christopher also meets Wayne. In Wayne‘s farm,

Christopher tells Wayne about his life purpose and his plans. He wants to go to

Alaska. He wants to be all the way out there. He just wants to live there without

map, watch, and axe in the wild. He wants to do those things because he thinks

the society is sick. People often behave so badly to each other. He sees that all

elements of the society, such as parents, politicians, pricks and hypocrites, are


35

sick. On the other hand, Wayne thinks that Christopher‘s plans and opinions about

the society are mistaken.

WAYNE:(tapping a long finger against Chris‘ forehead) This is a

mistake. It‘s a mistake to get too deep into that kind of stuff. Alex, you‘re a

helluva young guy, but I promise you this: You‘re a young guy. Blood and fire!

You cannot juggling blood and fire all the time!

CHRIS: Now, that‘s who could be President!

Wayne buries his face in his hands.(p.49)

Wayne sees Christopher as a brave young man to take risks, but Wayne

believes that Christopher cannot play with fire all the time. Because of that,

Wayne advises Christopher to cancel his plan. However, Christopher sticks to his

decision and reacts by underestimating Wayne‘s advice. From Christopher‘s

reaction above, it can be identified that he is a self-determined young man.

Although Wayne advises him not to go to Alaska, Christopher sticks to on his

decision. He wants to continue his life in Alaska and he believes that he is able to

live alone there. Besides self-determined, the conversation above shows that

Christopher is also a resolute a young man. Although Wayne thinks that

Christopher‘s perception of the society is wrong, Christopher still holds on to his

conviction that the society is sick and it becomes the main reason why he decides

to leave the society and live alone in Alaska with the nature.

After Wayne, Rainey, and Jane, Ron is the last person whom Christopher

meets. Just like the other characters in the movie script, Ron also gives his advice

to Christopher.


36

RON:Twenty-three years old! Son, don‘t you think you should be getting

an education? And a job? And making something of this life?

CHRIS: Look Mr. Franz. I think careers are a twentieth century invention

and I don‘t want one. You don‘t need to worry about me. I have a

college education. I‘m not destitute. I‘m living like this by choice.

(Penn:103)

The conversation above shows how Ron gives Christopher his feedback.

In Ron‘s opinion, a young person should be getting an education or finding a job.

However, Christopher has his own opinions and holds on to his principle that he

does not want to be like most people in the society, who always do the same thing,

such as working to earn money to obtain happiness. He still chooses to live with

the nature. According to him, the real happiness is found in the nature, not in

money or in a job.

Through Christopher‘s action how he rejects the advice and still stand on

his opinion, it can be concluded that he is a self-determinate and resolute young

man, who cannot be shaken by people around him. The principle that he holds is

not to rely on money, love, and society, but on nature. The conversation above

indicates how Christopher intends to continue his unusual way of life.

All explanations above reflect the idea of self-reliance, which is found in

Emerson‘s statement that "What I must do is All that concerns me, not what the

people think" (2007:20). According to Emerson, to become self-reliant, a person

must do what his heart says and never follow what other people say. A person

should trust his own judgment and always try to search deep inside themselves for

answers. Christopher shows how he trusts his opinion and ignores advices from


37

the people around him. He keeps doing what he wants to do and lives alone in

Alaska without money. Emerson also gives the following statement.

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your

private heart is true for all men, — that is genius. Speak your latent

conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time

becomes the outmost,—— and our first thought is rendered back to us by

the trumpets of the Last Judgment (2007:13).

Emerson‘s statement illustrates how Christopher tries to prove to everyone

that the principle he holds can bring happiness without money or regular society.

4. Progressive

In this movie script, Christopher is described as a progressive young

man. This characteristic can be identified through his language. In his speech, He

shows how a person has to looks for new things in his life. He is described as

graduating with good grades; almost all of his grades are A. He can get the

opportunity to continue his study in great universities, but he prefers doing an

adventure rather than continuing his study. His characteristic as a progressive

young man can also be seen in his conversation with Ron.

