Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Character Analysis

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.

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

Lastly, Chris Mccandless got to fulfill his dream, live his own life, and now he even got to find his inner self, find out who he truly is. Chris was the kind of person that lived dangerously unlike most people, he was different “It is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders...Danger has always held a certain allure. McCandless, in his fashion, merely took risk-taking to its logical extreme” (Krakauer, 182). Chris’s true self-was one that was riskful and daring until he could finish the task. Furthermore, he was different from others and throughout his journey, others could see that. In the end that was the kind of person Chris Mccandless was, and this is the person he became after fulfilling his dream and living his own life. In contrast, others did

Chris had a very interesting way of thinking but one of the most interesting things is that he wouldn’t take anything from anyone. His parents try to be him a car yet he doesn’t want it, the last man who sees him says he’s ill equipped and that if chris comes into town with him he’ll buy him some proper gear. It adds to his actions of minimalism, the trip to Mexico really reaffirmed his minimalistic values (Krakauer Pg. 4-7, 20-21, 32-34). Chris had a sort of hatred for the way society was set up, he felt as though he was misunderstood. That the government wouldn’t help the poor and countless other reasons, he saw that the only way to escape was through nature. However, it seems a though Chris came off that high for a little while as though ready to be reintroduced to society and then remembered why he had left. At a point Chris gets a job at McDonalds where he gives them his really information almost as if he is ready to rejoin society. However after working there for 2 months he could no longer handle the way they treated him, he realized why he’d left and went on his way again(Krakauer Pg. 40-47). His favorite author was Jack London, London painted a picture of an amazing wild Alaska that was graceful yet harsh. As if it was a place from where people could escape to solidarity and enjoy the loneliness of nature. He didn’t however express all the dangers that happen and that this graceful land had a nasty dark side, almost like a politician. Chris took all the embellishing to heart and thought that all the wonder existed without any of the danger. The only example needed is his death, the blindness that bliss brings is simply all powerful. He was simply in love with the make believe world that existed solely in Jack London's mind. His beliefs and values were a cornerstone in making Alexander super tramp who he really

Chris McCandless was a man who had everything to have a successful life. However, Chris McCandless decided to leave it all behind. Chris thought that he was going to go leave all society behind to go live in the wild. Chris thought that it was going to be very hard. Krakauer He was arrogant and ignorance toward the nature and society. In Into the Wild Chris leaves his life behind to live a life alone in the wild. In Into the Wild Krakauer’s message from Chris’s journey is for people to never get too ignorant or too confident because anything can go wrong at anytime.

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.

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.

Besides his views on “mainstream American life” (52), Christopher McCandless had strong convictions of issues beyond America. Racial oppression and widespread hunger particularly fueled him and he made several attempts to make a difference for both issues. During high school he would talk to his friends about smuggling weapons into South Africa to end apartheid (113) and after he finished university, he donated the remaining $24,000 from his education fund to OXFAM America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger (20). His desire to end those issues of racism and hunger may have diminished once he perceived how ambitious his desire really was. Perhaps it was the feeling of not making a difference in what he was truly passionate about that drove McCandless to run away and escape from essentially being insignificant. He was driven away from the comfort of his life by the discomforts of the world around him; McCandless was not happy with the state of both his local society and the distant world and decided he could only find solace by venturing out into the wilderness.

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.

Chris McCandless: a man so infatuated with nature, he practically committed suicide to bring himself nearer to it. This extreme liking for nature, along with other ideals, makes up the core tenets of the transcendentalist philosophy. McCandless demonstrates other tenets of transcendentalism as well, most notably the supremacy of the individual, by detaching himself from the mammon of this world. Another way he shows the supremacy of the individual, by the belief that one should not conform to the usual policies of life, causes him great trouble in some cases. As well as the belief that the individual supersedes all else, McCandless received much of his inspiration from nature. Finally, always following what he believes correct, McCandless

In a society where individualism, simplicity and the divinity of nature, are no longer a top priority; many individuals go on odysseys to find those values. That is the case of Chris McCandless, who spend the last portion of his life living out his philosophy on life. Looking for who he was and what he believed in. Chris McCandless led a life that was similar to that of transcendentalists, through their shared values and outlooks on life.

Life is never easy, no matter how hard we try to short cut and escape the inevitable difficulties. After College is when life sets in, when work becomes a necessity and we all begin to find a place to settle down. People respond differently to different situations. Some of us embrace the freedom and the ability to earn money and spend money indiscriminately. Others crumple under the social pressures placed on us. Christopher McCandless is a perfect example. Settling down and raising a family, providing for that family and creating a sustainable lifestyle are important and high stress things that we all must deal with if we are to enjoy the finer things in life. Chris totally abandoned that, he gave away all of his possessions; even

In today’s society, people are praised for being selfless individuals. On the other hand, selfish individuals are looked down upon. This standard makes it quite difficult for many to understand why Chris McCandless is considered a hero. Throughout his life, he made decisions that would benefit him and only him. He caused the pain of heartbreak wherever he went. He did not leave the positive impact that he sought to accomplish. In Jon Krakauer 's book, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless was selfish because he put himself in front of others, as seen through his relationships with his parents, Ronald Franz, and Wayne Westerberg.

Even though Chris was not prepared for his epic battle with nature, he did enter the wilderness with many realistic expectations. He unfortunately did not bring much to Alaska other than his determination, as all he brought with him was, “… a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions” (5). It is very understandable why Callarman called Chris crazy because, at times, his goals and philosophies began to affect his priorities and view of reality, “I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters” (7). Living off the land in the Alaskan wilderness in the dead of winter is a very debatable idea. It is realistic to say that Chris McCandless was a young man with extreme goals who often lost sight of reality, but he had reasons for everything he did. He also had goals and went above and beyond to reach them. Someone who did not understand why McCandless made the choices he did would call him foolish and crazy without a second thought. People should realize that not everyone has the same priorities in life, and being different is not an offense. McCandless was very grateful for his adventure and learned a lot about himself as well as nature. “I am reborn. This is my down. Real life has just begun…Circumstance has not value. It is ow one relates to a situation that has value. All true meaning resides in the personal relationship to a phenomenon, what it means to you. Positivism, the Insurpassable Joy of the Life Aesthetic. Absolute Truth and Honesty. Reality. Independence. Finality-Stability-Consistency” (168). Chris had found the meaning of happiness in the truest form and had come to peace with

Is difficulty forgiving a driving force in people’s lives? People tend to have trouble letting things go and moving on. Instead they will bury things within themselves and walk in day to day life holding on to negativity. Chris McCandless sister Carine said in The Truth About Chris McCandless: “Perhaps I cannot escape the irony that as children, throughout dads gin, induced rages, we were told that he himself, was God, so his actions could not be wrong.” The home when they were younger was fairly stable, it included dad, mom, Carine, Chris, Shelley and Shawna but there father was a drunk and he kept secrets Chris could've never imagined. In a new memoir The Wild Truth, Carine writes that she believes her brother's sudden disappearance and journey reflected his determination to separate