WAS CHRIS SIMPLY DEFYING AUTHORITY, OR WAS HE MOTIVATED BY SOMETHING GREATER? Although Chris McCandless’ controlling and toxic family environment was a major motive for his escape, his deep-seated internal battle was simply an irresistible impulse for discovery and liberty. Chris’ journey shows a new level of freedom; what true independence holds. He set out into nature alone without support of family or friends, searching for a path unlike those of most, and running from a barred cage of conventional living. Unsatisfied and somewhat angry with himself and his life of abundance in money, opportunity, and security, his preceding experiences and determined character lead him to an inevitable flee into no-mans land. Throughout the novel, Krakauer wants the reader to understand that there is more to Chris than his habit of criticising authority and defying society’s pressures. He needed more from himself, and more from life. He wasn’t an ordinary man, therefore could not live with an ordinary life. Krakauer demonstrates this by creating a complex persona for Chris that draws you in from the beginning. With a silent yet inescapable list of expectations, the pressure of society, and his damaged parents, one could believe that the adventure he embarked on was a way to remove himself from his destructive environment. However Chris had never experienced independence in his life. He felt separated from everyone with few friends and a well-off family that was tragically broken, and
Jon Krakauer had the same experience as McCandless with his family and travel to Alaska, but Krakauer knew more about survival and had company in case of any danger. Krakauer compares, “as a young man, I was unlike Mccandless in many important regard… And I suspect we had a similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul” (55). Acknowledging McCandless’s background, Chris left society because, in Krakauer’s point of view, of the “agitation of the soul” and the “similar heedless” of society. McCandless didn’t agree with society’s standards that being successful meant having a well paid occupation, especially when McCandless’s parents enforced it onto him. McCandless truly did not want to uphold the wishes of his parents, for Chris to go to college and get high paying career, but it wasn’t what Chris really wanted, so he left all of his conflicts with his parents and his values or “agitation of the soul” to create a new identity as Alex Supertramp and live in the wild. In today’s modern world, humanity lives in an environment where people are controlled and dependent on others. Chris’s father is someone he despises because of his characteristic of being controlling. Walter becomes controlling over Chris, who pressured him into college. As a result, Chris has an “agitation of the soul” to become independent, and a “heedlessness” for society and had an “intensity” for
Chris McCandless could be said as someone willing to take risks and live his life the way he wanted, without regretting it. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, a man by the name of Chris McCandless set out to live in the wild in Alaska. After two years of traveling on the west coast, he decided to set out on an Alaskan Odyssey. To readers, Chris McCandless’ life may have been a tragedy the way it ended, but to Chris, he was happy with how his life ended because he had lived the life he had always wanted without regret. Chris McCandless was a static character whose essence remained the same throughout the book because he was stubborn and selfish, his attitude towards the journey never changed, and he lived his life the way he wanted.
His arrogance was building up in the book when he was in high school, ¨He did his lab reports but not in the correct format, so the teacher gave him an F.¨ (Krakauer 110). Chris was a smart kid, but he always believed that he was the right and refused to take any opposition from anyone, becoming independent of others. His father quietly says, "...if you tried to coach him, to polish his skill, bring out the final ten percent, a wall went up. He resisted instruction of any kind," (Krakauer 110). He also valued wealth and power being an extravagant thing that causes evil. His conscience bothered him and felt ashamed with the luxuries he had that others couldn't afford and brought food to one of the filthiest streets lined with homeless people. Which was one of the reasons he chose to live independently sometimes going without food for days. Chris McCandless writes, "Tramping is too easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal... I've decided that I'm going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up." (Krakauer
Into The Wild Essay In the novel, Into The Wild, author Jon Krakauer tells the story of Chris “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless and his journey across the United States. Krakauer argues for Chris in the story about how him and Chris are greatly alike, also argues for the fact that Chris is not a stupid, tragic, and an inconsiderate person as what Peter Christian (an Alaska Park Ranger) stated about Chris. Krakauer argues for McCandless and he makes a great argument that has changed what side others are on. Chris does go on his journey with little experience but he learns from others along his way to Alaska.
Krakauer uses this theme in order to lead the audience up to his reveal of Chris considering to return to civilization and to possibly forgive his parents for their immoral behavior. In the second epigraph, Krakauer borrows a quote from Boris Pasternak which states that you “cant advance in a certain direction without a certain faith.” Krakauer links this quote to Chris due to the fact that he strived to preserve his moral purity and to find more meaning in life by embarking on dangerous adventures in the nature, which allowed him to live a more fulfilling life. Krakauer further elaborated on the dangers which Chris faced during his time in the wilderness of Alaska by explaining the several types of poisonous plants which Chris was unfortunately exposed to, which resulted in his eventual death. Returning to the epigraph, Krakauer states that the only way desires such as these are maintained is by having personal connections with other people, which is a means of formulating the element of a “free personality” and offering “life as a sacrifice.” In this chapter, Krakauer recounts that one of Chris’ diary entries stated that he was willing to “shed some of the armor he wore around his heart,” and instead “intended to abandon the life of a solitary vagabond.” These writings from Chris may serve as an indication of the fact that Chris planned on leaving Alaska and returning to society in order to most likely rekindle the relationships which he left behind. Krakauer also manages to tie the events which occurred in Chris’ life to the overarching course of human history, which consists of huge advancements in challenging areas of life such as science and mathematics that are produced by the deep struggle to overcome the inescapable threat of
The wilderness is a place full of adventure and mystery. It is a place to feel free and experience new things. Chris McCandless loved all of those things. Chris McCandless (or Alexander Supertramp) is the main character in the novel “Into The Wild” by Jon Krakauer. Krakauer wrote about Chris’ life in the wild. He talks about Chris’ hatred of authority, his relationship with his family, and his journey before going into the wild. Krakauer was inspired with McCandless’s story and believed that he was a smart man who followed his dream and lived a life not many people would be able to handle. I agree with Krakauer's statement about Chris McCandless being a leader and not a follower, he lived the life he wanted and didn’t care what others thought about him.