CHRIS:Really. You‘re going to live a long time, Ron. You should make

a radical change in your lifestyle. The core of man‘s spirit comes with

new experiences. And there you are, stubborn old man, sitting on your

butt. (penn:114)

Christopher‘s opinion shows that he has a progressive soul. According to

Christopher, a real man should have new experiences. Our life should be filled

with change, rather than consistency. Because of this reason, Christopher can be

categorized as a progressive young man. He always looks for new things in his

life. He wants to find new experience. He does not want stay in the same situation.


38

According to Christopher, a new experience can make a big change in a person‘s

life.

Christopher‘s progressive characteristic matches with Emerson‘s idea

about self-reliance, namely ―If man strives to be consistent in all things and live

according to a pattern, he will be afraid to break out because he is afraid that

people will look down on him‖ (2007:39). It means that a person who lives a

consistent life and makes a great soul simply has nothing to do. Somebody may as

well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. People cannot develop

themselves. Therefore, in self-reliance, man is expected to be guides and

adventurers, destined to participate in an act of creation modelled on the classical

myth of bringing order out of chaos. A man should be brave to do something

higher and better.

Because of this reason, Christopher does not want to remain consistent

with his life. He decides to look for new life experience by doing adventures in

the nature and leaving his past life as a good, wealthy student.

5. Nonconformist

Christopher is a nonconformist young man. This characteristic can be

identified through his dialogue with Wayne. It is shown in his conversation with

Wayne, when he states, ―Yeah. Maybe write a book about my travels, about

getting out of this sick society‖ (penn:49).In Christopher‘s opinion, the society is

sick and full of conspiracy. He shows his dislike towards the society in his

conversation with Wayne in the script. It means that he prefers living alone rather

than living together in the society.


39

This is one of the characteristics of self-reliance. As mentioned before by

Emerson in Self-Reliance, society everywhere is in conspiracy against the

manhood of every one of its members. When people accept the society, it means

that they sell their freedom for securing life. If a person wants to be a real man, he

must become a nonconformist. In the view of self-reliance, the society is not the

right place to live and to develop personality. If somebody accepts the society, it

means that they are conformist. Emerson says, ―to conform, to please others, you

put on a false face, smiling when in the presence of people with whom you feel

uncomfortable or pretending to be interested in dull conversation‖. It means that if

someone becomes a conformist, he or she will be a fake person. Conformity can

turn a man‘s life into a lie because he lives according to the will of others

(2007:2). It means that he is not true to himself. What Christopher does is

nonconformity because he avoids the society in order to develop himself.

6. Nature Loving

As mentioned by Murphy, a character‘s characteristics can be identified

through his or her language. It is because the author of story can give a direct

description of what a character is thinking about. In the movie script of Into the

Wild, there is a scene where Christopher writes the following letter to Wayne.

My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for

my next meal. I couldn‘t make it now without money however..I‘ ve decided that

I‘m going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty

of it is just too good to pass up… (penn:64)


40

From his thought in the letter, it can be identified that Christopher loves

the nature. Living in nature without money makes him happier. Enjoying the

nature and wilderness makes him feel alive. He prefers the nature to money.

In self-reliance, the nature is more important than anything else. The

nature is the right place for self-development, where somebody can find the truth

and be a real man. This statement is supported by Emerson‘s theory of nature that

―belongs to no other time or place, but is the centre of all things. Where he is,

there is nature.‖ In the idea of self-reliance, nature is the central object for men.

Nature is the place to find and shape a true man‘s personality. Emerson states that

―nothing but nature and you make up who you really are inside‖. A man has to be

themselves and rely on nature. The statement above shows the nature as the

central object of self-reliance. The nature is the right place to develop human

being‘s abilities. By living in the nature, a person can find the power residing in

his or her body. Nature is the place to observe someone‘s abilities.

As mentioned before, Christopher McCandless is an adventurer and a

nature lover, who wants to develop himself and find new experience in the

wilderness. In this case, he does not want to depend on material possessions, as he

believes that being in the nature can make him happy. By using Emerson‘s

statement above, it can be concluded that Christopher McCandless‘ nature-loving

characteristic is one of the characteristics of self-reliance.


