How Is Chris Mccandless Selfish

Some people find happiness in the things we would not consider. Jon Krakauer’s “Into The Wild” tells a story about a young man, Chris McCandless, who rids himself of all materialistic things and goes off to live in the wilderness. McCandless was different from other individuals. He wanted to isolate himself from society in the pursuit of happiness. Although many defined Chris McCandless as “a nutcase”, “a sociopath”, and even “an outcast”, Krakauer characterized McCandless’s true identity as a pilgrim. I believe that McCandless can be identified as a pilgrim because he went on his journey for the reason of passion, simplicity, and in search for truth.

Chris McCandless is a whacko for many reasons. First he took his license, money, and social security card and burnt them all. I personally thought that was a stupid idea because with money you can buy the supplies you need to go on with the quest. With the licenses people can identify him if he is in danger. Social security card is to show that you are a U.S citizen. Without these items Chris is putting himself in great danger. These are steps that easily lead to his death, it's like he was waiting for it to happen.

Chris McCandless is one of the most courageous people I have ever heard of. Not only did he go into the wilderness for several months; he also did this with barely any supplies in an attempt to prove himself. The book, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer depicts the story of a young man, Chris McCandless, who went on a journey into the wilderness to find himself. McCandless did not have a great relationship with his family and decided that he was going to leave home and embark on this trip in order to understand the true meaning of life. Although Christopher McCandless did go into the wild with very minimal equipment, he was not an idiot; Chris deserves to be admired for what he set out to do during this time.

It has been very perplexing reading this novel and trying to truly understand the motives one would have to have to make the decisions McCandless made. I am questioning Chris’ motives for cutting ties with his family and travelling all around the country. I think that he truly had a deep love and spiritual connection with nature. It began as a young child when Walt McCandless (Chris’ father) took Chris on many excursions in the outdoors, such as hiking in the mountains. Chris immediately fell in love with nature and all of the pleasures it had to offer. Also, Chris was motivated by his withering relationship with his family. Early in his life his parents worked tirelessly and it was difficult for Chris to spend time and build a solid relationship with them. Throughout his young life he had disagreed with his parents about many aspects of life. It was said that he

Christopher McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, was brave and adventurous. Chris was not an outcast, or an incompetent person. He was an elaborate man, who risked a lot to walk Into The Wild. He achieved serenity, and accomplished his goals. His expedition proved fatal, but purposeful.

Therefore, I believe that he was surely foolish”. No matter your religious belief we can all agree that life is precious and that we should not be careless with the life we are given. Mccandless’s recklessness and utter disregard for the value of life are saddening, egotistic and ludicrous. Chris Mccandless was a decent person that touched many lives and accomplished many things in hs short life. “Chris McCandless was deeply kind and supremely selfish; tremendously brave and jaw-droppingly foolish; impressively competent and staggeringly inept; that is to say, he was hewn from the same crooked timber as the rest of us”( “What Everyone Is Getting Wrong About Chris McCandless” Ivan Hodes).

Chris McCandless was an intelligent young man who decided to leave college, his dysfunctional family, and conventional society with hope of gaining enlightenment by exploring the wilderness. Unfortunately, he starved to death while camping in Alaska’s interior. Chris McCandless is a polarizing figure due to his unorthodox and transcendental ideals and the way that he died. Some individuals label McCandless as “a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity.” Others believe Chris McCandless was courageous, noble, and admiral for adhering to his rigorous moral ideals. Although both arguments contain valid points, the second party’s interpretation of Chris McCandless is closer to the truth.

Being selfish is a common human trait. The freedom many people want has now become a basic need. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer showed that Chris McCandless was selfish to look for the experience of ultimate freedom. In the search for freedom, Chris coldly broke many bonds with friends. He broke the hearts of his family and made them worry to an intolerable extent. McCandless did not want to be found and he wanted to be a nobody. Chris McCandless’ trip to Alaska was selfish because he did not care about who he abandoned or hurt in the search of freedom.

