Rhetorical Analysis in into the Wild

Chris McCandless wrote a letter to a dear friend who goes by the name Ron Franz. In this letter, he strives to persuade not only Ron, but also the audience to abandon a life of structure and adopt a life of simplicity and freedom. McCandless successfully constructs his argument by using tone, repetition, and juxtaposition.

Chris McCandless’ foundation for his argument begins with his tone in accordance with his word choice. The letter begins with a small anecdote that includes his best wishes for Mr. Franz. As the letter continues he begins offering his advice in hope that Ron will join his lead in living a materialistic free life. McCandless states, “You had a wonderful chance on your drive back to see one of the greatest sights on earth, the Grand Canyon, something every American should see at least once in his life.” This was not said to offend him in any way. Instead it exemplifies Chris’ argument. He wishes that everyone may appreciate and be open to the beauty of the world. He believes that nature is often ignored, or over-looked. All in all, McCandless’ advice is coming from a good place, near and dear to his heart. The letter is sincere in the effort that he wants the best for Franz. It’s almost like Chris’ way of personally thanking him and encouraging him to live a life like his own. A life he has found an uncontrollable amount of happiness in.

Throughout McCandless’ argument there is a large amount of repetition. There is repetitiveness in not only words and phrases, but also ideas. By doing this, he is establishing the importance of the point he is trying to get across. That is, “… you should really make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things in which you may previously never have thought of doing.” After making this point, McCandless continues to support his argument by stating his personal beliefs based off of his own experiences, providing more concrete evidence- even though it is based on