41

B. The Criticisms Toward the Idea of Self-Reliance

According to Wellek and Warren in their book Theory of Literature, the

relation between literature and society is that literature mirrors or expresses life

because an artist is supposed to express life in his or her work. Yet, it does not

mean that an artist expresses or mirrors the whole life of a given time but rather

his or her own time. The artist is aware of the specific social, economic, political,

and religious condition in his or her era, and he or she should be representative of

his or her age and society. It is the artist‘s duty to convey historical as well as

social truths as a symbol of artistic values in literature. Thus, literature can also be

viewed as the essence, the abridgement, and the summary of all history.

Therefore, literature has a very close relation to the society, as the reader can

catch literature as the mirror reflects the society in the author‘s era (1956: 95)

This means that there is a relationship between Into the Wild and the

society. It can be said that Into the Wild is a reflection of the social condition in a

particular society and a particular time. Into The Wild does not only reflect the

social condition but also reflects a criticism towards the society. This idea is

supported by Elizabeth Langland in Society in the Novel. She states that society in

the novel might not be an absolute realistic mirror of the existent society in the

real life, but there is a possibility that it comments on the society in our life (1984:

5).

After analyzing and reading the movie script carefully, the writer finds a

criticism in the Into the Wild movie script. Into the Wild can be seen as a criticism

towards the idea of self-reliance, an idea that was applied on independent and


42

individualistic American young men in the nineteenth century and has grown to

take roots in America. This is supported by Roger H. Davidson in Americans’

Beliefs About Themselves, as shown in the following quotation.

This independence and self-reliance – a trait that has served Americans

well in the past – can manifest itself in go-it-alone policies and behaviors,

reinforcing distrust of other nations efforts and concerns, and

antagonizing America‘s actual or potential allies (2003: 4).

Some steps are used to identify the criticism toward self-reliance in this

movie script, namely by describing Christoper Mcandless‘ characteristics to find

the form of self-reliance and describing the impact of self-reliance towards other

characters in the movie script. In order to find the criticism, the discussion is

linked to the historical background of American society in the twentieth century.

This study will also try to reveal criticism towards self-reliance as expressed by

some intellectuals in the United States around the nineteenth century, such as

Bellah, Schwartz, Daniel, Bramann and many more. These theories are used to

support the criticism towards self-reliance, both in the movie script and the core of

this study.

1. Independent

In the story, Christopher is described as an independent young man. He

does not want to rely on his parent. He rejects his new car, destroys his credit

cards, and burn all of the money from his parents. The movie script also describes

that his parents loves Christopher so much, but Christopher never understands his

parents‘ feelings. Christopher‘s independence drives him to separate himself from

his family. He goes to Alaska and leaves his family.


43

The separation is a reflection of American life in the twentieth century. In

the American society, there is a custom in which people are expected to break free

from their families. Originally, this custom aims to pursue wealth. However,

because of this independence, many Americans should face separation problem

with their children. Bellah et al in Habits of the Heart mentions that separation

and individualization are the result of culture that emphasizes the autonomy and

self-reliance of the individual in America (1956: 7). Jean Bethke Elshtain in the

Democracy on Trial also says that in American society, the individual must chose

his/her own path in life. Although this opportunity is energizing, it is also

disintegrative because this obsession has forced children to break ties with

community, family, and church as they search for opportunity (1995).

The movie script describes how Christopher leaves his family and starts

his journey to Alaska. On the other hand, this separation has a bad impact to both

sides. His parents lose him without any contact or news. Their sadness upon

losing him is portrayed very clearly in this story. Not only were the parents

affected by the bad impact of the separation, but the separation also makes

Christopher get himself in trouble. The story describes how Christopher is

poisoned by a plant and he cannot ask for help from his parents or other people. In

the end, he dies because of the poisoned plant he eats.

Being independent also brings other impacts to American young men.

They easily get into trouble and depression. Olds and Schwartz state that without

family close by, small problems can grow into more serious problems. Some


44

therapists and scholars believe that independence from their families makes young

people more vulnerable to anxiety and depression (2009).

Therefore, it can be concluded that independence makes young men

easily get into trouble. Independence drives people to separate from their parents

at that time. In this case, independence is one of the forms of self-reliance. It can

be concluded that self-reliance can be harmful for young men in America.

Therefore, it often gains criticisms.

