Chris Mccandless Compare And Contrast

“The moral of this story is that no matter how much we try, no matter how much we want it…some stories just don’t have a happy ending.”(Picoult). In “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer, it is obvious that his and Chris McCandless’ story are very similar. He can relate to Chris and almost looks up to him and it’s quite easy to see that. By looking at the author's own journey compared to McCandless’, their similarities, and their shared experiences, it’s easy to see that they both had similar journeys, and they both experienced a transcendental awakening but one journey ended in triumph while the other ended in tragedy.

b) In the beginning of his journey, Chris McCandless is very adventurous and has a positive outlook throughout his journey. “I’ll be fine with what I’ve got.” (Krakauer, 6) This shows he is happy, as he wanted to ‘live off the land’ and is eager to get there. By the end of his journey Chris is in need of help as he is starving in his base camp in Alaska. Although his poor health, and awareness that his death would come soon, he is overall content with his journey and had accepted his death writing in a death note, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may god bless all.” (Krakauer, 199) This shows he was in a happy state when he died that day. Chris’ character had not changed much throughout his journey because of who he

Seven billion people in the world, all with unique personalities, on this earth to serve a purpose in their own life, or someone else’s. Chris McCandless was a man with unique qualities, and served to please himself and coincedently others as well. In the book “Into the Wild” the author, Jon Krakauer, explains the adventures and mishaps Chris McCandless went through in his life. Krakauer admired Chris for his personality, and his ability to be determined and hardworking at everything he did. Chris McCandless was an admirable man, with his individual view on life, and the way he could touch a person’s life and impact them forever.

It’s the end of the school day. I finally breathe and release myself of the stress and the frustration of a normal school day. I sit on the benches outside and wait for my ride. With technology gone and no people to talk to, I just sit still. The evergreen trees gently move in some of the final gusts of the summer breeze. And as I’m looking at life’s beauty and as thoughts swim through my brain, I become frightened. Because, I have never thought of life, as a whole, so profoundly. It transforms into satisfaction. Without distractions, I sit with my thoughts and world’s alluring nature. As I relive this moment in my mind, I can’t help but think of Henry David Thoreau. How he just sometimes sat and took in everything, and absorbed everything

Christopher McCandless the newly graduated college student was more admirable to me because the way he made people so happy effortlessly. He left his mark on people he came in contact with and one person they’ll never forget. Before he disappeared he gave all of his money to a charity called Oxfam America. He could have burned that money with the rest or just left it in the account but he he was generous enough to write a check to the charity for $24,000. He was the type of person who didn’t want to take anything from anyone at all even his parents. His whole life he’d been living for his parents to make them happy. He knew what he had wanted for himself wasn’t what they wanted for him so it wouldn’t have left them happy and satisfied. Alexs sense of humor made him stand out the most to

“One of his last acts was to take a picture of himself, standing near the bus under the high Alaska sky, one hand holding his final note toward the camera lens, the other raised in a brave, beatific farewell. His face is horribly emaciated, almost skeletal. But if he pitied himself in those last difficult hours— because he was so young, because he was alone, because his body had betrayed him and his will had let him down—it’s not apparent from the photograph. He is smiling in the picture, and there is no mistaking the look in his eyes: Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God.”

hundred twenty-three dollars in legal tender was promptly reduced to ashes and smoke” (P. 29). Chris

Chris McCandless and Adam Shepard were both young adults who went on an adventure to show their independence and self-reliance. However their adventures differ from one another completely. Chris McCandless kept moving to different places with no money and did different jobs in order to get money for his travels. Adam Shepard moved to a town with $25 dollars in his pocket, lived in a shelter and built his way up. Chris McCandless’s adventure had a greater impact on society than Adam’s did because Chris motivated people, left an impression,helped others find happiness, and his adventure teaches more of a lesson.

In today’s world, us humans, are more focused on what new technology will change today. Many of us rather stay inside than go explore, therefore it is very unusual to hear about someone going out into the wild. In this essay, there will be comparing and contrasting two rebellike men that made a difference and an impact in many individuals lives. So, let’s start a journey by making a difference one step at a time. Chris McCandless, “a young man from a welltodo East Coast family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley.”

Chris McCandless, college graduate at 1990, went on a journey to find out the meaning of happiness. Adam Shepard also a college graduate,went out to prove the American

Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, and Henry David Thoreau embrace the true ideology of transcendentalism in their writings. Transcendentalism is the belief that people can spiritually grow by becoming one with nature. They believe, however, that they do not need things of this world to do so. Between their stories, we can clearly see the parallels between McCandless’s life and Thoreau’s life.

In the book, “Into the Wild,” Chris McCandless has a lot of things in common with Michael Donovan’s poem,”It’s All On Me.” Throughout Chris McCandless life, these writers have come up quite often. They have very inspirational writing to McCandless and he like the very dearly. They have shared themes with some of the stories they have wrote.

Kolby Nation, Conformity to Higher Principle Do you live deliberately? Chris McCandless did. He lived for the experience, and he did whatever he wanted. Chris McCandless pursued his dreams and beliefs, but in effect he estranged himself from his family and friends. His family offered to pay for his college and to buy him a new car, but he gave all of his college fund away to OXFAM, which is a non profit charity organization.

Former President John F. Kennedy once said, “I am an Idealist without Illusions”. Those juxtaposition of words could also be uttered to describe another individual in Christopher Johnson “Chris” McCandless. The two shockingly both die for their ideals and while most people know about JFK a lot don't know about McCandless. In Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild McCandless’s life is explained through various primary sources and McCandless was generally seen an extraordinary idealist.

“The one thing more dangerous than ignorance is arrogance”, Albert Einstein. Many people who have heard the story of Chris McCandless have argued that McCandless was arrogant and ignorant to do what he did. But his attempt to survive in the Alaskan Wilderness has also inspired and spoke to countless people in many different ways. Some people actually believe he was intelligent to do what he did, but, in my opinion, Chris was actually a very brilliant person, he was very successful in his college classes and had straight A’s the last semester before he left. I feel that this is what led him to believe he could take on the Wild with the little preparation that he had, it was his arrogance that led to his ignorance of the wild, and the people