Christopher Mccandless Adventure Book Report

McCandless did not prepare well enough for his long journey in the backcountry of Alaska. When Christopher McCandless came across Jim Gallien, who is an accomplished hunter, saw McCandless

Multiple accounts assumed McCandless was “entering the wilderness purposely ill-prepared…” and “hardly unique…almost a collective cliché” (Krakauer 71). Krakauer refutes this claim by displaying evidence supporting his argument while also acknowledging counter claims that McCandless was rash, foolhardy, but stressing he was definitely competent (85). Krakauer compares and contrasts the journeys of Rosellini, Waterman, and McCunn to that of McCandless defending that McCandless was not incapable or oblivious to survive in Alaska. Later parallels between McCandless and Ruess demonstrate their desires to become connected to nature and strong determination.

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.

Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, describes the adventure of Christopher McCandless, a young man that ventured into the wilderness of Alaska hoping to find himself and the meaning of life. He undergoes his dangerous journey because he was persuade by of writers like Henry D. Thoreau, who believe it is was best to get farther away from the mainstreams of life. McCandless’ wild adventure was supposed to lead him towards personal growth but instead resulted in his death caused by his unpreparedness towards the atrocity nature.

Chris McCandless was a young adventurer who went to extreme lengths to finish what he

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.

Teenagers and a lot of young adults have commit in a lot of adventures by going into the wilderness, in which they are seeking of high risk and freedom. Krakauer an American writer and mountaineer, who is the author of best-selling non-fiction books wrote this book about Christopher Johnson McCandless and he talked about how he believed that he died by a simple mistake that he made in the wilderness of Alaska. Jon Krakauer tried to communicate to a special audience which narrowed down some of his techniques that he used and still manages to keep McCandless as a special human which is a big accomplishment for him. In this essay I'm going to use the writing of Krakauer to show how he trying to make us believe that Chris was like any other person and that he died because of a simple mistake.

Chris McCandless was an intelligent young man who decided to leave college, his dysfunctional family, and conventional society with hope of gaining enlightenment by exploring the wilderness. Unfortunately, he starved to death while camping in Alaska’s interior. Chris McCandless is a polarizing figure due to his unorthodox and transcendental ideals and the way that he died. Some individuals label McCandless as “a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity.” Others believe Chris McCandless was courageous, noble, and admiral for adhering to his rigorous moral ideals. Although both arguments contain valid points, the second party’s interpretation of Chris McCandless is closer to the truth.

Jack London was the primary reason he left to go to the “Northland Wild.” Alaska became a place that called him after reading things from Jack London. London describes “the Wild” with such grace and intensity that it must have just hit home for McCandless. He was obviously inspired by something Jack London said or he probably wouldn't have decided to give up everything he had to live like a homeless man.

The reason behind McCandless’s journey remains hidden and comes with the question of whether it was mainly parental responsibility or personal choices that led him to isolate himself from the people he loves. The novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer tells the story of Christopher McCandless and discusses the challenges he faced during his journey, as well as the cause behind it. Christopher McCandless was a smart, gifted man who graduated from Emory University and was all set for law school but ended up choosing a different path. After coming to the conclusion that he did not want to live a conventional life, he started off by donating his tuition savings to a charity and disappearing. He believed that taking an adventure to Alaska to live off the land would help him find meaning in life and get back to the basics.

Christopher “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless was a dreamer. However, unlike most of us nowadays, Christopher turned his desire for adventure into reality. Similar to Buddha, he gave up his wealth, family, home, and most possessions except the ones he carried before embarking on his journey. He traveled by various methods, mostly on foot, to eventually reach his desired goal in the Alaskan wilderness. Unfortunately, due to various mistakes, Christopher ultimately passed and his body was found in a neglected Fairbank City Transit Bus. His motivation to achieve his goal was based on the many aspects of his life. Chris’s dysfunctional family weighed heavily on him, one prime reason for driving him onto the road of freedom.

Chris McCandless was a very unique individual. In Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, he tries his best to make sense of McCandless’ journey to the Alaskan wilderness. However, he never really figured out what McCandless’ purpose of the trip was. Looking at McCandless’ life throughout the book, I believe that Chris McCandless went on his journey to find happiness within his own life and did achieve it in the end.

In what could have been Chris McCandless’s last contact with humanity he tells his new comrade, Wayne Westerberg, “If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t hear from me again I want you to know you are a great man. I now walk into the wild” (Krakauer 3). For 112 days Chris lived off the harsh Alaskan land. For anyone who is brave enough to travel on the stampede trail and cross the treacherous Teklanika River you will come across the Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142. Once a backcountry shelter for hunters, trappers, ranger patrols, and for a short time Chris McCandless, Bus 142 now serves as a memorial for Chris McCandless. Travelers will make the trip to witness the basic resources Chris had at hand and the courage it took to

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.

Chris McCandless’s ultimate goal was to reach the great Alaskan wilderness. Chris was a courageous, fearless, and adventurous person. He hitchhiked and travelled all the way to his great adventure, met a ton of new people and had a huge impact everywhere he went. Chris McCandless didn’t care about luxurious things like money, a fancy car, or a big house, all he cared about was the outdoors. Chris McCandless’s goal in life was to go out and find what he was missing from his life. All he really wanted was to be able to live a happy life and share that with others.