How does author use syntax and specific examples throughout?

is
the arrangement of words that make up a sentence. It is closely related to . Diction is the
author's word choice, and syntax determines how the author uses those words within a sentence.
Take the following three sentences as an example.

• The boy kicked
  the ball happily.
• The boy happily kicked the ball.


• Happily, the boy kicked the ball.

Those three
sentences are all grammatically acceptable, but they vary in syntax to allow a writer to place
emphasis in specific locations or make the sentence more exciting.

An
effective author is capable of manipulating syntax and diction to create various moods and tones
in a text. 's is a good example of how an author changes syntax to paint a
particular picture. Krakauer isn't afraid of slowing the pace of the book down by using longer,
more convoluted sentences that require readers to take the text more seriously and deeply
contemplate what Krakauer is saying. Take the following quote as an example.

In trying to understand McCandless, I inevitably came to reflect on
other, larger subjects as well: the grip wilderness has on the American imagination, the allure
high-risk activities hold for young men of a certain mind, the complicated, highly charged bond
that exists between fathers and sons.

These kinds of
sentences occur when Krakauer is attempting to analyze what McCandless may have been thinking or
doing. Krakauer also does this in the chapters that focus on comparing McCandless to other men
that lost their lives in the wilderness. The final sections of the book also offer good examples
of Krakauer changing up his standard reporter syntax for longer, more contemplative sentences
filled with diction not commonly used.

There is something
disquieting about this Gothic, overgrown landscape. It feels more malevolent than other, more
remote corners of the state I knowthe tundra-wrapped slopes of the Brooks Range, the cloud
forests of the Alexander Archipelago, even the frozen, gale-swept heights of the Denali
massif.

These longer, more contemplative sentences
contrast sharply with sentences that Krakauer uses to describe McCandless's known actions or
when Krakauer paraphrases things that McCandless said. Krakauer will use much shorter sentences
in these cases, and they result in a quicker, more clipped, and decisive feel to the read. Take
the following quote as an example. It doesn't ask the reader to contemplate large ideas and
themes. It presents factual data in a quick and concise manner.

It was a two-hour drive from Fairbanks to the edge of Denali Park. The more they
talked, the less Alex struck Gallien as a nutcase. He was congenial and seemed
well-educated.

Generally speaking, this is how Krakauer
presents McCandless. He doesn't talk much, and when he does, it is direct, to the point, and
doesn't beg for follow up discussion.

Hell, no, Alex
scoffed. How I feed myself is none of the governments business. Fuck their stupid
rules.

Overall, the syntax of the book is reminiscent of
what readers might read in a magazine feature article. That shouldn't surprise readers, as
Krakauer has written many feature articles in his life for magazines. The book itself is
actually an extension of a feature article that he did write for Outside
magazine.