Into the Wild is a book written by a man named John Krakauer. It follows the life of a young man, Chris McCandless, who came from a wealthy family in Georgia. For some reason, Chris was never happy with the life or family he was born with. He spent most of his young life trying to please his father. Part of this attempt included attending Emory University for four years, after spending a summer adventuring. After graduating from Emory, Chris began his second adventure, which would prove to be fatal.
When Chris McCandless’s body was found in the Alaskan wilderness nine days after his death, there were many speculations as to how he died. The physical evidence pointed to starvation, but some didn’t think Chris had ever planned on coming home from Alaska alive. However, days before he died, Chris had written in his journal about eating some bad “pot. seeds,” which led others to believe he had accidentally poisoned himself.
There are many ways for a person to starve; in poor countries, starvation can be caused by lack of money and too many people. It can also happen if one intentionally doesn’t eat for a certain amount of time, as in the case of an eating disorder. Starvation can also be caused by severe gastrointestinal disease, or a coma/stroke where the person doesn’t get medical attention.
There are three main stages of starvation. The first thing that happens is that glycogen (stored sugar) is turned into glucose, which the body uses for energy. There’s only enough glycogen stored in the liver to last a few hours, so when it’s gone, the body begins breaking down proteins and fats to use as energy. The second stage can last for several weeks, and during these several weeks the body breaks down and converts more proteins and fats that are not necessary for survival. The third stage of starvation begins when muscle proteins (heart, biceps, quads, etc... ) begin to be broken down for energy.
No matter what the cause, all evidence points to Chris McCandless starving to death. He could have been poisoned by the seeds he ate; he could have been so weak that he couldn’t forage; he could have just given up.


I liked the book, and I thought it was much better than the movie.