INTO the Wild or OUT?

In these the two quotes that open the “Selections from Into the Wild” on page 344, we view Roderick Nash’s description of the “Romantic individual” and their desire to escape from society into the perfection of the wilderness. Estwick Evans is an example of the type of person Nash is referring to. Evans wishes to divest himself from the imperfections of civilization which shows his disgust with man and man’s work. Nash believes that this need to escape into the wilderness stems from “melancholy or exultation”. By saying this, Nash limits their purpose of entering into the wild while restricting what they are able to attain from their journey. While his statements may be true, Evans sheds light on a different perspective. Both authors agree on the fact that people who venture into the wild dislike civilization, yet Evans hopes “to find, amidst the solitude and grandeur of the western wilds, more correct views of the human nature and the true interests of man”. The words true and correct implies that civilization has moved toward an artificial and false world. The journey would bring him back to the truth.