A FINAL PROJECT
BACKPACKING LIFE AS A PROTEST AGAINST
MODERN LIFE IN THE NOVEL “INTO THE WILD”
Submitted by
Chairul Umar Sin
2250405072
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
LANGUAGES AND ARTS FACULTY
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PAGE OF APPROVAL
This final project has been approved by the board of examiners of the English Department of language and arts faculty of Semarang State University (UNNES) on January 2010.
Board of Examiners Chairman:
Prof. Dr. Rustono, M.Hum.
NIP. 195801271983031003
Secretary:
Drs. H. Suprapto, M.Hum.. NIP. 195311291982031002
First Examiner:
Maria Yohana.A.W. S.S., M.Si. NIP. 197405162001122001
Second Examiner/ second adviser: Drs.Joko Sutopo, M.Si
NIP. 195403261986011001
Third Examiner/ first adviser: Dra.Puji. Rahayu,H. M.Hum. NIP. 196610201997022001
Approved by,
The Dean of Languages and Arts Faculty
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MOTTO and DEDICATION
¾ How important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong. (Christopher McCandless)
¾ Only by travelling, we can understand what life is, both mentally or physically.
(Chairul Umar Sin)
¾World is a tragedy to they who think it, and comedy to whom understand (Anonymous)
To:
My beloved parents ever, Mom and Dad, and my siblings for their love, support, trust and ‘investation’ of everything on me.
My beloved friends, Candika, Geng Lucu, and Pegugu, for their sharing how to view life in different ways and all of my dearest mates in ’05 B Regulars.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The first and foremost, I wishes to take the opportunity to express my greatest prayer and gratitude to Allah SWT the Almighty for the blessings, grace, love, and strength leading to the completion of this final project.
My deepest and sincere appreciation goes to Dra. Rahayu Puji H, M. Hum. as the first advisor who has given me the best idea and guidance during the advisory sessions of this final project. And I would present the gratitude to the second advisor, Drs. Joko Sutopo, M.Si. for his assistance and correction during the writing.
Also, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Rustono, M. Hum. and Drs.
H.Suprapto, M. Hum. respectively as the chairperson and the secretary of the board of examination as well as the team of examiners, especially the first examiner, Maria Yohana.A.W. S.S., M.Si who examined this final project to be a better writing.
Furthermore, my special thanks are also forwarded to my beloved mom and dad, both of my sisters, and my little brother, for their affection, encouragement, attention, and trust from the beginning to the finishing of my final project. Lots of love and thanks are also delivered to all my friends that always support and share their ideas. Finally, I wish this study could bring benefit to all.
Semarang, January 2010
v ABSTRACT
Chairul Umar Sin. 2010. Backpacking life as a protest against modern life in the novel “Into the Wild”. Final Project, English Departement, Faculty of Arts and Languages, Semarang State University. 1st advisor: Dra. Rahayu Puji H, M. Hum. 2nd advisor: Drs. Joko Sutopo, M.Si
Key Words: modern life, backpacking, and society
The final project intended to analyze backpackers protest against of modern life and modern society in the Into the Wild’s novel. The final project aimed to answer several problems in the final project, they are: the implementations of backpacking in the story, modern policy which are protested through backpacking and how the story does represents backpacking.
The object of this study was backpackers in the Into the Wild’s novel. I used descriptive qualitative analysis. The data of the study are in the form of words, phrases, sentences, and dialogues. I collected the data in the forms of sentences by reading the novel, analyzing data, and then reporting data. To analyze all questions, I used psychological and sociological approach. I also used deconstruction to deconstruct and to view the story in another way.
Result after several findings. First, the implementations of backpacking in this story are consists of nomadic movement, long length of trip and simple living. Second, the backpackers in this story showed his protest against modern policies, such as: the power of money, the rules that imprisoned human, domination of time over human and considered modern society as a “plastic” society by living as backpackers do. The last but not the least, is how the story represents backpacking which is described as a world of freedom, adventurous of life and as a lifestyle by some people.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPROVAL ... ii
MOTTO and DEDICATION ... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... iv
ABSTRACT ... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... vi
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
1.1 General Background of the Study ... 1
1.2 Reasons for Choosing the Topic ... 6
1.3 Statements of the Problem ... 8
1.4 Objectives of the Study ... 8
1.5 Significance of the Study ... 9
1.6 Outline of the Study ... 9
II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 10
2.1 Term of Backpacking ... 10
2.2 2.2 Backpacking History ... 12
2.3 Motivation of Backpacking ... 19
2.4 Backpacking today ... 21
2.5 About the Novel ... 23
2.6 About the movie... 23
2.7 Modern life ... 23
2.5 Deconstruction ... 24
III METHOD OF INVESTIGATION ... 25
3.1 The Object of Study ... 25
3.2 Types of Data ... 25
3.4 Procedures in Analyzing Data ... 26
3.5 Technique of Reporting the Data Analysis... 27
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4.1 Summary of Into the Wild’s novel ... 29
4.2 Analysis ... 31
4.2.1 The implementation of backpacking life in Into the Wild’s novel ... 31
4.2.1.1 Nomadic movement.……….. 31
4.2.1.2 Long length of trip……….. 34
4.2.1.3 Simple Life………. 36
4.2.2 Modern policy which is protested through backpacking in the “Into the Wild”‘s novel ... 38
4.2.2.1 The rise of money as a power……….. 38
4.2.2.2 The rules that imprisoned human’s life……….. 39
4.2.2.3 The domination of time over human………... 41
4.2.2.4 The “Plastic” Society……….. 43
4.2.3 How does the story represent backpacking………. 44
4.2.3.1 The World of freedom………. 44
4.2.3.2 The Adventurous life……….. 45
V CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ... 46
5.1 Conclusions ... 46
5.2 Suggestions ... 47
VI BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 49
1
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1
General Background of the Study
Modern society has created a new world for us, world that serves well. Modern society offers so much facilities and physical comforts like car, train and plane for transportation at one end and computer technology for information exchange and automation on the other. To add the world even smaller we have revolutionary information technology. It has helped people in exchanging information from one corner of world to another just in minute via internet. This has eliminated the need to travel. One can shop without visiting store or mall. The same technology provides so many option for enhance entertainment for recreation.
On the other hand, just like a coin which has two faces, besides offers us a lot of better facilities in our life, modern life gives us new aspects of life they are: bureaucracy, disenchantment of the world, rationalization, secularization, individualism, universalism, chaos, mass society, industrial society, democrationism, hierarchical organization and so on.
well patterned but we still have unsolvable problems such as corruption, inequality of life, injustice of laws and etc.
