A hero can be represented as an icon of an idea desired by the rest of the world, but when a hero is only romanticised as one it shields the true person behind the mask. Chris McCandless is such a hero, who has been published as a hero and phenomenal adventurist through Krakauer's book, "Into The Wild." Through Krakauer's writing, McCandless has since been elevated to a stature of an American hero, while underneath the story we can see McCandless not as an American hero, but under the more appropriate title of an American Idiot. Krakauer, through a transcendental tone towards McCandless, transformed the young boy of 24 to an American hero after his death, while in reality McCandless better fits the role of American idiot. While many adventurists see McCandless as a role model for those seeking to better themselves, McCandless's ignorance was his ultimate downfall. The author constantly romanticizes the actions of McCandless through transcendent tone while in reality McCandless was unaware of his predicaments and only shrugged off the real danger of his journey. Krakauer shows the boy as a hero seeking "opportunity in his predicaments while acting rashly while discarding of necessary possessions such as a rifle, and the burning of his money" (Krakauer 29). McCandless later realizes that one cannot survive without much needed supplies and regains some of what he lost to continue living on his great journey. Krakauer illustrates the action of burning his money as a poetic moment, almost inspiring, with a strong transcendentalist tone that makes the reader want to get rid of all possessions and burn their money as well, but this majestic illustration is false in its inability to show McCandless's rash nature and inability to think his actions through showing utter ignorance and childlike behavior. McCandless's ignorance is hard to pin through the makeup Krakauer has placed over the character, this prevents the readers from seeing the tru