Examples Of Chris Mccandless Being Selfish In Into The Wild

Selfish people place their own wants, needs, and happiness before anything or anyone else. Furthermore, they do not feel obligated to help others with what they need. Because selfish people do not value others, they

Luke Fletcher Mrs. Flores English 12 6 March 2024 The Fatal Flaws of Chris McCandless Abandoning your entire family to pursue solitude in the wilderness requires a great degree of boldness and delusion. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a biography about a young man named Chris McCandless, who deserted his ordinary life to embark on a mission of living frugally and immersing himself in nature. His brave efforts and unique ideals may have inspired some; however, Chris was ultimately a reckless narcissist who embodied acute stubbornness, a lack of sympathy, and an irrational hatred for society. Foremost, Chris’ stubborn mentality created critical gaps in his logic that eventually led to his death. He refused to accept advice or help from anybody, even his closest friends.

The ¨ The less you know the more you believe” Jon Krakauer wrote the novel Into the Wild in 1996. Summary:

While Chris McCandless does make mistakes, I would not agree with Shaun Callarman that he was “plain crazy”. The plans and mistakes made may seem idiotic, but are actually the mistakes that are found in the youth. I would say Chris was searching for his own self.

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.

Society today is beginning to think more about themselves and less about others. Many people would desire to live a life solely benificial to themselves rather than benefiting others on the way. This is considered selfish, considering it can cause problems for others. In his book Into the Wild , Jon Krakaur portrays well that Chris’s actions made him inherently selfish. He created sentimental relationships and left a vast amount of them. Not only did he leave all of those people, but he left his family as well. Chris also threw away things that anyone would be glad to take. Overall, his journey was ultimately selfish and made things more difficult for other people.

If not for the reasons above, he was clearly selfish due to the fact that he made relationships with people only to leave when they were no longer necessary for him. On Chris’s selfish quest for “ultimate freedom” he had a tendency to form bonds with people and allow them to provide for him. A few examples are, Wayne Westerberg. Chris meet Wayne and Wayne offered Chris a job. Chris kept intact, even when he was not working for Wayne. When the time came for Chris to go to Alaska he knew he had a job so that he could buy supplies and leave. Another example was when Chris went to the trailer park. After just a week “a seventeen-year-old named Tracy, fell in love with McCandless” (44) Another example of how Chris selfishly formed relationships to leave was with Ron Franz. Ron had formed a strong bond with Chris. The first time Chris left Ron, Ron felt great sadness but when Chris called Ron for help, Ron could not help but be relieved of some of the sadness. When Ron heard Chris’s voice, “it was like sunshine after a month of rain” (53). Chris, did not feel this kind of bond though. Chris only needed Ron for a place to stay and a friend until it was time to go to Alaska. Ron felt such a strong bond that he asked Chris if he could adopt him. Then without a solid answer Chris “slipped painlessly, out of Ron Franz’s life as well… Franz became so attached to McCandless so quickly, but the affection he felt was genuine, intense, and

While in these different states he met people along the way that got close to him and wanted to help him on his journey. He believed in self reliance and self trust so whenever people offered him anything he wouldn’t take them. (Krakauer 33). After an extended argument Burress also got McCandless to accept some long underwear and other warm clothing she thought he would need in Alaska. “He eventually took it to shut me up.” said Burres. “But the day after I found most of it in the van.” It is quite obvious that Chris did not want to help of others or rather even hated it. (Krakauer 33). As the novel states Chris “Acted really offended when Burres offered him supplies.” Chris hated when he was offered help most likely because he wanted to be able to prove something that he could do this odessey without anyone’s help. He left the people that he met with the impression that he didn’t want their help although he liked their company. As well as the fact that he was determined to accomplish his goals by all means necessary.

Christopher Johnson McCandless is a respectable man in so many ways but, yet such a foolish man in many others. Chris McCandless possessed a seemingly ever-lasting bravery that constantly shined through his unique and matchless character. He was very righteous in himself to the point in which he kept himself from any sin or evil, committing his life to what seemed like an idea of celibacy, not just in refraining from any desire of flesh but also in all lusts of life with his diligent power of will that constantly shined through his exterior. Onto the contrary of his good characteristics, McCandless remained to be very foolish in his decisions and under takings, whether it be by his arrogance of sheer narrow mindedness.

Chris McCandless from an early age began to despise and constantly disagree with certain things. For example, Chris hated his parents. He disagreed with them in many political and moral views. It seems as if Chris always felt out of place or uneasy and he couldn’t handle being around things that he didn’t like. One example of this is that in a letter with his sister he said that “I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots

On the other hand, for those he did care about, he left a positive impact on their lives. Chris was raised in an environment where“...hideous domestic violence hidden behind a mask of prosperity and propriety” (Mcalpin). While some believe that going to Alaska was a way to take revenge on his parents, it is hard to imagine those actions taken by Chris who is someone independent and holds neoteric ideals. It is more presumable to suppose that Chris just wanted to cut off ties to those he thinks contravenes with his ideals and ambitions. On the other hand, for everyone he met on the journey, he built a positive relationship; he maintained those relationships up until his death, even telling Wayne, “‘Till then I’ll always think of you as a friend” (Krakauer 33). He consistently sent postcards and shared his current status and new thoughts to Ron, Wayne, and Jan Burres. In his long letter to Ron detailing his pilgrimage, he gave heartfelt thanks and sincere hopes to see him again, writing “Ron, I really enjoy all the help you have given me and the times that we spent together….But providing that I get through this Alaskan Deal in one piece you will be hearing from me again in the future” (Krakauer 56). What makes this letter so special is the fact that Chris

Chris is an Ignorant person for several reasons, such as the several poor misguided decision he made throughout his journey. In Chapter 8, Nick James an Alaskan native quotes, “Such willful Ignorant… amounts of disrespect for the land, and paradoxically demonstrates the same sort of arrogance that resulted in the Exxon Valdez Spill just another case of underprepared…”(72). This quote shows the Alaskan viewpoint of

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.

Selfishness is defined as being selfish. To be selfish is to lack concern for others, only caring for personal gain. Often, this is caused by lack of empathy, misinformation, or lack of information. The ability of literature to have us experience different worlds through different eyes is fairly useful for combating this. In fact, literature can shock us about selfishness, if not necessarily shock us out of ours.

Selfishness means acting in one's rational self-interest. Contrary to popular opinion, all healthy individuals are selfish. Choosing to pursue the career of your choice is selfish. Choosing to have children—or not to have children—is selfish. Insisting on freedom and individual rights, rather than living under a dictatorship, is selfish. Indeed, even ordinary behaviors such as breathing, eating and avoiding an oncoming car when crossing the street are selfish acts. Without selfishness, none o f us would survive the day—much less a lifetime.