Money has a very important role in our life: we live in a world of materialist values, where ownership of the most expensive objects seems a worthy goal. Society dictates that a person’s worth can be judged by how much money they earn. Money has unfortunately become an essential part of life. Most of us have lost the ability to live by our own power, we need to work hard to earn money, which is become essential for us. Thus, because something is essential to survive, it needs to be the main focus of life.
There is a bureaucracy in the modern society. One cannot exist in a society without bureaucracy; there are no other possible alternatives. This is the way of the world modern operates, particularly in the West, and those who born into it are bound by it. This is why Max Weber referred it as an “iron cage”. Bureaucracy is applicable to any task or organization to handle it administratively. It is a way of getting done with a high degree of efficiency. Because there are written rules, orders and rankings, it is also the most rational means of controlling people. But the unintended consequence is that, once in motion, bureaucracy cannot be destroyed. Weber pointed out its dominance, threat to individual freedom and the spread of rationalism into every institution that it becomes a trap where, when in it, there would be no escape- hence, the “iron cage” of rationality (Weber, 109).
time goes by, people found out that travel or tourism can be an “escape” from the golden cage. In the eyes of some commentators (e.g. MacCannell, 1976), the tourism has become an icon of the restlessness and the alienation of modern life. The search for meaning in modern societies encourages pilgrimage to the sites of differentiation created by modernity and a search for the ‘primitive’ and pre-modern cultures it has displaced (MacCannell, 1992a). The disappearance of pre-modern cultures makes them all the more attractive as sites of tourism consumption and distinction – a chance to see the past before it disappears. Globalization not only increases the speed at which cultures are marginalized, but also increases the speed with which the tourist can travel to see them. The presence of tourists around the globe is not only a sign of the progress of globalization, it is also an integral part of the globalization process. The presence of tourists ties more and more places into the global economy and modern communication networks. Tourists make the places they visit increasingly like home, which stimulates their restless search for difference still further (de Botton, 2002).
their name, but their cultural baggage as well. Their path is scattered with the trappings of the backpacker culture – banana pancakes, bars with ‘video nights’ and cheap hostels (Iyer, 1988).
According to some authors (e.g. Westerhausen, 2002) growing numbers of people who do travelling are reacting to the alienation of modern society by adopting the lifestyle of the backpacker. Their nomadic existence is supported by the increasing ease of international travel, a growing network of budget hostels and travel companies, and the increasing flexibility of life path and work.
Lonely Planet and other guide books to open up new destinations to hordes of other travelers also seeking to escape from each other. Not surprisingly, what many backpackers regard as an ‘authentic’ destination is one untouched by other tourists (Timmermans, 2002).
Backpackers therefore seem to be driven into the far corners of the globe by the ‘experience hunger’ of modern society (de Cauter, 1995), which also forces them into becoming nomadic. Once they have consumed the experiences offered by one place, they need to move on to find new ones. Just like traditional nomadic people, the global nomad constantly moves from place to place
Backpacking life itself is a nomadic life. It offers people unlimited freedom and adventure, life without time limitation and rules. For example: we do not have to wake up in early morning just to go to school or school, we do not have a deadline for our job, in simple word “schedule is not important anymore” (anonymous).
Form of dissatisfaction or protest against modern society not only exist in real life but also emerges in literary works. They are portrayed in literary works which can notice the social problem. The various personalities on every character in every literary works can be referred to as a form of the author expression of his thought or ideas which is reflection in real life.
As a student of English Literature, I want to discuss and analyze about the relationship between backpacking life and modern society. The reason why I discuss the relationship is because of the dissatisfaction people toward modern society and backpacking life which become an “escape “of some people in this era.
The research about backpacking is conducted, because not only to see and know how backpacking life it is, but also to understand message which is implied in backpacking life and the relationship to modern society.
1.2
Reasons for Choosing the Topic
In this modern life, our world is a heaven for us; people live and being served like a king. Technology has answered any answers. Anything what they want, whenever they want to, can be prepared as fast as possible. But they have to work hard as a consequence.
natural flights of the human are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope. (Samuel Johnson) As they feel sufficed as greater they feel uncomfortable. In this novel one of the backpackers, the main character John McCandless, because of unharmonious and neglecting parents, hated why modern society always hurt each other, and wonder why life is full of falsity. So by backpacking, he decided to run from modern life. He wanted to reach his ultimate goal: live alone in Alaska. Like Lord Byron poem’s said” There is a pleasure in the pathless woods; There is a rapture on the lonely shore; There is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar: I love man the less, But nature more…”
Second, the main character of this movie showed his protest against modern live by backpacking, simple living without any limitation of time and rule. He did not want to live in “golden cage” and falsity of life that he had live. He realized the modern and society had not answered what people want, world still full of inequality and paradox thing, such as; we can eat and get what we want but we can find hunger and starvation in Sudan and Ethiopia, problems of race and ethnicity which still arise in each country, and etc.
Third, the story of John McCandless spent his rest of life into the wild, sent all of his saving of life to Oxfam; which suppose to be his fund of university, wandering everywhere without money is based on true story, which has published on the book “into the wild” (1996) by John Krakauer also the movie “into the wild” (1997) directed by Sean Penn.
For all those reason, I regard this is an interesting and reasonable theme to be analyzed.
1.3
Statements of the Problem
There are some questions that would be answered in this final project, those question are;
1. How is the implementation of backpacking life in the story?
2. What modern policy is protested through backpacking in the story? 3. How does the story represent backpacking?
1.4
Objective of the Study
In this paper, the objective of the study is to understand backpacking life and to give an image to the reader in what modern policy they quarreled on especially in this paradox and inequality of life.
1.5
Significance of Study
By analyzing this novel the writer hopes to give the whole description about backpacking life and modern life, furthermore, writer would like to provide some data and materials that can be conducted in the next research.
1.6
Outline of the Study
The study is divided into several chapters. Chapter I is introduction which contains background of the study, reason for choosing the topic, statements of the problem, significance of the study, limitation of research and outline of the study.
Chapter two is review of related literature, which presents the definition of backpacking term, Backpacking history, Backpacking today, about into the wild novel, about the book, modern life definition and some research methods which will be used in this research.
Chapter four contains the result of the analyzing about general findings, the result and the discussion.
