Preview

Analysis Of Into The Wild By Michael Gow

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
452 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Analysis Of Into The Wild By Michael Gow
Everyone experiences discoveries differently. Discoveries can be sudden and unplanned or they can evolve from a process of careful and precise planning. They can be emotional, intellectual, spiritual or physical. Both texts Away composed by Michael Gow and Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, demonstrate the idea that new understandings and renewed perceptions of others and ourselves can be a result of an individual discovery.
Away first published in 1986, is an Australian play centred around three families who represent different aspects of Australian society and culture in the 1960s. All three families set out on holidays that allow them to experience individual discoveries. For most, these discoveries allow the individual to be set free from their previous perceptions, problems and understandings of others and the world around them.
Into the Wild, an American drama survival film released in 2007, follows the true story of Christopher McCandless, his travels across North America and his life spent in the Alaskan wilderness in the early 1990s.
Both texts explore the ideas of discovery, Michael Gow’s play Away focuses on how physical journeys can lead to new revelations
…show more content…
Sean Penn’s main protagonist, Christopher McCandless is at first wounded by the materialistic lifestyle and the emotional lack of interest expressed by his parents, that he experienced going up. Penn shows the McCandless families materialistic nature through the use of flashbacks, specifically a scene with his parents kissing happily in their new luxury car — a symbolic reference to material success and wealth. This scene is then crosscut with chaotic, cropped shots of domestic violence and abuse. The superficial lives of his parents trigger Christopher’s need to seek change and discovery away from the urban life and landscape of the city and to “walk alone…into the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a non-fiction novel that tells the story of Christopher McCandless and his journey and adventure through the Alaskan wilderness. This is a very powerful novel to me and I really enjoyed it. The use of quotes at the beginning of every chapter, the respect Krakauer has for McCandless, and the mental and physical toughness of McCandless really make this a powerful book with a meaningful message.…

    • 653 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Into The Wild” was written by Jon Krakauer in 1996, and is based on a true story of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who was born in February 12, 1968 in El Segundo, California. Hunters found his body inside a bus in September 6th, 1992 in the Alaskan wilderness. Christopher McCandless came from a wealthy family. He was very smart, talented, kind hearted and nature loving human. His family was always proud of him when it came up to his education. McCandless was a man of his own, as early age he used his own mind when making decisions. He enjoyed doing thinks on his own. After he graduated from high school, McCandless attended Emory University and completed his college education there. During his college gradation, “What nobody…

    • 2415 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Away by Michael Gow

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Set in the Australian summer of 1967, Michael Gow’s Away is an elaborate play which explores the ideas of self- discovery and change. Through the war affected nation, three families, each from different social classes, depart on an iconic Australian holiday to the beach. In the play, Gow utilises the characters to demonstrate that going away physically is intrinsically linked to their mental developments. With the help of references to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer night’s Dream, Away uses Gwen and Coral to show the significant psychological changes made by the characters during holidays to the coast. Tom throughout the play acts as a catalyst for the change in other characters and is associated with Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Krakaur describes Chris McCandless as an intense young man who possessed a streak of stubborn idealism that did not mesh readily with modern existence. He strived for greatness and there was nothing stopping him. He believed it was possible to live without the luxuries given to us without complications. He wanted to live a great adventure, and he knew there was more to life than technology and education. He set out to find something greater than life itself but instead got lost into the wild.…

    • 732 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    'Away' by Michael Gow

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The ability to take on board the help of others and to maintain strong support networks to accept the present and move on to a seemingly better future has been convey through the character of Coral. In the play ‘Away’ by Michael Gow, Coral’s journey is derailed when she abandons her husband on the Gold Coast and travels down the North Coast of New South Wales. During her short stay, she participates in the re-enactment of ‘Stranger by the Shore’ with Tom. On page 54, Gow states in a stage direction, ‘He removes the towel…He lifts her and holds her as she takes a step forward’. Here, Gow has utilised the behaviour of characters, which is a central feature of mise-en-scene, to symbolically illustrate how Tom assists Coral in working towards overcoming her emotional and social insecurities. Unlike Roy, whose insincere approach to Coral reinforced her emotional and social alienation, Tom’s approach to Coral, which is guided by his own tragedy, is empathetic. By displaying an empathetic approach by actively assisting Coral rather than belittling and insulting her, Tom was able to positively assist Coral in changing and transforming both emotionally and socially.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    GBTWYCF Essay

    • 2419 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Discovery is the action or process of finding something. It’s when a person or individual discovers or perhaps finds out something which is new or has not been discovered or established before. It means to take a spontaneous journey whether it is planned or unplanned to experience new things and to gain knowledge. Such discoveries can result in individuals facing consequences which allow them to change their perspectives of themselves and the world around them. This is evident in the three texts, Go Back to Where you Came From a docu-reality show which aired on SBS in 2011, Alice in Wonderland a film composed by Danny Elfman in 2010 and This Lime-tree Bower my Prison a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1797. Within each of these texts discoveries are shown to be sudden and unexpected or deliberate and planned, confronting and provocative, and lead to new values and stimulate new ideas. Various cinematic and literary techniques are used to help portray these ideas within each text. By viewing the themes and techniques used in the texts, it is clear that the ramifications of an individual’s discovery can change their perspective of themselves and the world.…

