Monday, November 28, 2011

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In both Fantastic Mr. Fox and Into the Wild the desire for adventure and a deep need for change from monotonous life was a driving factor in why the characters did what they did. Both characters cannot stand the everyday get up, go to work, come home routine of normal life and from that, both get into trouble in the pursuit of adventure.

Chris Mccandless in Into the Wild didn't even want to go to college, however his parents wouldn't allow that and he went into pre-law. I don't believe he ever intended to become a lawyer. When he was in high school he would go to the bad parts of town on Friday nights and try to help people. He had deep psychological problems with society and didn't really fit in. So once he had completed his undergrad, he donated his money to charity and took off on the road to nowhere. After exploring most of the continental US, he wanted to go to the final frontier of adventure this country has to offer, Alaska. After rail hopping and hitchhiking his way across Canada he wandered off into the wilderness never to be seen alive again.

On the other hand Mr. Fox also got himself into trouble because he was bored with his office life as a reporter, one he adopted once getting married. He yearned for the life he used to know as a thief. When his nephew came and reminded him of his younger self, he decided to give it another shot. He lies to his family and sneaks out at night returning home with goods of various kinds. However, when the big three farmers in town figure out that he is the one raiding their farms, they go on the offensive. This leads to his family finding out, and the entire city of animals being forced to hide underground with no food.

In both of these stories the characters wish for something more than mundane daily life. They desire adventure and excitement in their lives and do things in the pursuit of this adventure that ultimately get them in a log of trouble. In Chris's case, he ended up starving to death in the Alaskan wilderness, Mr. Fox's case, homeless with a very angry town. Everyone desires adventure in some way, it's just how we manage the risks taken to achieve this excitement. When the risks are too great it's just not worth it.

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