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CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1 The terms of Backpacking
Backpacking is a term that has historically been used to denote a form of low-cost, independent international travel. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). The factors that traditionally differentiate backpacking from other forms of tourism are; they are not limited to the following; use of public transport, preference of youth and cheap hostels to traditional hostels, length of the trip longer than conventional vacations, use of a backpack and an interest meeting local people as well as seeing the sights are some of the motivation of the backpacking itself. The backpacker infrastructure mainly formed by the Lonely Planet guidebook is a guarantee that you will meet up with other people while travelling individually. ‘The good thing about backpacking is: if you arrive in a backpacker hostel everybody is talking to everybody – there are no barriers. You instantly talk to everybody everywhere and everybody is giving advice because there is that bond between backpackers (Doris, 23).
found that, “ backpackers constituted a heterogeneous group with respect to the diversity of rationales and meanings attached to their travel experiences… . They also displayed a common commitment to non institutionalized form of a travel, which was central to their self identification as backpackers” (Adkins, Barbara; Eryn Grant (2007-08). "Backpackers as a Community of Strangers: The Interaction Order of an Online Backpacker Notice Board" (PDF). Qualitative
Sociology Review 3).
There is some backpacking terms which people classify;
a) Backpacking (wilderness), hiking and overnight camping in the wilderness with supplies carried in a backpack for the entire duration of the trip, as opposed to day hiking or car camping. We will meet this description practically in the real story of the main character of the novel Into the Wild itself, John McCandless. In backpacking (wilderness) a backpacker packs all of his or her gear into a backpack. This gear must include food, water, and shelter, or the means to obtain them, but very little else, and often in a more compact and simpler form than one would use for stationary camping. A backpacking trip must include at least one overnight stay in the wilderness (otherwise it is a day hike). Many backpacking trips last just a weekend (one or two nights), but long-distance expeditions may last weeks or months, sometimes aided by planned food and supply drops.
or information signs. Many hike-in camps are no more than level patches of ground without scrub or underbrush. In very remote areas, established camps do not exist at all, and travelers must choose appropriate camps themselves. In some places, backpackers have access to lodging that is more substantial than a tent. In the more remote parts of Great Britain, both exist to provide simple (free) accommodation for backpackers. Another example is the High Sierra Camps in Yosemite National Park.
Mountain huts provide similar accommodation in other countries, so
being a member of a mountain hut organization is advantageous (perhaps required) to make use of their facilities. On other trails (e.g. the Appalachian Trail) there are somewhat more established shelters of a sort
that offer a place for weary hikers to spend the night without needing to set up a tent. Most backpackers purposely try to avoid impacting on the land through which they travel. This includes following established trails as much as possible, not removing anything, and not leaving residue in the backcountry. The Leave No Trace movement offers a set of guidelines for low-impact backpacking ("Leave nothing but footprints. Take nothing but photos. Kill nothing but time. Keep nothing but memories").
before they entering university. It is a new phenomenon which has spread all over the world.
c) Ultralight backpacking, backpacking while carrying very few or very lightweight supplies.
2.2 The backpacking History
Backpacking a new shocking phenomenon in the world which appears in this era, which all of the parts are system patterned, offers unlimited freedom and new heaven for restless people, but before we discuss about backpacking furthermore we will root the history of the term of backpacking to the travel’s term. Man has been a traveler for a long time. As a matter of fact, human were nomadic when they started. That was a way of life, more of a compulsion than a choice, even for religious purpose.
he was rendered almost crippled due to frost bite, yet he passionately longed to drink life to the lees. Sankratayan embodied in him the true spirit of a traveler — ‘it is not too late to seek a newer world’. (Sankratayan, R. (1959). Ghummakkar Shastra (Hindi). Allahabad. Kitab Mahal).
Bhotia tribals of Mana and the warm hospitality of Pandas. All this inspired listeners by the fireside for a yatra next summer, after the harvest. (Return of the Frugal Traveller: T. V. Singh, Tourism Recreation Research Vol. 31, No. 3, 2006)
The processes of modernization have eroded the ethos of archaic pilgrimages as most of these sites were considered ‘markers’ of tourism development. Mass tourism overwhelmed the character of many places beyond recognition and to the detriment of pilgrimage-culture. Tourism literature is replete with what bad tourism can do. The story of developed societies is not much different from the developing nations, particularly Europe, where medieval pilgrimages changed from spirituality to novelty and for bizarre touristic experiences (Sumption 1975). In India a pilgrim increasingly exchanged character with pleasure-seeking tourist when more tourists inroad religious landscape, profaning the sublime and the sacred. Shrine resorts transformed to tourism, blurring spirituality between religious and secular domains – ‘religion became just another marketable commodity’ (Olsen 2003). Seeking spirituality became fad and travellers’ native instinct gradually faded away with secular overtones, what Solomon (1999) termed ‘Spiritual Promiscuity’. Lord Byron laments in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, ‘from mighty wrongs to petty perfidy, have I not seen what human things could do’. Gladstone (2005) in his recent book From Pilgrimage to Package Tour elaborates on this subject more succinctly.
Orient and ‘exotic Other’. Cohen named them ‘drifters’, others called them ‘junkies’ and a few pronounced them ‘flower children’, euphemistically for their atypical life-style. Finally, somewhere in the 1980s, they were seen as independent travelers who loved freedom and serendipity, donning typical backpack. They wore a sanguine attitude towards life and were eager to integrate with local community; used accommodation owned by host society and made efforts to consume locally produced commodities. They loved to be called a traveler or a backpacker rather than tourist, though academics classed them amongst ‘alternative tourists’. Wedded to principles of austerity and travel ethics; oriented to self-development and acquisition of knowledge; parsimonious backpackers are often considered as ‘secular pilgrims’.
Within a period of about 40 years, the backpacking phenomenon has grown worldwide with major concentration in Asian countries, such as South East Asia and Australasia besides South America. North America and Europe have the lowest population of backpackers. Since they demand a different infrastructure, their destinations have developed a distinct backpacker market.
Backpacking may be fringe economy but it helps destination communities to sustain for all its indigenous touch that prevents leakages. Backpacking has developed into an important socio-cultural and economic phenomenon around the world. It needs to be examined more seriously than to be taken as ‘time bubble’.
has lost its innocence; it is shaping into mass-backpackers market. That backpackers’ culture has suffered a setback by creating a rift between ideology and practice and those backpackers’ newly discovered peripheries have paved way to mass tourism, it is getting more packaged than packaged tours. It promotes ghettoish enclaves and that it is far from real travel; it is not what it used to be.
1998) to gain a new perspective on their own life and future (Noy & Cohen, forthcoming), while having a challenging but enjoyable time in the world of others. I propose to call the earlier, alienated individuals roaming the world alone, common in the 1960s and 1970s, ‘drifters’, and the more recent youth travelers, following well-trodden paths in large numbers ‘backpackers’. If the model for the drifter was the tramp, the drifter is the model for the backpacker; but I wish to stress that this chronological division is not strict: the Vermassung of drifting had started already in the 1970s (Cohen, 1973) and even today, individual drifters can be found in remote localities as yet untouched by mainstream ‘backpacker’ tourism. The very remoteness of the drifters, indeed, appears to hide them from the fieldworker studying backpackers on the more popular itineraries and enclaves. My own conceptualization of the original ‘drifter’ was to a significant extent influenced by a personal encounter in the later 1960s.
