In defense of Christopher Mccandless : dismantling the image of the erroneous reading of Jack London

Abstract EN

This paper is interested in Chris Ma Candless, the famous Alaska trekker, whose journey was restituted in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild.

The article aims at examining Chris's reading of Jack London's Alaskan fictions in order to displace the pervasive view that the young voyager misread his favorite writer and entirely missed London's warning message against the indifference of nature.

The defense of Chris relies on Norman Holland's concept of Identity Theme that excludes the value judgment of wrong/right reading in literature.

Chris's reading of London is seen as a transformation of his inner fears, wishes and passions into an adventurous and transcending experience.

Hence, what critics have 'unfairly' regarded as misinterpretation/misreading is indeed Chris's subjective response to London's legacy.