Indeed, I'm implying I haven't read the book, only an excerpt or two and a description of its contents. But then again, I haven't compared how the book and film made me feel, just the differences in content and how Penn gives Clarice a direct "voice" to address us.

There's considerable debate about what exactly caused McCandless to die. Krakauer himself amended his original text in this regard and, apparently, the new Lamothe documentary presents new evidence based on an analysis of what he ate in Alaska (which was painstakingly documented by him in his journal), his body weight at the time of death, etc.

I agree with your comments about a young man's rejection of family being age-appropiate and often temporary.