The ‘original drifter’ (Cohen, 1973) may have been an ideal to which many youths were attracted, but only very few succeeded. Therefore at an early stage the concept and suggested several sub-types of drifters had been qualified (Cohen, 1973: 100–101), emerging just as contemporary youth tourism became a mass phenomenon; those who at present would be loosely called ‘backpackers’. It also described the alternative tourism infrastructure of itineraries, transportation services, accommodation and other facilities which had begun to emerge in response to the growth of this kind of tourism (Cohen, 1973: 95–97).
mid-1970s to the 1990s: MacCannell’s (1973, 1976) conceptualization of the tourist as a secular pilgrim in quest of authenticity, which is in turn staged for them by their obliging hosts. The phenomenology of tourist experiences (Cohen, 1979) that drifters – assumed to be the most alienated kind of tourists – would tend toward the most intensive types of experiences, and especially the ‘experimental’ or ‘existential’ ones, as they sought an alternative ‘elective centre’, which they could substitute for that of their home society. The drifter would thus strive more than the ordinary tourist to reach places and people that are ‘really’ authentic, and would display considerable touristic angst that places or events that appear authentic are in fact stage.
While there is no definitive answer as to the precise origin of backpacking,
its roots can be traced, at least partially, to the Hippie trail of the 1960s and 70s
(MacLean, Rory. "Dark Side of the Hippie Trail", The New Statesman) which
in turn followed sections of the old Silk Road. In fact, some backpackers today
seek to re-create that journey, albeit in a more comfortable manner, while
capitalizing on the current popularity of the green movement. Looking further
into history, Giovan Francesco Gemelli Careri has been cited by someas one of
the world's first backpackers.
backpacker and youth travel, only 11 were published before 1990. This was the year in which the term ‘backpacker’ was first noted in the academic literature (Pearce, 1990). The growing interest in the topic is underlined by the fact that the ATLAS BRG alone now has more than 30 members in 11 countries.
At least until recently, much of the backpacker research has been undertaken in countries where the impact of backpacking is particularly evident, notably in South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand (e.g. Elsrud, 1998;Hampton, 1998; Murphy, 2001; Ross, 1997). A second factor influencing the geographical distribution of backpacking studies has been the tendency for research to be undertaken ‘on the road’, usually in the more popular backpacker destinations in Asia and Australasia.
2.3 The motivation of Backpacking
People are drawn to backpacking primarily for recreation, to explore places that they consider beautiful and fascinating, many of which cannot be accessed in any other way. A backpacker can travel deeper into remote areas, away from people and their effects, than a day-hiker can. However, backpacking presents more advantages besides distance of travel. Many weekend trips cover routes that could be hiked in a single day, but people choose to backpack them anyway, for the experience of staying overnight.
the scenery. In addition, camp chores (such as pitching camp, breaking camp, and cooking) can easily consume several hours every day. However, with practice, much of this downtime can be purged from the day.
Backpackers face many risks, including adverse weather, difficult terrain, treacherous river crossings, and hungry or unpredictable animals (although the perceived danger from wild animals usually greatly exceeds the true risk). They are subject to illnesses, which run the gamut from simple dehydration to heat exhaustion, hypothermia, altitude sickness, and physical injury. The remoteness
of backpacking locations exacerbates any mishap. However, these hazards do not deter backpackers who are properly prepared. Some simply accept danger as a risk that they must endure if they want to backpack; for others, the potential dangers actually enhance the allure of the wilderness. (Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia).
2.4 Backpacking today
(Catto, Susan. "Practical Traveler; The 'Pack' Of Backpacking", The New York Times) although the backpack can still be considered the primary luggage of backpackers.
One of the central tenets of backpacking is the sense of community. Whether this takes the form of staying at in a dormitory in a hostel with a self-catering kitchen and communal TV room, sharing rides with other travelers, purchasing a bus/train pass or something else, what matters is the shared experience. This allows backpackers to learn from one another while saving money at the same time: the first-hand account of a fellow traveler can often be more up to date than what was published in a recent Lonely Planet, the long cited bible of backpacker travel.
Of equal importance in backpacking is the sense of authenticity. Backpacking is not a vacation but rather a means of education. Backpackers want to experience the “real” destination rather than the packaged version often associated with mass tourism, which has led to the assertion that backpackers are anti-tourist. There is also the feeling of "sneaking backstage" and witnessing real life with more involvement with local people (Langston-Able, Nick (2007). Playing with Fire: Adventures in Indonesia). As time goes by, also, Backpacking as a lifestyle and a
and digital communication and resources make planning, executing and continuing a long term backpacking trip easier than ever before.
Backpacking, like other forms of travel, remains controversial. Goes with the general history of backpacking some of these criticisms date back to travelers’ actions along the Hippie Trail. Criticism comes from many sides, including the host countries and other travelers who disagree with the actions of backpackers although the perception of backpackers seems to have improved as backpacking grows more mainstream.
2.5 About the Novel
Into the Wild (1996) by Jon Krakauer is a bestselling non-fiction book about the
adventures of Christopher McCandless. It is an expansion of Krakauer's 9,000-word article, "Death of an Innocent", which appeared in the January 1993 issued
of Outside. Krakauer intersperses McCandless's story with a discussion of the
wilderness experiences of people such as John Muir and John Menlove Edwards, as well as some of his own adventures. Krakauer first went to Alaska in 1974 and has returned there twenty times since. He spent three years carrying out the background research work for this biography
2.6 About the movie
Into the Wild is a 2007 film based on the 1996 non-fiction book about the
wrote the screenplay, and stars Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Marcia Gay Harden, Vince Vaughn, William Hurt and Catherine Keener.
2.7 Modern life
Modern life also called modernity, it is a different term from modern times,it is derived from Modernism, a movement in art based on the consciousness that through the mechanical age of industrialism, humankind has evolved into something very new - what that would be, would have to be explored by art, and all previous concepts questioned. Darwin's Origin of Species and Lyell's Principles of Geology revolutionized the perception of time and race, and that of "mankind" in particular. There have been numerous ways of understanding what modernity is, particularly in the field of sociology. A wide variety of terms are used to describe the society, social life, driving force, symptomatic mentality, or some other defining aspects of modernity. They include: bureaucracy, disenchantment of the world, rationalization, secularization, alienation, commodification,
decontextualization, individualism, subjectivism, linear progression, objectivism,
universalism, reductionism, chaos, mass society, industrial society,
homogenization, unification, hybridization, diversification, democratization, centralization, hierarchical organization, mechanization, totalitarianism, and so on.(Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
thoroughly. It brought a number of indisputable benefits to people. Lower infant mortality rate, decreased death from starvation, eradication of some of the fatal
diseases, more equal treatment of people with different backgrounds and incomes, and so on. To some, this is an indication of the potential of modernity, perhaps yet to be fully realized. In general, rational, scientific approach to problems and the pursuit of economic wealth seems still too many a reasonable way of understanding good social development.
