The book has a sophisticated language and a style of narrative weaving that avoids the typical non-fiction chronological plot that goes from A to B. Krakauer considers others' arguments, including those who think McCandless was an idiot and interesting. McCandless's journal reveals that he was a bit of a dreamer, but also that he was no idiot, surviving in the wild for 4 months. Krakauer even supplements the stories of other dreamers who entered Alaska and died, demonstrating that there are similar motives, but different approaches. Krakauer even adds some of his own misadventures to supply reasons for his investment in the story, giving him authorial credibility that many non-fiction writers lack. The author is also careful to point out that these hypermasculine adventures, these right-of-passage communes with nature are also unreachable in most cases. McCandless himself was within a few miles of others, revealing his idea of getting lost in the wild, living a completely isolated lifestyle, was negated. Krakauer's point is important in a time when gender behaviors and expectations are changing; the young male is no longer expected to face death in order to prove his manliness.