When first finding out what Chris, I read, "The final two years of his college education had been paid for with a forty-thousand dollar bequest... Chris graduated with a 3.72 GPA from Emory University... he was offered membership in Phi Beta Kappa but declined, insisting the titles and honors are irrelevant" (20). Chris was very book smart, his GPA proved it. He also donated thousands of dollars to a hunger charity because just like titles and honors, Chris didn’t feel the need for money either. He didn’t care for material things, but instead humbled himself with more important, less expensive items, like his 1982 Datsun.

If not for the reasons above, he was clearly selfish due to the fact that he made relationships with people only to leave when they were no longer necessary for him. On Chris’s selfish quest for “ultimate freedom” he had a tendency to form bonds with people and allow them to provide for him. A few examples are, Wayne Westerberg. Chris meet Wayne and Wayne offered Chris a job. Chris kept intact, even when he was not working for Wayne. When the time came for Chris to go to Alaska he knew he had a job so that he could buy supplies and leave. Another example was when Chris went to the trailer park. After just a week “a seventeen-year-old named Tracy, fell in love with McCandless” (44) Another example of how Chris selfishly formed relationships to leave was with Ron Franz. Ron had formed a strong bond with Chris. The first time Chris left Ron, Ron felt great sadness but when Chris called Ron for help, Ron could not help but be relieved of some of the sadness. When Ron heard Chris’s voice, “it was like sunshine after a month of rain” (53). Chris, did not feel this kind of bond though. Chris only needed Ron for a place to stay and a friend until it was time to go to Alaska. Ron felt such a strong bond that he asked Chris if he could adopt him. Then without a solid answer Chris “slipped painlessly, out of Ron Franz’s life as well… Franz became so attached to McCandless so quickly, but the affection he felt was genuine, intense, and

Have you ever let unhappiness take control of your life? They are many people that live unhappy because of their everyday problems. These types of people take no time to change their situation they are in. In the book, Into the Wild, by John Krakauer a young male lives a nomadic lifestyle. His name is Christopher McCandless.

While some argue that Chris McCandless was reckless and lost his life because of it, I agree with those who said he was a courageous man. People today are so comfortable with the life they live that they don’t understand when someone else chooses to live a unique and different life. Society is quick to judge and people often say they would never do something so selfish. However, many people fear what is not considered normal. “I wish I could just run away and leave everything behind” is said so frequently because often those who say it are unhappy with their lives. Many people are too afraid to change their lives, but Chris McCandless wasn’t scared to leave everything behind in order to find happiness. Instead of living a comfortable life

Selfish; the lack of consideration for others; obsessed with one’s personal profit or pleasure. Lots of people want the best life for themselves, others tend to give up chances that many would die for. In Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild, the theme of selfishness is explored. He causes damage and lost to his family, no connection with them for year, careless. Krakauer clearly mentions his wealth, a poor usage of opportunities. In the book, Chris demonstrates relationships that he has acted insensitive towards. McCandless is selfish because of his insensitivity towards others, the pain he causes to his family and the poor usage of his family's wealth.

Christopher Johnson McCandless is a respectable man in so many ways but, yet such a foolish man in many others. Chris McCandless possessed a seemingly ever-lasting bravery that constantly shined through his unique and matchless character. He was very righteous in himself to the point in which he kept himself from any sin or evil, committing his life to what seemed like an idea of celibacy, not just in refraining from any desire of flesh but also in all lusts of life with his diligent power of will that constantly shined through his exterior. Onto the contrary of his good characteristics, McCandless remained to be very foolish in his decisions and under takings, whether it be by his arrogance of sheer narrow mindedness.

After one graduates from college; there are several things that happen. Generally people go out and find a job and become useful to society. They go out and find a nice girl to marry and have children. Life becomes more or less systematic and repetitive. Chris gave up all of these to chase a wild dream that inevitably led to his death. Chris was a selfish child. He exhibited many of the