Analysis Of Mccandless In Into The Wild By Jon Krakauer

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.

In the wilderness of Alaska, temperatures can drop down to thirty degrees below zero. Christopher McCandless lived in these conditions for four months after traveling through North America for almost two years. It can be seen in the novel, Into the Wild, that during his journey he had many brushes with death and burned bridges with people who deeply cared for him. For those reasons and many more, people assert Chris McCandless was unprepared, careless, and selfish on his personal journey across the United States, culminating in his death in Alaska.

McCandless sought out on his journey because of his love and passion for nature. He set out to experience life on life’s term, not the terms he felt that were being hypocritically dictated for him.

Although it was clear that McCandless needed human relationships, he continued to pursue a life of isolation in the Alaskan wilderness. As he walked around the Sushana River, McCandless spotted an abandoned bus and decided to use it for shelter. Krakauer visited the bus a year later and discovered that McCandless grew quite attached to the old bus. McCandless filled the bus with pots and pans, a makeshift table, a kerosene

Waking up to discover the immense, pristine wilderness of Alaska, listening to the birds chirping their sounds while feeling the tremble of your heart beating through your veins. Trees as far as one can see with rolling hills and distant peaks covered with unblemished snow. The sounds of streams growing larger until they rush over a fall, and into an untainted lake. Pondering the true meaning of life while observing Mother Nature’s true grace. Very few people can relate to this scene of the wild. One of them being Christopher Johnson McCandless, a young pioneer and traveler, who was determined to seek the truth no matter what the cost.

Chris McCandless as depicted in the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and in the movie of the same name by Sean Penn, was not ignorant and he did have common sense. He had every reason to go into the Alaskan wilderness and to say he had no common sense is ridiculous. He was definitely not crazy and his courage and noble ideas should be admired. He was a man that followed his dreams and did something that most of us wish we had the guts to do. What Chris McCandless A.K.A Alexander Supertramp did, was admirable and worthy of respect.

He took the things he needs with him and got rid of the rest. He lasted a hundred days in the wild, it takes at least twenty eight days to break an old habit. He told his friend Jan Burres where he was, and if he didn’t have common sense he wouldn’t do that. “ In September he hitched down U.S Highway 101 California, then headed east into the desert again. And by early October he had landed in Bullhead City, Arizona.” (pg.39) When Callarman says “ He has no common sense he has no business going to Alaska...” McCandless had every right to go to Alaska. He didn’t want his parents to know where he was going, because he was of age and he doesn’t have to everything by his parents. That's why he changed his name. He wanted to start over by going to Alaska and learning new things along the way. You learn from your mistakes, that's what makes us human. McCandless couldn’t live up to his father expectations anymore. He always saw his father as a liar because he was living a double life with another family. Yes, he did have every right to go to Alaska, a person can only take so much. When it get to a certain point, it drive someone to do something they will either regret or a great feeling. He found what he was looking for freedom and happiness. He was a brilliant person, he wrote things in his letters and journals that was really

The plot line of a tragic story is one that enthralls a reader with the rise and fall of a tragic hero. After the death of Christopher McCandless in Alaska over 20 years ago, not only is there still discussion of what was the true cause of his death, but also the widespread debate of a much larger question: was McCandless a tragic hero? Some argue that Christopher McCandless is a selfish coward and ended up giving his whole life and education away due to his lack of knowledge of the wilderness, while others argue that he lived his life through pushing beyond the limits of a normal human being and seeking what is limited to most of society. In the novel Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer describes the travels of McCandless and writes about how past

