Lauren Boykin
December 3, 2014
ENGWR 101
Dr. Kiefer
The Real American Man An American man, some would think of a heroic, buff, polite, gentle, loving, family orientated man. Yet, this is about the real American man. In Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless takes himself on a grand pilgrimage. Let the Water Hold Me Down, by Michael Spurgeon, tells a story of Hank who runs away from the fact that his decision ultimately led to his wife and daughter’s death. Each main character has a characteristic that is loved nationally wide, but some don’t look from the outside perspective. Hank and Chris both ran from inner demons, but one looked for the truth while the other declined it. The perspective of how these men ran away from their inner issues that mentally scared them for life. The standard point of view to look from is a psychology perspective. “…children and adolescents living with domestic violence are at increased risk of experiencing emotion, physical and sexual abuse, of developing emotional and behavioral problems and of increased exposure to the presence of other adversities in their lives.” (Holt, Steph.) Chris was exposed not just too domestic violence, but further found out his father held a secret family from his sister and him. Christopher didn’t realize that because of the exposure of domestic abuse he witnessed as a child that it had a dramatic toll of his emotions. “Posttraumatic stress disorder […] serious condition that can develop after a person has an experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened.” (“Posttraumatic Stress order (PTSD”) Hank knew his decision of going down a river, in the condition the river was in, led to the death of his wife and daughter because of this Hank lives in a false reality. In Let the Water Hold Me Down by Michael Spurgeon, Hank is consistently thinking about, what if? When Hank decided to go down the river with his wife and child is what lead his wife and child to their death. Even though Hank made an honest mistake he relives it, thinks about his wife or child all the time. “…first time I could remember that I’d looked at a woman since Jenn and that realization filled me with an overwhelming surge of guilt.” (Spurgeon, Michael. 41) Even a long time after the death of his wife, Hank, cannot move forward. His conscience acts as if his wife is still alive. “The river is swollen now, swollen but clear… The current is strong. The water rushes […] There are no features in the shadow it holds, no features save the clear darkness of the smooth stones … The water holds the darkness and it holds the man” (Spurgeon, Michael. 355) On the last page, the last chapter, Hank is still dramatized of what happen to his wife and child. There is no true climax in Let the Water Hold Me Down because Hank never makes that decision to do something, or move forward due to his psychology issue. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless was searching for the truth. McCandless experienced physical, mental, and emotional abuse from his father; he also experienced domestic abuse and found out his father hide a secret family. Which made McCandless want to search for the truth. Yet, even though McCandless found