2. Self-determined and resolute

Emerson states that in self-reliance, people should do things that they are

concerned about, not what other people think about. In his opinion, people should

determine his life on his own. Whenever people do something, it should be based

on their own wants. He also states that "To believe your own thought, to believe

that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men—that is genius‖

(2007:13) Emerson believes that truth is based on ourselves.

In the movie script, Christopher is described as a resolute and self-

determined young man. Christopher always does anything based on his wants and

thoughts. He only sees the truth based on his mind not other people‘s mind. As a

result, he always thinks that he is the right one. He always underestimates and

disrespects other‘s opinion, such as Jan‘s advice. Jan asks Christopher to go back

to his family, but Christopher is still stuck on his own decision and opinion.

JAN: Come on Chris. You look like a loved kid. Be fair.

CHRIS: Fair?

JAN: You know what I mean.

CHRIS: I‘ll paraphrase Thoreau -- ―Rather than love, than money, than

fairness, give me truth.‖ (p.29)


45

Christopher‘s decision and opinion make Jan cries. It can be concluded

that being self-determined and resolute drives Christopher to despise other

people‘s opinions. The resoluteness and self-determination described above are

the reflection of self-reliance in Americans. Bellah et. al. note that Americans

often justify their morals and values on the basis of their own idiosyncratic

preferences. Selves are defined by individual predilections. If each self-constitutes

its own moral universe, there will be no method exist to reconcile conflicting

claims about what is good in itself (1985: 76).

It can be said that there is an absence of fixed moral guides in America.

Therefore, the self and the feelings become the only moral guide. Thus, people

can do anything based on their wants. The truth is based on one‘s opinion.

Because of this, young men in America tend to underestimate and disrespect other

people‘s opinions.

Self-determination and resoluteness not only make Christopher disrespect

other people‘s opinions but also make him choose his own way rather than follow

the society‘s customs, such as getting a job and a good education.

Christoper: Look Mr. Franz. I think careers are a twentieth century

invention and I don‘t want one. You don‘t need to worry about me. I

have a college education. I‘m not destitute. I‘m living like this by choice.

(penn:103)

The situation above is a reflection of American life. In How American

Individualism is Envolving, Daniel Yankelovich mentions that there have been

some important value shifts in America. One of shift concerns the concept of

duty. Americans lack the value of what one owes to others as moral obligation.


46

(1998). It can be said that in America, people tend to do what they want rather

than do something for the society.

The impact of self-determination and being resolute is harmful for

society. If a conflict occurs in the society, then nobody will be able to solve it

because people will think that they are the right one. It is supported by Bellah

et.al, who state ―If each self constitutes its own moral universe, there will be no

method exist to reconcile conflicting claims about what is good in itself‖ (1985:

76). The conflict in America is reflected by the conflict between Christopher with

the other characters.

Self-determination also drives people to become individualistic rather

than share with others. People only work for themselves, not for other people.

This situation is portrayed by Christopher, who does not want to get a job but does

an adventure to entertain himself instead. It can be concluded that self-

determination makes people unable to maintain a good relationship with others.

This situation can be seen in the reality. According to Bellah at al in Habits of the

Heart, Americans have the therapeutic conception of community. The therapeutic

doctrine holds that the social life is an arrangement that is created for the

fulfilment of the needs of individuals. Individuals prefer to gather together to meet

their needs and validate themselves, rather than to work toward shared ends. In

this case, Bellah et.al see the situation above to be capable of destroying

American civilization (1985: 43).

The statement above indicates that Americans will have a relationship if

they have same needs and validates with the others. They do it only to fulfil their


47

individual needs. Therefore the movie script sees self-determination and being

resolute based on the idea of self-reliance as bad things. It can even destroy

American civilization, as mentioned by Bellah at al.

3. Nonconformist

Emerson states that ―society everywhere is in conspiracy against the

manhood of every one of its members‖ (2007:17). The idea of self-reliance sees

society as the wrong place. The society is full of conspiracy and is a place where

someone will not be able to develop himself or herself. In self-reliance, a man

must be a nonconformist and avoid the society.

CHRIS:Because you know what I don‘t understand? I don‘t understand

why, why people are so bad to each other, so often. It just doesn‘t make

any sense to me. Judgement. Control. All that. (penn:49)

The conversation above shows how Christoper becomes unsympathetic

to his society. In Christoper‘s view, the society is sick, full of conspiracy and evil.