Chris McCandless was an inexperienced, idiotic young man who didn’t know what he was getting himself into until it was too late. Jon Krakauer works to disprove this standpoint throughout the novel and inspires new opportunities for the public to dig further into the mind and actions of Chris McCandless. Krakauer utilizes the literary device of comparison as an aid in dispelling false conclusions. Comparison is a prominent theme throughout the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and is used to humanize Chris, underline dramatic irony, and display unrealistic and skewed societal expectations. Jon Krakauer utilized Chris McCandless’s idolization of Jack London because he was heavily inspired by his work.
Chris McCandless was a brave person who got what he wanted which was peace, even if it killed him. He impacted so many people’s lives with his story and every year people visit from all over of where he died and Jon wrote the book and described him in a good way. In “into the wild”, Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher McCandless as self reliant and adventurous. Chris McCandless is a self reliant person because he doesn’t like to ask anyone for anything and likes to survive on his own without help from anyone or anything.
Chris expressed his principal that, ”Nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure” (Chapter 1, Krakauer). He saw a conventional lifestyle as restricting to his adventurous soul, he thought he could not prosper without. Chris was very independent and did not like counting on others for help which is why he found life away from society extremely fulfilling. He found peace and joy out of living off the grid, because it was able to provide a complete sense of independence which he thrived off of and found most satisfying way to live life. He tried to eliminate his need for outside help as much as he could. Chris believed that if he limited his needs for useless luxury goods and mainstreamed objects, he would be able to live completely independent and not have to rely on anyone for help. In the author’s note, “He changed his name, gave entire balance of twenty-four-thousand-dollar savings account to charity, abandoned his car, and burned all his
Krakauer also states, “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence”, (22). Going into the wilderness all Chris wanted was to be cut off from the world, completely isolated from everyone and everything. The independence Chris had was unbelievable, he traveled many different places and learned how to survive, depending on no one by himself, a trait few people possess. Chris also showed the persistence he had in the book through the struggles he faced in the wilderness. A man he met while on his journey names Walt talked about him as “...he was supremely overconfident.
The purpose of this passage, along with the whole novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, is to depict who Chris McCandless truly is in life and that the author, Jon Krakauer connects to him on a personal level because he also struggled in his teen years and sought adventure in the wilderness by climbing perilous mountains in Alaska, like Chris. Jon Krakauer is a lot like Chris because they both struggled in life and left the standard living way in order to find something better out in the world. The reader see Chris travel across many vast lands and face many tough obstacles to become one with the Earth and nature and find peace and happiness throughout the book. Originally, Chris McCandless is a rich man who left behind his worldly possessions
Chris’ self reliance and secludedness are two of his dominant traits that Krakauer describes throughout his novel. Although he had many traits important to the story, these two proved to be most impactful. Chris’ primary characteristics portrayed in the book make the entire journey seem unnecessarily dramatic and slightly less meaningful. His death could have been avoided if his transcendentalist characteristic hadn’t got in the
McCandless too felt this need for refuge from his family, as he didn't grow up in typical or healthy environment. Krakauer used these personal anecdotes to not only justify what Chris McCandless did but also to challenge society's views of nonconformists, proving that it's human nature to deal with conflicts through isolated expeditions. Krakauer also used his own personal anecdotes to justify what McCandless’s sudden departure from reality truly was. He explains how he too “ felt oppressed by [his] old man’s expectations. It was drilled into [him] that anything less than success was failure”(148).
Notably, life on the road captivates many young adults, because it has a desirable notion of finding one’s happiness throughout the experiences they may encounter. Though life on the road provides a sensation of relief and airness by breaking away from society, it is not a permanent solution to those who want to obtain happiness by running away. In the instance of Chris McCandless, he demonstrates his unhappiness of being born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and instead feels asphyxiated by both his family and the society that surrounds him. It is only until McCandless decided to break away, did he feel free from his claustrophobic environment. Krakauer narrates, “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence” (pg.22). McCandless rejected what society and his parents had to offer, because it did not situate well with his sensitive and philanthropist-like mentality. Krakauer characterizes how McCandless could not stomach the fact that there were many problems plaguing society, and yet he managed to live a privileged life while others had to suffer. In McCandless’s society, where wealth and materialistic values were the keys to happiness‒McCandless could not conform. Thus, he broke away, by chasing his own happiness abiet in an unconventional way. However, contrary to how McCandless viewed himself, it
Chris McCandless, or better known during his vagabond lifestyle as Alex Supertramp, is one of the more perplexing stories of adolescence known to mainstream audiences. For such a short biography, the book’s ending is not a shock to the reader. To the contrary, the book is upfront about it at all times: Chris McCandless dies after four months in the Alaskan woods at the age of 24. Despite such a horrific closing to a young life being one of the main plot arcs within this book, it’s also one of the most passionate detailing of the care-free spirit of youth. Chris, a young man passionate about living independently and of his own accord, planned an adventurous trip to live in the Alaskan Wilderness in his own isolation. After graduating from college, he cut all ties to his family, donated all the money in his savings account to charity, and began a long adventure hitchhiking across the United States before tackling his final goal of living in the wilderness alone. While he was ready to abandon his old life and connection to rewrite himself, he relished in the rebellion of disregarding his family in this decision, and caused a tremendous amount of anxiety and grief before finishing off his kin with the most devastating tragedy of all: the death of a child. This recklessness and complete disregard of his actions signifies the internalization of deeper issues only amplified by Chris’s young age, which leads to why he left: to remove himself