Chris Mccandless Flaws

His carelessness rested with his opinions on rules and laws. While travelling the first part of his journey in his yellow Datsun, McCandless drove his car to Lake Mead. “Ignoring posted warnings that off-road driving was strictly forbidden, McCandless steered the Datsun off the pavement where it crossed a broad, sandy wash” (27, Krakauer). His ignorance showed through when his car was left after a flash flood because the battery had burned out. McCandless could have made his trip immensely more simple if he had just listened to the warning signs, but that is not how he works. He likes to be different and stray from the law which can be seen yet again in another incident; “Unable to find work in the rainy Northwest, McCandless has hopped a series of freight trains back to the desert. In Colton, California, he was discovered by another bull and thrown in jail.” (54, Krakauer). By getting thrown in jail McCandless risked the option of his parents finding out where he was and ruining his entire trip. Another reason it was careless to put himself in a situation where he could, and did, get arrested are his emotional ties to other

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.

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.

For someone to have plans to survive in the harsh wilderness of the Alaskan frontier many have said that McCandless was completely un prepared as recalled in the first chapter of the book by Jim Gallien who picked up McCandless outside of Fairbanks Alaska and drove him to the stampede trail, the beginning of Chris’s journey into the wild. “He wasn’t carrying anywhere near as much food and gear as you’d be expecting a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip.” (Krakauer 4) Through the research that Krakauer completed we know that Chris was carrying only a ten-pound bag of rice and some paperback books along with other camping supplies. Jim

Christopher McCandless was a unique individual, and the trials that he had went through in

The first reason why McCandless left into the woods was because of the family issues with his parents. In the book McCandless states “I'm going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live¨(Krakauer 64). He wanted to do this because he parents were trying to control him and his decision to stay or go. But McCandless had enough of them and was tired of them trying to control his whole life. I understand where McCandless was coming from because I feel the same way he did right before he left.

but I admire what he was trying to do. Living completely off the land like that, month after month, is incredibly difficult. I've never done it. And I'd bet you that very few, if any, of the people who call McCandless incompetent have ever done it either, not for more than a week or two. Living in the interior best for an extended period, subsisting on nothing except what you hunt and gather–most people have no idea how hard that actually is.

When he makes these choices to disregard any type of help from others he is only making his survival harder and harder. McCandless received help from multiple people one of them more experienced with Alaska than he is, but he decided that he would be better off without

(pg 22-23) This was a big goal for him but a big mistake for him later in his journey. He wasnt ready for the trip! Personley in my point of view, McCandless is a smart person. He knows what

A father is a son’s first hero. No love is greater than that of a son to his father. A son grows up aspiring to be everything his father is, but what happened when you discover that your father isn’t half the man you thought he was? In Jon Krakauer’s novel entitled, Into the Wild the protagonist Chris McCandless discovers that his father was once living and secret life. One in which his father and mother hid from him, and upon discovery of this dark knowledge he slowly began to denounce himself as a “McCandless”.

McCandless wanted to find

Mccandless ventured into the Alaskan wilderness with very little food, no form of shelter, and no knowledge of the terrain or what he was going to be facing in the wild. If he would have had knowledge of the area, or maybe a map, he would have noticed a cabin about a mile away from the bus.

McCandless was a man who should not be seen as a hero and someone to follow and praise. McCandless was a man who we should see as a coward and even selfish in his actions. He ran away from home without a trace or note, leaving his family in deep panic and never sent them any updates. McCandless ran away from his problems rather than trying to solve them. lastly he was arrogant in his actions going into living in Alsask nearly blind with no experience at all. This is why McCandless should not be placed on the pedestal he is put on and instead should be seen as an example of what not to

Many people today only care about themselves, and do not go out of their way to help others in need or if they do help others they expect something in return for their good deed. McCandless on the other hand loved to help others in a time of need, and never wanted anything in return. If he was offered something he would turn it down.

One may say that Chris McCandless was an arrogant fool considering the decisions he made throughout his short life. Others may say he was an incredible inspiration and should be honored beyond his death for his choices. McCandless may have made some questionable choices within his journey, yet he was nothing less of an inspiration to those who feel that they have not ‘found themselves’ and deserves respect for the impact he has made. Although he is respectable, he also had ample flaws that may have led him to his tragic ending.