He avoids the society and runs away from it. He also decides to live in the

wilderness without any society. The conversation above shows the real portrait of

the nonconformist.

Therefore, this movie script sees self-reliance as a dangerous thing for

Americans. In Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community,

Putman says that some social scientists have been complaining about the loss of

community for as long as social science has existed. In the modern era, they may

have a point. The long term trends suggest that Americans are less involved in

political and social life, and that Americans seem to have fewer friends. Modern

life can be lonely and disorienting, especially for young people who are only


48

beginning to figure out where they are headed (Putnam, 2000).The situation above

is reflected by Christopher McCandles as the main character in the movie. It is

clear that self-reliance drives him to be individualistic and makes him have fewer

friends.

On the other hand, human beings cannot live without help from the

others. This point is demonstrated through Christopher‘s death in the end of story.

Christopher‘s death is a criticism toward self-reliance. This criticism is shown

through Christoper‘s letter. Before he dies, he writes ―The Real Happiness Only

When Shared‖. The movie script concludes that happiness is based on collective

sharing that involves the society. This is supported by Bellah et al. in the

quotation below.

the deep desire for autonomy and self-reliance combined with an equally

deep conviction that life has no meaning unless shared with others in the

context of community; a commitment to the equal right to dignity of

every individual combined with an effort to justify inequality of reward,

which, when extreme, may deprive people of dignity; an insistence that

life requires practical effectiveness and "realism" combined with the

feeling that compromise is ethically fatal. The inner tensions of American

individualism add up to a classic case of ambivalence (1985: 150-151).

The movie script criticizes self-reliance by giving a vivid description that

a person cannot live by himself or become self-reliant. It is important to complete

a self-reliant life with social life and to share with others. Human beings cannot

live by themselves. This is supported by Bramann‘s quotation from The Educating

Rita Workbook below.

It cannot be denied that human beings are essentially social beings,

whether they are aware of it or not. Human beings need each other to

become human and to exist as human beings, and one could not even

imagine functioning human individuals without the presence of such

social support systems as a shared language, acquired skills and tools,


49

interdependent activities, or the collective memory of important

information and crucial events. Regardless of how solitary some

individuals may be at times, no person ever lives in a total social vacuum.

And no human individual has ever grown into a self-reliant or

autonomous adult without a minimum of social care, lengthy instructions,

and acculturation into some sort of civilization. There cannot be any

individuals without an appropriate social matrix (2006).

(http://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Tocqueville.htm)

4. Nature loving and brave

As mentioned before, bravery and love towards nature are one of the

forms of self-reliance. Self-reliance drives someone to love the nature and have

the bravery to do something that exceeds his or her ability. It makes someone rely

on the nature rather than the society and look for adventures in his or her life. It

can be said that self-reliance drives Christopher to be an adventurous and curious

man, especially concerning the nature. It is proven by Christopher‘s opinion that

happiness can be achieved through living side by side with the nature, not with his

family or material possessions. However, the fact shows that the nature and

braveness are also harsh and uncaring; those are the things that end up killing him.

This movie script views that self-reliance causes a bad impact.

Into the Wild movie script is the real portrait of an American who holds

on to the idea of self-reliance and gets in trouble. Many Americans actualize their

self-reliance by doing adventure in the wilderness. They like to develop

themselves naturally in the wilderness, where there is no technology to help them

survive. In fact, many of them are killed by the wilderness. Nash and the others

who interpret the Wilderness Act of 1964 have added that ―wilderness is a place

where users are responsible for their own safety, where a physical and mental


50

challenge to survive exists, and where self-reliance reigns‖ (1978). This is

supported by Leo H. McAvoy and Daniel L. Dustin in The Right to Risk In

Wilderness, as shown in the quotation below.