2.8 Deconstruction
Deconstruction is the name given by French philosopher Jacques Derrida to an approach (whether in philosophy, literary analysis, or in other fields) which rigorously pursues the meaning of a text to the point of undoing the oppositions on which it is apparently founded, and to the point of showing that those foundations are irreducibly complex, unstable or, indeed, impossible (from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
construction, and destruction -- and he explains that these three are mutually pertinent to one another. Construction necessarily involves destruction, he says, and then he identifies destruction with deconstruction, Abbau (20-23). Heidegger explains what he means by philosophical destruction by using an ordinary German word that we can translate literally "unbuild" (Deconstruction by James E. Faulconer)
"structure," cf., Rodolphe Gasché, The Tain of the Mirror (Cambridge, Massachusetts, & London: Harvard University Press, 1986), p. 146)
Derrida's method consisted in demonstrating all the forms and varieties of this originary complexity, and their multiple consequences in many fields. His way of achieving this was by conducting thorough, careful, sensitive, and yet transformational readings of philosophical and literary texts, with an ear to what in those texts runs counter to their apparent systematicity (structural unity) or intended sense (authorial genesis). By demonstrating the aporias and ellipses of thought, Derrida hoped to show the infinitely subtle ways that this originary complexity, which by definition cannot ever be completely known, works its structuring and destructuring effects (Cf., Rodolphe Gasché, "Infrastructures and Systematicity," in John Sallis (ed.), Deconstruction and Philosophy (Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 1987), pp. 3–4)
Derrida initially resisted granting to his approach the overarching name "deconstruction," on the grounds that it was a precise technical term that could not be used to characterize his work generally. Nevertheless, he eventually accepted that the term had come into common use to refer to his textual approach, and Derrida himself increasingly began to use the term in this more general way.
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BAB III
METHODOLOGY
The research methodologies are divided into several parts, the first is the object of the study. The second presents the sources of data. The third presents the type of data. The fourth explains the technique of collecting data. The fifth explains the technique of analyzing data.
3.1 Object of the study
Into the Wild is a novel written by Jon Krakauer is an autobiography of the
young adventurer and nonconformist Christopher McCandless. Written in 1992, Krakauer describes the events that led to the discovery of McCandless' body in the Alaskan outback. The novel explores McCandless upbringing, his decisions that led to his desire to leave society and go 'into the wild' and ultimately tries to make sense of how McCandless ended up being found dead in an abandoned bus in Alaska.
3.2 Sources of Data
added by internet articles about backpacking, Modern life and other relevant articles related to the subject, Also Dictionary, PC Encyclopedia: Encarta and Britannica Encyclopedia and other written references.
3.3 Type of Data
I categorize the data into two kinds; primary data and secondary data. Primary data are gained from the object of the study; a novel entitled “Into the Wild” which is written by Jon Krakauer. The data are in the form of dialogue and quotes which are found in the movie. The secondary data are found in various text books, internet, PC Encyclopedia, and dictionary that have relation with the topic of the study.
3.4 Techniques of collecting data
The data of the research are collected in the following steps: 3.4.1 Reading
Reading the novel entitled into the wild many times in order to have a deep understanding of the story along with its context clearly. The processes of reading here, the function just as synchronize take original dialogue spoken by the characters actions and the time when the action happened in the movie. Furthermore, this process is done to get deeper ideas which are related to the topic.
Identifying the implicit and explicit meanings which have relation with the topic, I use several steps. They are:
a. Marking (underlining, bracketing) b. Numbering
c. Inventorying
Inventorying the term which will be analyzed by using the table below, those inventoried data can be seen in the Appendix A, for example;
Table 1
3.4.3 Analyzing
Analyze the sociology and the psychology of the characters which involved with backpacking life by several theories of sociology and psychology from the books and any articles from media such as: newspaper, magazine and internet.
No The Datum (Dialogue/Quotation) Location No.
Problem
Answer Page Line
[image:38.595.107.511.154.607.2]3.4.4 Reporting
The final step in conducting a literary analysis is reporting. Here, the data is reported into detail analysis that will answer the research problems. The data which has been selected are reported in the appendix. If the readers want to see the overall, they can see Appendix A. Appendix B contains a group of classified data to answer the first problem and appendix C contains a group of classified data to answer the second problem, and appendix D contains a group of classified data to answer the third problem.
3.5. Procedures in Analyzing Data
In analyzing the data, I choose deconstruction approach. Deconstruction is a method of analyzing literature that seeks to uncover multiple layers of meaning, including the author's intentions and other meanings that are based on how the same language, images, or ideas have been used before (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation). In this essay I do not use the novel of into the wild as mere as only material but also books and articles from internet to support my idea and to reform the story according to my opinion.
3.6 Technique of Reporting the Data Analysis
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CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
Chapter four presents the analysis of the data to answer the research problems. There will be a discussion about the summary of Into the Wild’s novel, the implementation of backpacking life in Into the Wild’s novel, and modern policy which is protested through the backpacking in the Into the Wild’s novel, And how does the Into the wild’s story represents backpacking. The analysis would be done according to the order of the research problems. At the beginning, the writer will present the synopsis of Into the Wild novel as a bridge to the analysis.
4.1 Summary of Into the Wild novel
The book begun with the discovery of McCandless's body inside an abandoned bus and retraces his travels during the two years he was missing in Alaska, Stampede trail.
attacked and buried his car, it did not make him suffered, moreover, this made him more smiley. He left his car and continued his extreme journey to Alaska by hitchhiking, after burning all the remains money he had. McCandless had roamed through the West and Southwest on a vision quest like those made by his heroes Jack London and John Muir. In the Mojave Desert he abandoned his car, stripped it of its license plates, and burned all of his cash. He would give himself a new name, Alexander Supertramp and unencumbered by money and belongings, he would be freed to wallow in the raw, unfiltered experiences that nature presented. Craving a blank spot on the map, McCandless simply threw the maps away, leaving behind his desperate parents and sister, he vanished into the wild.
to death. As he died, he continued to write, detailing his painful death as a dramatic ending to his autobiography.
4.2.1 The implementation of backpacking life in Into the Wild novel
As time goes by, the world has transmuting into something new as human want, but also what they are flustered to. Human invented skyscrapers for business area and future building, but they also feel surfeited with those atmospheres. They are mad against to war, although they evolve their research in weapon and military. They feel they imprisoned themselves in their own cage, they want to find their freedom in somewhere out of their house, some of them set out a new life by living nomadically, such as hippies and backpackers.
4.2.1.1 Nomadic movement
At the end of July, he accepted a ride from a man who called himself Crazy Ernie and offered McCandless a job on a ranch in northern California; photographs of the place show an un-painted, tumbledown house surrounded by goats and chickens, bedsprings, broken televisions, shopping carts, old appliances, and mounds and mounds of garbage. After working there eleven days with six other vagabonds, it became clear to McCandless that Ernie had no intention of ever paying him, so he stole a red ten-speed bicycle from the clutter
In the yard, pedaled into Chico, and ditched the bike in a mall parking lot. Then he resumed a life of constant motion, riding his thumb north and west through Red Bluff, Weaverville, and Willow Creek.
they need to, and then drive away, back to his “normal” life. Here is
datum 2;
some two weeks after McCandless arrived in Carthage, began serving a four-month sentence in Sioux Falls. With Westerberg in stir, there was no work at the grain elevator for McCandless, so on October 23, sooner than he might have under different circumstances, the boy left town and resumed a nomadic existence.
On September 1991, Chris worked for Wayne, in his grain field
as grain elevator for couple weeks, then on
October 23, as a real
backpacker does, he did not stay for a long time, then he drove his
way back to the road.
The other backpackers are found in this story; they are Jan and
Bob Burres, they called rubber tramps, because they used their van for
their mobile home, here is datum 3;
flea markets and swap meets with her boyfriend, Bob. “He had a book about plants with him, and he was using it to pick berries, collecting them in a gallon milk jug with the top cut off. He looked pretty pitiful, so I yelled, ‘Hey, you want a ride somewhere?’ I thought maybe we could give him a meal or something.
In datum 3, they who travel by car or van, or RV’s (Recreational Vehicle) are well-known as rubber tramps. They moved from one place to another place. In North America the term recreational vehicle and its acronym, RV, are generally
used to refer to a vehicle equipped with living space and amenities found in a home; they are sometimes called motorhomes. A recreational vehicle normally includes a kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom and a living room. In other countries the term camper van is more common, and the vehicles themselves vary, typically being smaller than in North America (Wikipedia, free encyclopedia), Many of Americans use RV for long trip, so they do not need to rent a or some rooms in hotel or motel. This phenomenon makes a lot of people tend to spend their life on the road or nomadic life.
4.2.1.2 Long length of trip
even maybe couple months. Most of the people who do backpacking are persons who love freedom such as, students after graduation or maybe they who have long holiday, people who wants travel around the world, even retirees who want find something new (backpackers) and etc. In this novel, John McCandless spends 2 years for his backpacking trip. Here are some dialogues for datum 4;
He was elated to be there. Inside the bus, on a sheet of weathered plywood spanning a broken window, McCandless scrawled an exultant declaration of independence:
TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES. ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. ANAESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS THE ROAD. ESCAPED FROM ATLANTA. THOU SHALT NOT RETURN, ‘CAUSE “THE WEST IS THE BEST. “ AND NOW AFTER TWO RAMBLING YEARS COMES THE FINAL AND GREATEST ADVENTURE. THE CLIMACTIC BATTLE TO KILL THE FALSE BEING WITHIN AND VICTORIOUSLY CONCLUDE THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION. TEN DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FREIGHT TRAINS AND HITCHHIKING BRING HIM TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH. NO LONGER TO BE POISONED BY CIVILIZATION HE FLEES, AND WALKS ALONE UPON THE LAND TO BECOME LOST IN THE WILD.
These memorial words were carved by McCandless in Alaska on April 1992, before his death. From these words, we know that he had trampling around America for 2 years by backpacking. He did hitchhiking, anti modernism and wandered around for long length of time. During two years wandering around McCandless visited a lot of places around America also meet some locals. These which make backpacking different with conventional vacation, in conventional trip they do not have enough time to explore more, they have a plan which based on limited time. Also meeting locals is one of the most people like, because in conventional trip they only have a few time to meet locals, his main purpose is just visiting the place. But in backpacking, most of them are live with the locals. During his 2 years backpacking, McCandless met a lot of local people. As Pearce has already pointed out, ‘meeting people’ is one of the main characteristics of backpacking (Pearce, 1990).Here is datum 5;
In this datum, McCandless met some locals that in unintended way, but he actually needed, he made friends with them, even as a family too ( McCandless’s coming in Franz’s life made Franz wanted to adopt him as a grandson, but McCandless refused it, he wanted to be free).
4.2.1.3 Simple Life
Backpacking life is simple life, like Amish people, like Gypsies, or like Thoreau’s life. They do not live in a big and luxurious hotel; they do not eat in the classy and expensive restaurant. They live on the road, in their van; in some cheap motels even sleep in the bushes, and they prefer public transportation even hitchhiking. Here is datum 6
By then Chris was long gone. Five weeks earlier he’d loaded all his belongings into his little car and headed west without an itinerary. The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything. He had spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty: to graduate from college. At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence.
quiet and peaceful. He tired of being ruled by his college, his parents and things form modern society that he regarded as fakes, like material things, attention and security from his parents security.
In datum 4, it tells about McCandless backpacking’s life, splendid adventure but very simple life he through on, he used no phone, no pet, no pool, no cigarette. He lived by himself and love nature more. During he lived with his family, his parents would give him everything he need. But he felt bored with everything he had, so by backpacking he finally fulfilled his desire and his dream to life simple without everything which measured by money. Also though he had some money to buy everything he needs, but just spent as he needed. He moved from one place to another place by hitchhiking, slept in the tent even in the bushes, having a shower in the river or waterfall. In a nutshell he lived close to nature.
One of his favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau is the one who inspired him to live simple and worshipped nature, like in the datum 7;
We soon forget them. They are the highest reality... The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched.
HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN OR LIFE IN THE WOODS
PASSAGE HIGHLIGHTED IN ONE OF THE BOOKS FOUND WITH CHRIS MCCANDLESS’S REMAINS
As Thoreau’s life reflected in his book, Walden, it fascinated and poisoned McCandless’s live. That he reflected to into his life, he through on his life as his authors did.
4.2.2 Modern policy which is protested through backpacking in the Into the
Wild novel
4.2.2.1 The rise of money as a power
Money is a crucial thing, which served human life, treat human everything as they want to, and many more words to describe. But sometimes it makes people hurt each other too, even makes a war. Money makes people cautious (McCandless’s words in Into the Wild movie). It’s true, there are many crimes which is caused by money. As Simmel conclude, money is not simply an economic but a sociological phenomenon. ( Simmel: The philosophy of money. Budapest, Gondolat Kiadó, 1973). In this novel, John McCandless protested that money can make people suffer. Here is datum 8;
Then, in a gesture that would have done both Thoreau and Tolstoy proud, he arranged all his paper currency in a pile on the sand—a pathetic little stack of ones and fives and twenties—and put a match to it. One hundred twenty-three dollars in legal tender was promptly reduced to ash and smoke.
In this datum, he burn out his remains money into ash and smoke, then he did not bring any cent at all, because all of his money for his college had been donated to OXFAM America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger. He just wanted the money come into the right hand. Then by burning out his money, he just believes that money can make people cautious, so he avoided bringing some money though he needed.
or that they think I’d actually let them pay for my law school if I was going to go.... I’ve told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has spanned the continent from Miami to Alaska, a car that has in all those thousands of miles not given me a single problem, a car that I will never trade in, a car that I am very strongly attached to—yet they ignore what I say and think I’d actually accept a new car from them! I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.
In this datum, McCandless complained to his sister, Carine, about his parent’s idea to buy him a new car. He strongly offended by this idea to his parents. He thought his car is still in the best condition, he even thought that his parents measured everything by money in other word materialistic. He thought that gift can buy his respect. That’s why he refused his parent wish to buy him a new car.
4.2.2.2 The rules that imprisoned human’s life
society. This is what McCandless hated, why they make rules if it just for their profit not for the dignity of the justice itself. Here is datum 10,
If he went to the rangers, however, they would have some irksome questions for
him: Why had he ignored posted regulations and driven down the wash in the
first place? Was he aware that the vehicle’s registration had expired two years
before and had not been renewed? Did he know that his driver’s license had
also expired, and the vehicle was uninsured as well?
Truthful responses to these queries were not likely to be well received by the
rangers. McCandless could endeavor to explain that he answered to statutes of
a higher order—that as a latter-day adherent of Henry David Thoreau, he took
as gospel the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and thus considered it
his moral responsibility to flout the laws of the state. It was improbable,
however, that deputies of the federal government would share his point of view.
Gallien asked whether he had a hunting license.
“Hell, no,” Alex scoffed. “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. Fuck their stupid rules.”
In this datum, it tells about how he showed his protest against law. He did not care whether he had a hunting license or not, he had a thought that it is none of government business how he fed himself, also it is not important to have a license, because it did not change at all. He disobeyed all the government rules, he only put his faith on Thoreau’s book. Why he was so hate with government rules is about unsolved problems by law in this era, we will root his youth in his college, here is datum 12;
in 1988, as Chris’s resentment of his parents hardened, his sense of outrage over injustice in the world at large grew. started complaining about all the rich kids at Emory.” More and more of the classes he took addressed such pressing social issues as racism and world hunger and inequities in the distribution of wealth.
4.2.2.3 The domination of time over human
Time for modern people is a guide, which always give them schedule and warn them for some appointment. The good thing is that our life is organized and well managed. But for some reason, some people want to find an “escape”. Because they do not want to get stuck in a “pattern” and bored with the well organized of their life. It is no doubt that people want to be free, and there are only two people, they who stay in on the line and find an “escape”. Backpackers are one of the “escape” finder, they break the cage and leave the routine activities they have. When people do backpacking, they do not have an organized trip, schedule or some trouble thing. Here is datum 13:
Alex insisted on giving Gallien his watch, his comb, and what he said was all his money: eighty-five cents in loose change. “I don’t want your money,” Gallien protested, “and I already have a watch.”
“If you don’t take it, I’m going to throw it away,” Alex cheerfully retorted. “I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where
I am. None of that matters.”
know what time nor day would be, he wanted to be free from time that always scheduled him in everything. Like in datum 14:
McCandless explained to Burres that he’d grown tired of Bullhead, tired of punching a clock, tired of the “plastic people” he worked with, and decided to get the hell out of town.
It was happened during his backpacking trip, when he finally wanted to settle down in Bullhead city, then he made up his mind at last, he tired of scheduled time from the restaurant he worked, he could not bear to be ruled by other people. He did backpacking to get his freedom not to be bound in a rule, then he left his job and back to the road, as he used to.
4.2.2.4 The “Plastic” Society
Society is the manner or condition in which the members of a community live together for their mutual benefit. By extension, society denotes the people of a region or country, sometimes even the world, taken as a whole (Wiktionary definition of society. Retrieved 18 October 2009). People or society itself are
changing as time goes by, when people used to know each other in a village then become stranger to each other, or when job is more important they get closer to their job rather than their life with the society even their family. In this story, McCandless often hated to the society he live, why they hurt each other, why starvation is occur when the other people have abundance food. Here is datum 15;
maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why people were bad to each other so often. A couple of times I tried to tell him it was a mistake to get too deep into that kind of stuff, but Alex got stuck on things. He always had to know the absolute right answer before he could go on to the next thing.”
In this datum, Westernberg, his close friend, described McCandless’s character, that he was intelligent man, he had a deep thought about why people were bad to each other, he cursed society he live. Although Westernberg always reminded him not to take it deeply, but he always had an answer for every advice Westernberg gave. It was caused by broken home family he had, which made his views like so.
Another example is like in datum 15, in this datum he got bored to “plastic people” a nickname, which he used by himself to name the modern society, which means artificial or unnatural people because they ruled by the modernity neither by their heart nor by their soul.
4.2.3 The story represents backpacking
4.2.3.1 The world of freedom
The backpacking life offers a word that every human want, freedom. Freedom is something that out of the line, out of the rules, out of the routine. The modern society which is created with new system such as: power of money, bureaucracy, and rules that imprisoned human are pressed and seize human freedom. While in backpacking, it offers human something that they cannot get in modern society, such as: when people have a tour for their vacation, they have to obey the rules about the time and schedule, but while in backpacking you can spend as much time as you want, or when you have a schedule for wake up early for school or go to office or deadline and home works, it does not exist. The rules and the schedule are in your hand. In this story, McCandless had undetermined schedule or plan for his own trip, he managed to get around America without any limited time or deadline as we found in datum 4:
He was elated to be there. Inside the bus, on a sheet of weathered plywood spanning a broken window, McCandless scrawled an exultant declaration of independence:
THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION. TEN DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FREIGHT TRAINS AND HITCHHIKING BRING HIM TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH. NO LONGER TO BE POISONED BY CIVILIZATION HE FLEES, AND WALKS ALONE UPON THE LAND TO BECOME LOST IN THE WILD.
ALEXANDER SUPERTRAMP MAY1992
In this datum we can analyze that his trip was an ultimate freedom, full of many adventurous trip, hitchhiking along the way, and unlimited time had for his trip, which no schedule and no rules, in other word ultimate freedom.
4.2.3.2 Adventurous life
We cannot never resist that adventure is the blood and flesh of backpacking life, stretches to its flesh and hangs on its bones. Because in backpacking life they do not offers conformity stay such as: luxurious hotel with its swimming pool and satellite TV, or well-planned trip which tight on schedule. In backpacking, they obsessed to look for places that not touristy, exotic, unvisited place and unusual way. Datum 16 is one of McCandless adventurous during his backpacking trip;
bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station.
This datum tells about the story of McCandless before entered Alaska, his dream to live in and his heaven as he laid his faith on it. A driver, named Gallien drove him to the Alaska was afraid about McCandless tools to spent an undetermined time in Alaska, he only brought ten pound rice, old hiking boots which is not waterproof, a riffle that only could kill little animal, no ax, no bug dope, and no compass. This adventurous was whom he called the greatest of his adventure, because he would live in the area that nobody lives there and of course with limited tools. This is one of McCandless adventurous trip during backpacking, he also used canoe as his one of adventurous trip, and here is datum 17;
the Imperial National Wildlife Refuge, On December 2, he reached the Morelos Dam and the Mexican border.
This datum tells about how McCandless went around America by his canoe, he start to paddle it down from Colorado river to the Gulf of California until Mexican border, without license nor with proper equipment, such as safety helmet and etc, he does not court danger but rather stumbles across it, thrillingly and then fatally, on the road to joy. Datum 18 is one of backpacking trip’s McCandless by hitchhiking:
After loading his few remaining possessions into a backpack, McCandless set out on July 10 to hike around Lake Mead, he managed to flag down some passing boaters, who gave him a lift to Callville Bay, a marina near the west end of the lake, where he stuck out his thumb and took to the road. McCandless tramped around the West for the next two months, spellbound by the scale and power of the landscape, thrilled by minor brushes with the law, savoring the intermittent company of other vagabonds he met along the way. Allowing his life to be shaped by circumstance, he hitched to Lake Tahoe, hiked into the Sierra Nevada, and spent a week walking north on the Pacific Crest Trail before exiting the mountains and returning to the pavement.
hitchhiking, met some vagabonds along the way, spent a week on the mountains then drove back to the roads.
From the description and analysis above we can conclude that most of backpacking trip is full of adventurous thing start from hitchhiking, canoe trip, Alaska and many trips which had not mentioned.
4.1.5 Lifestyle
Backpacking is a lifestyle. It’s true, when people tend to live in their flat or their apartment with everything is already available or just to stay in one place for their entire of life, backpacking offers to live with many unusual way, like simple living, adventurous life and so on. In this story, by backpacking McCandless lived like a drifter but felt real happy. Here is datum 19:
When he returned to McCandless’s camp and launched into the selfimprovement in pitch, though, McCandless cut him off abruptly. “Look, Mr. Franz,” he declared, “you don’t need to worry about me. I have a college education. I’m not destitute. I’m living like this by choice.” And then, despite his initial prickliness, the young man warmed to the old-timer, and the two engaged in a long conversation.
Sixty miles south of the Oregon line, near the town of Orick, a pair of drifters in an old van pulled over to consult their map when they noticed a boy crouching in the bushes off the side of the road. “He was wearing long shorts and this really stupid hat,” says Jan Burres, a forty-one-year-old rubber tramp who was traveling around the West selling knick-knacks at flea markets and swap meets with her boyfriend, Bob. “He had a book about plants with him, and he was using it to pick berries, collecting them in a gallon milk jug with the top cut off.
In this datum we will focus in Jan and Bob Burres, as we know that they were rubber tramp who travelling around with their van and selling knick-knacks at flea markets. They live on the road, they chose how they live by themselves. In other word they also called by RV’s, The RV lifestyle is made up of those interested in traveling and camping rather than living in one location, as well as by vacationers. Some travel nearer the equator during the winter months in their RV and return in spring. This is why they are sometimes referred to as a snowbirding in the USA. There is also a large segment of younger people who
58
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
5.1
Conclusion
After doing the analysis in the previous chapter, I draw some points as the conclusion of the analysis. Into the Wild is a novel by Jon Krakauer that tells about the adventure of Chris McCandless’s escape from the ‘plastic’ modern society he had. He tried it through to do it by backpacking to Alaska. By backpacking, he showed his protest against modern life also he found freedom and destiny that he had dreamt about.
Why he did backpacking as his escape from the entire things that made him revolted is because by backpacking he found his true life. He could moved from one place to another place as he wants which simply called nomadic movement, also we can see the other wanderer is Jan and Rainey, vagabonds who lives in his RV as their mobile home. He could also had undetermined time for his trip, which in the story he spent 2 years for wandering around, and also he had a simple life during his trip by backpacking, he slept in road or someone house or even sleep in bushes, went around anywhere he wanted by hitchhiking, live simply without phone, pet, cigarette nor phone too. And he did not feel suffer or on a pressure to live like so, he was happy with everything he did.
to live in his family, a rich family but gave him fake conformity and security which made him and his sister, Carine, suffered. He gave all of his college savings to OXFAM, an international charity dedicated to hunger and famine, and he also burnt his money into ashes before he started his extreme journey. He did not obey the rules, law and bureaucracy which does not help human, but stressed and imprisoned human for his life. He did not want to be patterned in the time which always bound him, by backpacking, he does not have to get done his schedule which based on time, like school, job and many things. The most things which he protested against is the “plastic” society, a nickname for the society which is patterned with modern things such as money talks, punching clocks and bureaucracy which make human as “plastic” things. All the modern things above does not make human better but suffered inside.
5.2 Suggestion
Based on story and conclusion above, I would like to present some suggestion after analyze the novel of ‘Into the Wild”. The story is melancholic and has a tragic ending story, which in fact, disappointed readers but this is not what I discuss, but the digest of the story, aspects of protest against modern life and description of backpacking, which just appears in recently.
61
BIBLIOGRAPHY
a b Cohen, Erik (2003). "Backpacking: Diversity and Change" (PDF). Tourism and Cultural Change 1 (2): 95–110. http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jtc/001/0095/jtc0010095.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
a b c d George Cole; Ryan Jordan; Alan Dixon (2006), Lightweight Backpacking and Camping, Bozeman, MT: Beartooth Mountain Press, ISBN 0974818828.
Adem, Seifudein. 2004. "Decolonizing Modernity: Ibn-K
