My analysis of Into the Wild (featuring shoutouts to Wendell Berry and Huck Finn), for all the literature lovers out there!

The 2007 adaptation of Krakauer's book -- the true story of ill-fated adventurer Christopher McCandless -- remains one of my favorite films. While I’m still drawn to its transcendentalist aesthetic and its romantic portrayal of travel and ascetic rebellion, I’ve grown to think that this tragic story's deepest value is its reminder of the irreplaceable importance of community. After all, “Happiness [is] only real when shared.”

In this video essay, I draw from what might seem like an unlikely source -- an analysis of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Wendell Berry -- to explore this tension between the desire for adventure/escape and the deeper sense of freedom and meaning that is found in willing community membership.

An adapted form of the script of this video was actually published at Front Porch Republic! https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/20...

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 Introduction
01:51 Escape in Huck Finn
03:06 Escape in Into the Wild
04:01 Huck Finn as America
05:24 Redefining Freedom
07:44 The Necessity of Community

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*Read my video scripts and other writings on my blog: https://moonlightingenglishteacher.wo...

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*Sources
- Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild -   / 1845.into_the_wild  
- Terrence Malick, A Hidden Life - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5827916/
- Wendell Berry, “Writer and Region” in What Are People For? -   / 146153.what_are_people_for  
- Wendell Berry, “The Hidden Wound” -   / 227313.the_hidden_wound  
- Wendell Berry, “The Dance” in The Wheel -   / 470855.the_wheel  

*Music (Creative Commons Attribution)
- “Wanderlust” by Scott Buckley (   • 'Wanderlust' [Calm Folksy Mandolin CC...  ​)
- “The Play - Acoustic Version” by Oak Studios (   • [No Copyright Music] The Play - Acous...  ​)
- "Woods" by Oak Studios (   • [No Copyright Music] Woods - Acoustic...  )
- "Soothe" by Oak Studios (   • [No Copyright Music] Soothe - Relaxin...  )



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TAGS - #intothewild, #analysis, #community, #happinessonlyrealwhenshared, American literature, movie review, film commentary, hidden meaning, deep meaning in movies, communal living, consumerism, materialism, adventure, nature, environmentalism, family, Thoreau, Walden, travel movie,