Chris McCandless is NOT a Hero in the Book, Into the Wild by John Krakauer

One would agree with the author that Chris McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with many people very well, but he did seem incompetent, even though he survived for a while in the wild on his own. It was amazing Chris survived for so long but he did know stuff about the wild, just not enough, but he was very bright and made good decision. Also on his journey he made friends easily and had a very strong impact on them.

Chris’s motives for leaving on his journey have been the subject of a lot of questions. We learn that Chris lived a difficult childhood and may have felt guilty for the challenging life his mother led. She made him feel as though his existence was the reason for her trouble. This caused Chris to feel guilty about his own existence. In the excerpt from the 2014 book The Wild Truth By Carine McCandless, Carine narrates, “I remember Chris crying desperately, in anguish

Into The Wild was a tremendous story which Shaun Callarman did not have many positive things to say about Chris McCandless, the main character. He went on this adventure to find out what life is all about in his own eyes. He wanted to see how different living in the wild really was compared to society because he was not satisfied with his living arrangements and household. Shaun’s quote says that he thinks “Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on arrogance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy,” shows that Shaun believes Chris had no common sense in his doing for leaving society for the wild. I agree with Callarman’s position for thinking “ he had no common sense” and that he

     One of the chief reasons why Chris McCandles had died of starvation in Alaska was because he was reckless. He was reckless because he was so ill prepared for his journey, and arrogant because he refused to listen to the advice of natives, such as Alex. Chris was intelligent and he knew the conditions of Alaska, but he did not prepare for it. Even after Chris was warned he was determined in carrying out his plans. He was also reckless in thinking that he would be able to come out of Alaska alive. Krakuer writes that Gallien said, ‘I said hunting wasn’t easy that where he was going he could go days without killing any game’ (Krakuer 6). He adds that ‘Alex didn’t seem too worried and he wouldn’t give an inch. He had an answer for everything I threw at him’ (Krakuer 6). If Chris was properly prepared he may have made it out of Alaska alive, rather than dying of starvation. However, he traveled with cheap leather hiking boots, a .22 caliber that was

Chris McCandless was possessed by a nomadic existence and was trying to share his principle of life to his friend by telling that the truth about life was to explore the nature. Chris McCandless's last letter to Wayne revealed his true passion of nature. "This is the last you shall hear from me...I now walk into the wild"(pg 69). Some people concluded that it was Chris McCandless's suicide letter. However, in my opinion, Chris McCandless was just a victim of his own ego, pride and confidence that made him to neglect basic precautions that keep one person alive. He was controlled by his own delusions and that made him eager to test himself into strenuousness which proved fatal to him.

Chris was a very stubborn individual and never wanted to compromise his morals to please others. Chris never listened to suggestions or advisement of others as he was on his journey. His incompetence and inability to take other people’s advisement into account was ultimately was caused his death. Gallien tried to warn McCandless of the rough conditions by telling him “the hunting wasn’t easy where he was going, that he could go days without killing any game” (Krakauer 5). Gallien is just one example of someone who tried to help McCandless realize that living alone in Alaska would be very gueling, but McCandless assumed that if he could survive for a month in the Gulf of California, he would also be able to thrive in Alaska. Of course Chris ignored Galliens advice and did things his own way because he’s stubborn. One of Chris’ flaws was that he had very strong opinions that were so different from the rest of society and was fiercely independent. Chris’ beliefs and points of view led to him going into the wild without anyone aware of his whereabouts. Chris never wanted help from anyone and he expressed this when he said, “I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own”(Krakauer 6). Chris also “hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years”(Krakauer 6). Both of these quotes emphasize the fact that he felt the need to be utterly alone. If Chris had told someone his real name and his desired destination then he wouldn’t have died alone in Alaska. Chris would’ve been better off if he had listened to the advice he was given and if he had told people about his whereabouts.