Consequently, the senses of challenge and self-reliance which Nash views

as being integral to a wilderness experience have been eroded. Users are

all too aware that should they become injured, ill, lost, or declared

overdue, the managing agency stands ready to rescue them. (1981:151)

As a result, many people become the victims of the wilderness. The

indication can be seen from Mountaineering Summary for MT. McKinley National

Park. The data shows an improvement in the number of agency control and safety

procedure. There were 12 evacuations off Mt. McKinley. During 1979, there are

many climbing season by airplanes, helicopters, and rescue parties on foot at a

cost to the Park Service of $10,000 (Gerhard, 1980: 29). The data shows that there

are many victims in the wilderness because of the adventure souls among the

climbers, hikers, and adventurers. It is also caused by the victims‘ wrong view

about the wilderness. As mentioned before, the desire for challenge and unity with

the wilderness brought by self-reliance is wrong. The movie script tries to criticize

self-reliance by showing its results. The movie script ends the story with a bad

and tragic ending as a reflection of the danger of self-reliance, which has been

embraced passionately by American young people.

5. Progressive

As it has been mentioned before, Christopher is a kind of forward

looking man. As stated by While William Herberg (1988:79) in Protestant,

Catholic, Jew: an Essay in American religious sociology that The American Way

of Life is humanitarian, forward-looking, and optimistic. The American believes


51

in progress and in self-improvement. The forward looking souls among

Americans drive them to be individualistic. It is because the competition between

each others. The American divines the meaning of success as the fierce of

individuality. American‘s conception of success is rooted in the outcome of free

competition among individuals in the capitalist of marketplace. Americans seem

quick to claim that we have each success through their own exertions alone.

The progressiveness of self-reliance results in bad impact. Americans

tend to be individualistic and compete to each other without any share. According

to Lord Bryce this condition is not good for Americans. He observes everything

tends to make the individual independent and self-reliant. Both Those

independence and self-reliance – a trait that has served Americans well in the past

can manifest itself in go-it-alone policies and behaviours, reinforcing distrust of

other nations efforts and concerns, and antagonizing America‘s actual or potential

allies. (1950).

The criticism toward idea of self-reliance can be seen from the

progressiveness of self-reliance which makes someone to be hated by the others.

It is because they inflict to others. It is reflected by Christopher McCandles who

makes their family becomes sad because of he to do what he want. He do

something he want without thinking the others feeling. Not only his family but

also his friend Ron. In the movie script, Christopher delays the adaption from

Ronz until Rons cries and Christopher does not care about it. He walks away to do

what he wants.


52

It would be better if someone completes it with sharing for the others. It can be

seen from the end of story where Christopher writes a note the real happiness only

when shared. As what Bellah et. al. note, "The self-interest demanded by the

individualistic pursuit of success needs to be balanced by voluntary concern for

others" (Bellah et. al., 199).


53

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

This undergraduate thesis focuses on the criticism toward the self-

reliance among American society in twentieth century revealed through the Sean

Penn‘s Into The Wild movie script. Therefore, there are two questions have to be

answered in this thesis. The first part concerns on the first question: the

characteristics of Christopher McCandless. The second part will concern on the

third question: the criticism toward the self-reliance among American society in

twentieth century which is revealed through movie script.

In the movie script Christopher McCandless is described as an

independent, resolute, self- determination, brave, progressive, nonconformist and

love nature young man. All of those characteristics are the reflection of self-

reliance.

From the characteristics above can be seen the criticism towards the idea

self-reliance of American society in twentieth century.

First, the criticism can be seen from the independence of Christopher

McCandless. His independence drives him to separate from his parent. The

situation above is the reflection of American youth in twentieth century. The

independence among American youth results in the separation between children

and their parents. This independence makes young men more vulnerable to

anxiety and depression.

In the movie script, it is portrayed how a self-determination and

resoluteness of Christopher McCandless makes him underestimates other‘s


54

opinion. This condition is the reflection of social condition in America where

Americans tends to feel the right one. Because of this reason, in America there is

no existing method to reconcile conflicting claims. The writer of this thesis sees

this thing as a bad thing. It can destroy the American civilization.

Another finding is the danger of being nonconformist. Being conformist

makes youth in America have fewer friends. Some scientists see this as a cause of

the loss of community. This thesis sees being nonconformist is not the right way

of living. Human cannot live without any help from the others. It is portrayed by

Chritopher McCandless as a nonconformist in the movie script. In the end he dies

and realizes that the real happiness only comes when life is shared.

