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> And because many people—both admirers of McCandless and his detractors—regard “Into the Wild” as a cautionary tale, it’s important to know as much as possible
by aaron695 12y ago
> And because many people—both admirers of McCandless and his detractors—regard “Into the Wild” as a cautionary tale, it’s important to know as much as possible about how McCandless actually may have died."
Cautionary tales are just that, tales. It's entertainment pure and simple.
Cautionary tales have never taught, if anything they do the opposite and create wrong thought patterns.
We don't need to know to not go off to live in the crazy wilderness unprepared. Eat less cheese burgers is a boring story(Morgan Spurlock aside) but a better lesson.
The fact people seem to have the need to self justify that they are entertained about stories of someone else's downfall is an interesting condition.
- welly 12y agoActually, the least interesting part of the story for me was that he died from poisoning. I was entertained by the rest of the story, that he decided to quit everything and leave everything behind, to start a new life of some description. I wouldn't describe that as a story of someone's downfall. I'm not sure I would go as far as to say the entire film was about someone's downfall and I find it rather strange that you do too. It was a story of being free.
- aaron695 12y agoI personally think the ending was an important contrast to the beginning from a traditional story perspective. Has he succeeded would it have been a movie.... I do agree the beginning was a great story about being free and what I enjoyed most.
- danneu 12y agoJust because we all die at the end doesn't make the tales of our lives about downfall.
- aaron695 12y agoNeedlessly dying in your prime does to me.