    • 2419 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Away Michael Gow Analysis

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Discoveries and discovering can offer new understandings and renewed perceptions of ourselves and others. This is evident in Away by Michael Gow which focuses on aspects of discovery including realisations within oneself which can uncover further perceptions of ourselves or others. Gow also includes concepts based on the idea that the recognition that death is inevitable forces people to discover the meaning of life. Emotional turmoil and heartbreak may be a catalyst for discovery and acceptance of a situation and similarly, it must be discovered that healing can occur through love and reconciliation.…

    • 825 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Into the Wild- Op Ed

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Not only does Sean Penn’s film present Chris as having an abusive family but he also presents Chris as…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Away is a play written by the Australian playwright Michael Gow, published by Currency Press in 1986. First performed by the Griffin Theatre Company in 1986, it tells the story of three internally conflicted families holidaying on the coast for Christmas, 1968. It has become one of the most widely produced Australian plays of all time and is part of the Higher School Certificate syllabi or general High School Curriculum in many states, including Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. It is also used as a college text, but this move has been widely regarded as a bad idea due to the lack of interest that is generated from students in the Australian Capital Territory. This is especially the case when one considers the fact that Gow did not "know what play is about" until some time after he wrote it and got feedback from a fan. This fan was probably his reflection in the mirror.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Into The Wild Theme Essay

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is the story of Christopher McCandless, a determined young man who chose to embark on an “Alaskan Odyssey” in order to live in nature on his own terms. Into the Wild conveys the nature of the relationship between self and society by examining McCandless’s reflections on self, society, and nature. In connection with these themes, “Survivor Type” by Stephen King and “Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson add relevant analysis of the complex relationship between one’s natural self and society. These works all present similar themes: that one’s actions and character change drastically in nature, and there is a distinct difference between one’s natural self and the self that one presents in society.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Discovery speech English

    • 522 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Michael Gow’s play, “Away” and the poem, “Diving into the Wreck”” by Adrienne Rich express the idea that discovery is not always immediate or obvious. Rather, the composers invite the responder to enhance the widespread significance of discovery through the use of a variety of dramatic and poetic techniques. Michael Gow’s Away, is a play which explores the idea of self-discovery. Three families, each from different social classes, depart to an iconic Australian beach. In the play, Gow utilises the characters to demonstrate that going away physically, is linked to their mental developments. With the help of the references to Shakespeare’s, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Gow uses Gwen to show the significant psychological change made by the characters during the holidays to the coast. Tom throughout the play acts as a catalyst for the change in others and is associated with Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.…

    • 522 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Into the Wild

    • 4535 Words
    • 19 Pages

    Into the Wild is a nonfiction, full-length text by Jon Krakauer. Published in 1996, it is based on an article Krakauer wrote in Outside Magazine about Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who went off to Alaska and died in the woods. Because Krakauer’s article drew a huge amount of mail to the magazine, he decided to write a book about this interesting character. He’s a young, idealistic guy who forms a life philosophy based on his experience and his reading in college. His idealism, ironically, leads to his death by starvation. He makes choices that seem foolish as we look at them now. But McCandless genuinely loved the outdoors and wanted to live in the world without all the trappings of money and his middle-class upbringing. Into the Wild is, in a way, a mystery story. We’re unsure as to why he rejects his family, why he’s so angry with them, and why he chooses to head for Alaska.…

    • 4535 Words
    • 19 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Practice Discovery

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As individuals we all have different experiences throughout life. Depending on what our experiences embrace will determine our perceptions of discoveries. Once discovery is created, previous perceptions of the world and our interactions with others may be reassessed. Conversely, having preconceived ideas and expectations may limit the individual’s experiences of discovery. Absence of preconceived ideas and expectations of the world and others could allow for more meaningful experiences. These aspects of discovery are portrayed throughout Nasht’s documentary Frank Hurley – The Man Who Made History and Judith Wright’s poem Moving South.…

    • 1161 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Into the Wild

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In Jon Krakuer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakuer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakuer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Into the Wild Essay

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Relationships can be damaged by the findings of the reality of a situation. The protagonist’s parents are highly ambitious individuals who place the value of worldly goods above everything else. After graduating from high school Chris goes on a trip to California where he visits with all friends and finds out that his father had another family before his sister and he were born. The emotions triggered by this discovery overwhelm Chris so he did not share his findings with his parents. “Rather than love, than money, than faith, than fame, than fairness… [he wanted the] truth”, something that his parents never gave him. The trust that Chris had in his parents was broken by this revelation, resulting in him believing that he isn’t worthy of love. The only reason Chris found out the lies and secrets of his family was because he choose to deeply explore his family history.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays