Into the Wild

“Into the Wild” Reflection

The movie “Into the Wild” really inspired me to think about some things that I usually would not, or that I ignore at times. This Philosophy 101 class has brought issues to my attention that I have never even thought about before, and watching Christopher (Supertramp) go on his journey of learning and enacting some of the things that we have talked about in class helped me to understand better, and see how someone would go through the process of getting out of social order and connecting back with nature.

In class for a few class periods we spent a lot of time discussing that to think for yourself you have to first get out of the social order that has been engrained in you since you were born. The main character of the movie, Christopher, grows up hating his parents and realizing their materialistic faults, sees all of the faults in society, and graduates from college knowing that he can no longer play along with the social order that he wants to be no part of. Christopher gets rid of all of his money, except what he needs to get food and supplies, gets rid of all of his unnecessary belongings, and leaves behind everything. Christopher leaves behind all of his family and friends without saying goodbye, or giving any warning or explanation. Christopher realizes after he graduates college that he can either go along with what social order expects of him and get a job, have a family, and have a house, or he can do what he believes he needs to do and get away from all of that by leaving everything behind and going into the wild where everything is pure and natural, and where social order does not exist.

While I was watching the movie, I found myself feeling very sad and I had a sense of longing as I watched Christopher’s journey. I was feeling so badly because as I watched Christopher get away from everything in society and get into nature I wanted the same thing for myself. As I watched Christopher experience nature and see all of the...