In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, he tells the story of a young man named Chris McCandless by arranging interviews, speaking with people who knew him and using the letters he wrote to his companions. Chris McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, is a brilliant young man and after graduating from Emory University with full honors, he abandons most of his possessions and travels across the West, having a lasting impact on everyone he meets. He then hitchhiked to Alaska where he was found dead. In chapters 14 and 15, both titled "Stikine Ice Cap," Jon Krakauer interrupts the boy's story and shares his anecdote about his trip to Alaska to climb a dangerous mountain called Devils Thumb. Krakaure's goal is to refute the argument that McCandless is mentally ill because many others, like Krakauer, have attempted to "go into the wild", but they are lucky to survive unlike McCandless. While describing his rise, Krakauer expounds through descriptions and the uncertainty of personal relationships. Through the depiction of the Stikine Ice Cap as both terrifying and beautiful, Krakauer's ambivalence towards his journey is revealed. Looking at the aerial photograph of Devil's Thumb, Krakauer describes it as "particularly sinister" (135) and "gloomy" (153). By personifying the mountain as evil, Krakauer's fear intensifies because the mountain is difficult to climb and there is an underlying metaphysical danger. Additionally, the tangible blade-shaped summit ridges (135) indicate that the mountain is dangerous, dangerous and capable of killing climbers like a knife. During the second ascent, Krakauer passes through a “Gothic cathedral” (152). Krakauer isn't sure what to make of the Alaskan landscape. Sometimes he views the mountain as... middle of paper... increasingly anxious "because '[he] had neither radio nor any other means of communication with the outside world'" (140) . Krakauer's urgent need for help helps him recognize that he needs contact with the outside world not only to survive, but also to relive his innate desire to belong. Similarly, Krakauer states that "in such moments [while climbing the mountain], something that feels like happiness actually stirs in your chest, but it's not the kind of emotion you want to lean on very hard." » (143). the mountains are not fully satisfactory and reliable; he needs some of the happiness to come from friendships and relationships. While describing his rise, Krakauer exposes his ambivalent feelings towards his journey through descriptions of a frightening but wondrous landscape, fragility versus confidence, and uncertainty over personal relationships...