Showing promising efforts while growing up, Ruess spent the summer of 1930 hitchhiking and trekking through Yosemite and Big Sur. Krakauer writes, “Ruess would spend the remainder of his meteoric life on the move, living out of a backpack on very little money, sleeping in the dirt, cheerfully going hungry for days at a time” (90). This supports the fact that Ruess had a craving to connect with the natural word and intensified his passion for the country wilderness. Comparable to McCandless, Ruess was undeterred by physical discomfort and also adopted a new name upon embarking on his personal journey. From Everett Ruess to Lan Rameau and Evert Rulan to finally Nemo, Chris McCandless transitioned to Alexander Supertramp for his Alaskan odyssey. Ruess disappeared in Escalante, Utah and none of his possessions were ever found except his two burros and some inscriptions written by him on stone slabs. Many conspiracies have been drawn over what became of Everett Ruess. Some believe he fell to his death, was murdered by known cattle rustlers, or could even still be alive based upon eyewitness accounts. Talking of McCandless, Ken Sleight, a professional river guide, says, “It sounds like this McCandless kid was like that: We like companionship, see, but we can’t stand to be around people for very long. So we go get ourselves lost, come back for a while, then get the hell out again. And

I believe McCandless was able to find the safe place he was looking for to get away from the abuse. In addition, McCandless was able to discover himself and who he truly was and what nature really had in store for the world. Although he found what he was looking for, he underestimated Alaska’s environment and might have died due to the molding. I can say that McCandless found what he was looking for because he stated “I have had a happy life and thank the lord.” (Krakauer 199).

He does read books that talk about Nonconformity, et cetera. However there are better ways of going about living a romantic life instead of taking on the wilderness full on and unprepared. However he did have to have the courage to leave his home and everyone he knew to go into the wilderness and live there away from society. Along with that he did inspire many other people along his journey. One Person that was affected the most by McCandless was a Man named Franz, who, and the book states this “Franz grew increasingly fond of McCandless.” (Krakauer, 37) (Of the PDF) Franz also tries to keep McCandless from going to San Diego, and he says, “You don’t need to go to San Diego,” Franz protested (Krakauer, 37). This shows that Franz cared for McCandless. However even though he did touch the hearts of many people he met, he shouldn't have journeyed into the wilderness without some proper Equipment.

McCandless was not prepared and it almost costed him his life. Chris McCandless almost died for the first time by a flash flood that took most of his supplies (Krakauer 27). Chris McCandless almost died for the second time because he was unprepared. The second time McCandless almost died was when he started traveling by foot and did not have water and almost died of a heat stroke (Krakauer 29). There were three times when Chris McCandless almost died. All three of them were because he was not prepared. The third time he almost died was when he traveled in a canoe down a river with only a small bag of rice for food. He almost died by wild horses, also in the river, trapping him (Krakauer 33). Throughout Chris McCandless’ life he faced many different conflicts, like with society, family, and

Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild shows the journey of a young man who travels to Alaska with little resources and dies. Although the young man, Chris McCandless, came from money and was very intelligent, he had a deadly obsession with Alaska and it’s ruthlessness and mystery. What started as a naive boy wanting adventure and freedom and solitude soon turned into a family mourning the death of a son and brother. Many say that it was the young lads fault for going head into something that he wasn’t prepared for, and I for one agree with them. Shaun Callarman had it right when he said that Chris McCandless “...was just plain crazy.”

Some might say that it was only by chance that some die while in the wild and there is nothing to fear, but renowned writer and transcendentalist who said it himself, “Shallow men believe in luck or in circumstance. Strong men believe in cause and effect” (CITATION). People cannot understand that the outdoors is a treacherous place where survival is nearly impossible to claim. For example, Steven Crane wrote the short story, “The Open Boat”. In this story there are only four survivors from a wrecked ship. They rode in a unreasonably small dingy trying to combat the sea where, “[t]he horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks” (603). The men did all that they could to stay afloat as the smallest of movements could tip the boat in the storm they were under. It was only after days of constant battle that the men were able to actually reach

He was born into a well-to-do family. McCandless had a dream to travel to Alaska, so he can live off the land. McCandless meets a lot of people during his travels. Many people were so attached to Mccandless that they gave him shelter, and items he might need for his journey. Unfortunately, McCandless died in a bus along the Sushana River in Alaska.