Firstly, Carelessness plays a role in Chris’s death. Chris is a person who feels he does not need to prepare in advance, and, “…there seemed to be little doubt that McCandless-rash and incautious by nature-had committed a careless blunder confusing one plant for another, and died as a consequence” (192 Krakauer). Chris lacked the information of what not to eat. He did not care beforehand to even glance at a book, so he just ate whatever he wanted. Starvation took held quickly in

Chris McCandless was a hero to many people throughout his life and he was often considered a hero to most. But, a lot of people criticized his errors along the journey. When Chris died, his impact on society was mostly positive, and the people who he met remembered his accomplishments that he has made in their life. His passing let people remember him for what he has done to help others along the way. His mistakes and flaws added up from the first day he started this path of life. Throughout the story, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is claimed to be a hero by many of the few he met across his journey to Alaska. However, a

If you attempted to talk him out of something, he wouldn’t argue. He would just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted” (Krakauer 182). Chris did exactly as Carine stated he would when someone tried to stop his trip to Alaska. Chris understood what the trip to Alaska would entail but decided to continue anyway. He was confident in his abilities and constantly felt the need to challenge those abilities. According to Jon Krakauer, “He had a need to test himself in ways, as he was fond of saying ‘that mattered’. He possessed grand- some would say grandiose- spiritual ambitions” (Krakauer 182). Although Chris’s ambition is surely admirable it also could be credited as his tragic flaw. Chris strived for perfection in everything he set his mind to. He refused to listen to individuals who were trying to help him when saying he was ill prepared; instead he ignored their efforts and went into the wild. Chris’s unpreparedness could later be identified as the cause of his death but in his mind, his supporters would like to believe, it did not matter. Chris died doing what he loved, living in isolation with nature being his only companion.

Chris is a charismatic young man, but takes extensive measures to ensure he does not become too close with anyone. By going out into the wild without so much as a letter to his parents,

The only person to blame for Chris’ death is himself. There are many reasons and explanations backing this point up. Chris wanted to go out into the wilderness by himself to try to better understand himself. Chris wanted a detox from society. There are many other ways to get away from society, but Chris went to the extreme.

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

Christopher McCandless was an adventurer no doubt. He spent the last few years of his life living purely off the land and exploring, doing what he felt called to do. However, to venture off on such an intense, dangerous, and wild journey, a person most likely has some deeply thought out reason as to why he or she is embarking on the mission. Chris himself seems to have had some reasons, besides his curiosity, as to why he explored. However, he made a decision to leave without truly thinking about just how dangerous his journey was going to be. Due to his rash actions, Chris eventually died in an abandoned bus out in the wild. Now, some folks today think that Chris was a hero for doing what interested him and for doing his own thing without worrying about the trivial things in life. However, I have reason to believe that Chris was indeed not a hero. Instead, I believe that Chris McCandless’s journey into the wild was rash, ludicrous and foolish.

In the book Into the Wild written by John Krakauer, Chris McCandless plans to abandon his life and live off the land, traveling from South Dakota all the way to Las Vegas and many other remote locations in the U.S. There was something inside of Chris that drew him into the wilderness. In May of 1990, Chris took off, abandoning everything and everyone and set off into the wild, where he had big plans for his next two years. In the summer of 1992, Chris McCandless turned up dead in Alaska. A series of unfortunate events led to his death. Even though things didn’t turn out how Chris planned, he achieved everything he wanted. Ever since he was young, he had a passion that could only be attained by leaving everything behind and living off of

Chris had a horrible childhood his parents were never around him and his sister had to learn things on there own. When they did have parents was when their father would beat them for doing something wrong, but how would they know it was wrong when they didn't have parents to teach them. In the article the wild truth McCandless sister tells us how her father has pleasure on beating them “I will never forget craning my neck in search of leniency, only to see the look of sadistic pleasure that lit up my father's eyes and his terrifying smile like an addict in the climax of his high”. When he was a child his mother would tell him horrible things such as “when I got pregnant with Chris, I got stuck with your father”. As a child you don't understand what that means and in the article the wild truth Mccandless sister tells us how “she remembers Chris crying desperately and apologizing for causing such trouble”.