On June 13, 1971, the New York Times headline read, “Vietnam Archive: Pentagon Study Traces 3 Decades of Growing U.S. Involvement”. Days earlier, Daniel Ellsberg provided the newspaper with excerpts from a 7,000-page classified study that became known as the Pentagon Papers. Just over 20 years later, moose hunters found the decaying remains of an adventurer in the Alaskan wilderness. The remains were concluded to be those of Chris McCandless, an affluent 20-something from Virginia, who wound up dead following his two-year long self-righteous odyssey. Author Jon Krakauer wrote an article on McCandless for Outside magazine, which later disseminated into a novel titled Into the Wild. At a glance, McCandless and Ellsberg may seem like polar …show more content…
Ellsberg’s case was later dismissed due to government mishandling and illegally obtained evidence by “The Plumbers” who later played a factor in the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s resignation. As Wayne’s World hit the silver screens across the US, Chris McCandless perished in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness. McCandless’ journey began with the purpose of living a minimalist lifestyle and finding his true self. Alaska was the final destination in the 22-year-old’s self righteous odyssey that spanned two years. After graduating from Emory University, McCandless cut all ties with his family and changed his name to Alexander Supertramp. His new identity alludes to his goal to be the superior vagabond as he traverses across the country. McCandless’ motivation for his odyssey was to retaliate against societal norms and live a minimalist lifestyle. Chris led this type of lifestyle to limit attachment and affection that would lead to heartbreak and resentment, and because of this, Chris never created a solid relationship with anyone. Chris McCandless’ journey into the wild was fueled by a disaffection to society’s accepted norms and his goal to uphold his principles at all costs.
Daniel Ellsberg and Chris McCandless share common ground in their natural talent for academia and in their post-secondary educational pursuits. According to Ellsberg’s biography on Biography.com, “...Ellsberg was also an extraordinarily gifted
Chris McCandless constructs identity through his actions during his life journey. In April 1992 Chris disappears into Alaska and tries to live in nature without any preparation and when his body is found no one knows who he is (Krakauer 7, 14). This action contributes to his identity because
In Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakauer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.
Chris McCandless was just a victim of his own obsession. The novel "Into The Wild" written by John Krakauer revealed the life of a young bright man named Chris McCandless who turned up dead in Alaska in summer 1992. In the novel, John Krakauer approached carefully McCandless's life without putting too much authorial judgment to the readers. Although Chris McCandless remained an elusive figure throughout the novel, I can see Chris McCandless as a dreamy young idealist who tries to follow his dream but failed because of his innocent mistake which prove to be fatal and irreversible. Still, Chris McCandless's courage and passion was something that we should all be proud of.
Wayne Westerberg was a grain elevator operator who befriends McCandless in north-central Montana in the fall of 1990. McCandless was a hitchhiker, Wayne decides to pick him up. Wayne perhaps got the impression that McCandless was in need of help and felt comfortable enough to give him a chance. When Wayne spoke of McCandless he always spoke highly of him, almost as if he cared strongly for him. “Serious stuff, like he was baring his soul, kind of.
The story of Chris McCandless has become a pop culture phenomenon. Many are fascinated by his desire to abandon his family and society and “walk into the wild” (Krakauer 69). Newscasts, magazine articles, movies, and books have tried to define what motivated him to give up everything for his Alaskan odyssey; however, the answers died with McCandless. People make assumptions about him without knowing his entire story. McCandless chose to do the unconventional, making people think he was either foolish or brave and determined, but ultimately he was selfish for doing what he did.
In 1992, when Chris McCandless abandoned modern society and fled to Alaska to find himself and, in the long run, lose his life, Americans from all over saw his death as a tragic downfall, and his story as a relatable and moving tale of a young man simply trying to make a difference. On the other hand, others looked at his journey to be an inevitable suicide-trip, considering his lack of supplies and overall experience. However, despite the fact that he was unprepared, McCandless, because of his ideas and motivation for a better world, was justified in shunning society in order to pursue his dream life on the Alaskan frontier.
In Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, he goes on to tell a story about a young man’s journey to find himself. Chris Mccandless, is determined to find himself despite that he is not fully prepared in the Alaskan wilderness. The way Krakauer writes Into the Wild is an adventure itself because even though we are fully aware of the ending, he gives a rich story on how Christopher found himself there.
Little things in one’s childhood can affect them in the long run and affect the decisions you make. In the book, Into the Wild, the author Jon Krakauer, tries to make the valid point that Chris McCandless was a hero, a noble and inspirational character. In the book, Krakauer fails to persuade the reader into the belief of the role that Chris McCandless was a “hero.” Chris McCandless was the son of two wealthy parents, and had so much great things going for him with a chance to a good working job and great opportunities, but instead to pursue in those opportunities he decided to get rid of all his possessions, and give everything up, even his family, and went on the journey to Alaska.
3. Krakauer argues in Chapter 14 that McCandless’s death was unplanned and was a terrible accident (134). Does the book so far support that position? Do you agree with Krakauer? Why or why not?
In Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction book, Into the Wild, we follow how humans love the wilderness, the strain of father son relationships, and for the majority of the book a young adult named Chris McCandless. We see mostly through Chris’ eyes just how much the wilderness can entice young adults as well as how important crushing news of one’s father can change your life. McCandless was an angry pseudo adult who couldn’t handle a sizeable change in his life. He was too stuck on it being his way that he rarely could bring himself to accept help and improve his ability to actually survive. However, there was some good about McCandless. His search for himself and the truth were great intentions despite the flawed approach.
Chris McCandless traveled to Alaska in April of 1992 for isolation from society, and unfortunately died in Fairbanks Bus 142 in August of 1992. His death is not what angers readers, but his lack of preparation and arrogance about the wilderness is what proves his “reckless narcissism”. His selfishness to not abide by his parent’s wishes for college and a decent job, his unpreparedness for wilderness survival, and his manipulation and lack of empathy for others is why readers believe he is a “reckless narcissist”. However, many people see him as a “noble idealist” for leaving society and all its amenities to live out his dream of in the wild.
Jon Krakauer wrote an extraordinary book entitled Into the Wild, which was adapted for film by Sean Penn. The book and film tell about McCandless life which the son of wealthy parents, who graduates from Emory University as a top student and athlete.McCandless was smart and love to write a real story, which that let him to go to Alaska, I agree with him to write a real story it should to be someone lived . Also, he was ignorant at the same time.
In the first passage of Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction novel, he argues that Christopher McCandless was thought to be an avid survivor of all terrain. In his two year journey, McCandless learns to live off “wild plants,” experiencing his “adventurous spirit” across North America. He encounters many people from Mexico to South Dakota, who set a trend of wonderment in what a “twenty-four-year-old vagabond” could be doing traveling the country with nothing but a backpack. His “figure out all on his own” attitude suited his “nomadic” life well. The “radical” lifestyle provides McCandless with a sense of newly found “solitude” until his unfortunate “great Alaskan odyssey,” that ultimately ends his life.
Opposing the lifestyle of Chris’s parents, he felt inferior to money and wealth. As Chris grew older, the more skeptical he became of his life. McCandless’s father became domestically violent and his mother, nonetheless, became emotionally indeterminate. Chris didn’t want to be involved with his overbearing, materialistic parents, much less accept that his father was living a faux life. As an escape, McCandless grew naturally with an infatuation of the wilderness. That being said, he loved what he saw and he felt as though sequestering himself from what was obviously given to us to discover was unacceptable. He gave up everything he had only to venture out into the wilderness to find a “better him,” which is a challenging thing
Chris McCandless died doing what he loved, but was it worth all of the pain and uncertainty he caused his family? Chris embarked on a journey through the Alaskan wilderness, which resulted in his demise. He cut ties with his family due to personal differences in opinion and travelled all around the country living off of the land for the most part. People have formed many different opinions of Chris McCandless, but its up to you to decide whether his actions were selfish or purposeful. In this Journal, I will be questioning the motives of McCandless, connecting with him, as well as evaluating the author.