The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery and into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

The Soul of an Octopus and Into the Wild

Many authors use the same techniques in their writing in order to make their works easier to understand and professional. In both “The Soul of an Octopus” by Sy Montgomery and “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer, the authors skillfully use literary techniques to convey their purpose of writing out their stories. These two novels are true stories, one written in first person and the other in third. “Into the wild” gave life to a man on an extraordinary path that led to his eventual demise and truthfully telling the somber story of Christopher McCandless. “The Soul of an Octopus” shows the author's journey into a world of oceanography, and her experiences with many different creatures of the sea, but most specifically octopuses. Both of these books use literary evidence to help give their books life and get their purpose across. Several examples of evidence such as numbers, specialized knowledge and parallels, and physical details are used in both of these works of literature in order to help the readers understand the story.

Krakauer enhances the story by using specific dates and times to give the reader a more enhanced look at what actually happened to Christopher mccandless. Since the author had access to McCandless’ journal where he wrote down many things, the author had access to all the dates and information he had. Montgomery also uses this technique to give the reader a feeling of how long she was with the octopuses and gave a sense of how close she got with them in a small amount of time. While Montgomery doesn't typically give diginitive dates, she does give periods of time, such as periods of weeks and months.

Through this technique, Krakauer helps to develop Chris’s personality and conveys the author’s purpose of tell McCandless’s story. One method Krakauer uses is specialized knowledge and parallels. He uses this technique to draw parallels to himself and the main character. The author convinces the reader just how similar he and Chris are for example, “As a youth, I am told, I was willful, self-absorbed, intermittently reckless, moody. I disappointed my father in the usual ways. Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please” (Krakauer, 134). This quote directly describes how similar Chris and Krakauer are. The author’s goal in writing this story was to tell Chris’s story and give life to a truly eccentric man. He succeeds by describing how both his and McCandless’s journey had a huge impact on their personality and feelings towards society. During much of his trip, Chris avoided close relationships with people and had very little interaction with other human beings. As the reader learns more about the character and his life, we learn that he matured a great deal on his journey. Towards the end of his journey, he realizes, “happiness is only real when shared”. (Krakauer, 189) By adding this quote, the reader feels sympathy for Chris because he is in such poor condition. At this point in the novel, the reader feels connected to the main character and his exuberant personality. Montgomery also uses such parallels to her octopus friends. She compares the octopuses to herself in the way that they both have individual personalities and souls. “But what is the soul? Some say it is the self, the “I” that inhabits the body; without the soul, the body is like a lightbulb with no electricity. But it is more than the engine of life, say others; it is what gives life meaning and purpose. Soul is the fingerprint of God” (Montgomery, 113 ). “‘Just about every animal,’ Scott says—not just mammals and birds— ‘can learn, recognize individuals, and respond to empathy’” (Montgomery, 129. ). She uses these parallels to compare herself with the animals. “Although we couldn’t have been more different — I, a terrestrial