Some characteristics i.e. loving nature and being brave result in bad

impact. In America there are many who fell victims to this idea of self-reliance,

because they want to challenge the wilderness to measure their ability. The

condition above is portrayed by Christopher McCandless in the movie script. He

expresses his loving nature and bravery by making adventure in Alaska yet, in the

end it can be seen how wilderness of Alaska kills him.

The last finding is the progressiveness among Americans. It makes

Americans become individualistic because they compete with each other in

relation to self-improvement. As the result, youth in America tend to hate to each

other because they inflict to each other. It is portrayed by progressiveness of

Christopher in the movie script.

Finally, it can be concluded that the movie script points out how

important it is to share with each other and live in the society. It is the best way to


55

get happiness. In this case, the movie script sees self-reliance as an inappropriate

way of life to get happiness.


56

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APPENDIX

Summary of Into The Wild

The story is opened by the scene where Christopher McCandless arrives

in Alaska. In Alaska he finds an abandoned bus and makes it for living.

McCandless enjoy with the isolation, the beauty of nature around, and the thrill of

living off the land. In Alaska he does activities such as hunting wild animals,

reading books, and keeping a diary of his thoughts as he prepares for himself a

new life in the wild.

In the next scene, the movie script describes the background of

Chritopher McCandless. Christopher McCandless is smart students. He graduates

with high honors from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. After graduating,

McCandless rejects his conventional life by cut all of his credit cards and

identification documents. He donates $24,000 to Oxfam American Foundation. At

the same time, he makes alone on a road trip across the country without tells to his

parents Walt and Billie McCandless nor his sister Carine. During his journey to

wilderness, his parents begin to looking for him. His parents are very desperate

because of losing their son.

At Lake Mead, Arizona, McCandless' Leaves his old Datsun car in the

middle of desert. He burns all of his money and cahnage his name into Alexander

Supertramp. In his journey he meets to a hippie couple named Jan Burres and

Rainey. In there they debate about purpose of life. Jan asks Chritopher to come


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back to his parents but Christopher rejects it. By September, McCandless arrives

at Dakota. He begins to work for a contract harvesting company owned by Wayne

Westerberg. They become close friend. In that occasion Wayne also suggest to

Christopher to cancel his attention to go Alaska and Christopher rejects it. Not for

long time he is forced to leave after Westerberg is arrested for satellite piracy.

McCandless then travels to the Colorado River by using kayak without a

license. Then he arrives in Mexico. He meets again with Jan and Rainey in Slab

City. After spent a liitle time with Jan and Rainey, he continues his journey. He

arrives at California and makes a camp there. In California he encounters Ron

Franz, a retired man who recounts the story of the loss of his family in a car

accident while he was serving in the United States Army. He now occupies his

time in a workshop as an amateur leather worker. Franz teaches McCandless the

craft of leatherwork, resulting in the making of a belt that details McCandless'

travels. After spending several months with Franz, McCandless decides to leave

for Alaska despite Franz's upset, who has become quite close to McCandless. On

parting note, Franz gives McCandless his old camping and travel gear along with

the offer to adopt McCandless as his grandchild, but McCandless simply tells him

that they should discuss this after McCandless returns from Alaska and then

departs.

Months later at the abandoned bus, life for McCandless becomes harder

and he becomes less discerning. As his supplies begin to run out, McCandless

realizes that nature is also harsh and uncaring. In the pain of realization,


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McCandless concludes that true happiness can only be found when shared with

others and seeks to return from the wild to his friends and family. However, he

finds that the stream he had crossed during the winter has become wide, deep, and

violent due to the thaw, and thus he is unable to cross. Saddened, McCandless

returns to the bus, now as a prisoner who is no longer in control of his fate and

can only hope for help from the outside. In a desperate act, McCandless is forced

to gather and eat roots and plants, but he confuses similar plants and becomes ill

as a result. Slowly dying, McCandless continues to document his process of self-

realization and accepts his fate, as he imagines his family for one last time. He

writes a farewell to the world and crawls into his sleeping bag to die. Two weeks

later, his body is found by moose hunters. Shortly afterwards, Carine returns her

brother's ashes by airplane from Alaska to Virginia in her backpack.


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