Into the Wild: The Tragedy and Triumph of Chris Mccandless Essay

decisions to leave his old life behind and start over. Chris’ decision to leave was

Ultimately this may end up being the reason that Chris does not survive his journey, but it does not make him any less of a hero. Chris’s story is a tragic one, but at the same time it is one of triumph and accomplishment. Since Chris believed the only way to go about his journey was to do it alone, it is an admirable thing that he did just that. Chris may not have had a moral gripe with allowing other people to travel with him, but it is because he did not want to spend too much time with other people. Ken Sleight says about McCandless “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” (85). McCandless made tons of friends along his journey and he positively affected many people’s lives, but at his core McCandless was a lone wanderer. I do not subscribe to the notion that happiness is only real when shared, and I believe the only reason Chris wrote that in his journal is because he was feeling lonely and scared. Chris McCandless lived a full happy life in his short 24 years and everybody could learn something about themselves if they were a little more like Chris

Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society,

McCandless once again misunderstood what Thoreau said in “Walden” about leaving society. As stated in Into The Wild, “Near the end of his trip, it turned out, Chris had gotten lost in the Mojave Desert and had nearly succumbed to dehydration” (Krakauer 118). Chris had been too stubborn to believe he could not achieve something since he had proven to be good at everything he tried. Chris’ hubris would have to be his arrogance in believing he could do anything he wanted to. By McCandless going into the Mojave Desert was absurd because it was too far from society. Being too far from society can have consequences especially if you need help. Chris’ mind was too clouded to see or think that throughout his entire life. Chris McCandless misinterpreted Thoreau’s writing and he was crazy to shun society, which also help build on the idea that McCandless misunderstood “Self Reliance” and he made actions that ended up being hypocritical later on in his life.

Chris McCandless’ was well liked by the many people he met while he was on the road, he made an impact on everyone that he met, as Wayne Westerberg said, “A lot of folks here in town got attached to old Alex. Kind of a strange deal what happened to him.” (Krakauer 16), People loved and adored Christopher McCandless, even though he left to go live in the wild by himself, that didn’t make him antisocial. He also liked

Another aspect of young McCandless was to challenge himself like never before. Krakauer mentioned that when chris is riding with Jim gallien that chris says he is afraid of water. Many ask themselves why, why was he so scared of water did he happen to have bad experience in the past? In fact the answer was yes he had almost drown testing his limits in Teklanika Mexico. He was so adventures even as a kid wanting to climb the highest up in the mountain on the McCandless family trip says his father Insert quote here. He was always testing himself and that is a main reason for his departure. Readers get this vibe often during the book and it seems to be a clarity to them that one of his main goals was to challenge himself. For instance hunting

In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Krakauer shows how identity is what can only be found within one’s self. Christopher McCandless shows how identity can be found in the harshest conditions, but how this can make one stronger than ever, even if everything isn’t under control. Identity can be found by looking within one’s self. Jon Krakauer shows how McCandless was looking everywhere for answers, but the true answers were within him. Chris tried to be something he was not.

Christopher Mccandless had reasons to go out into the wild and experience new things because he wanted to get away from all the things he witnessed between his parents and by that he thinks he has been raised not normal and by leaving he will find what people or himself really are. While watching the movie I seen how McCandless is when he’s trying to get food, sometimes he doesn’t know what he’s doing because he’s never been in a situation like that. During certain situations Christopher learns about and knows how to be prepared for next time, or

He wanted to live a simple life, not worrying about food, money, sex. In life, the only thing he wanted to carry was himself. For example on pg. 142, Chris states “you come to believe in the reliability of your hands and feet and head. You learn to trust your self- control.” This shows Chris realizing that he needs only himself and by the example of his hands, feet, and head he is showing his future is up to him. The second part of the quote, explains his mentality of how he must rely on his ability. To become completely self-reliant, McCandless took drastic measures such as abandoning his yellow Datsun to make it known he doesn’t want to be found and to also exert more self-reliance by relying only on his ability instead of a vehicle. Another drastic measure he took was giving all his life-savings ($24,000) to OXFAM, and with any remaining money was burned to fully feed his need for

McCandless and his parents never really agreed on anything because Chris didn't want nice cars like his parents and was different. In the movie many scenes of his parents were them arguing which could be a reason why McCanless never wanted to tell them where he was “My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it. The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances” (Into the Wild). Mccandless did not tell his parents he was leaving he did not tell anyone he was getting rid of everything including his money, he wanted nothing from his parents and he wanted to do things on his own without

There are several things that McCandless could have situated better, but Callarman is biased for calling McCandless stupid because he doesn’t understand him and his ideals. There were reasons for everything of what McCandless did. Chris McCandless wrote a letter to a friend explaining why his lifestyle made him content and telling his friend that they should do the same thing as he did. Isolating himself and living in a world without anyone, a place or a thing, is where he could find the truest form of happiness. Escaping into the wild is a way for McCandless to find himself.

Chris Mcandless's conflict with society teaches the reader that sometimes they have to challenge themselves, and break from everyday routines to truly experience all of lives different opportunities through his own journey to Alaska and his death. although he was negligent and stubborn he was still overall knowledgeable it was just one minor factor that prolonged he escape and led to his death. He was also very naturally curious and adventurous, and it is said that he in any situation was overactive him going to alaska was one big example of him being adventurous as he tries new things. Chris was smart when he said something or did something he was always very thorough and when they say he's wrong and is indeed correct it shows that he is even smarter than originally perceived. in part, him finding inner peace because he knew what he was doing he had just become unlucky.

One reason I believe Chris’s adventure was ludicrous is because he left originally in part to get away from his family due to ongoing conflicts. Conflicts between family members is a natural process within a family and certainly is resolvable with attention and problem-solving the issue. In McCandless’s situation specifically, he developed anger most directly related to his father’s adultery from his past. As Krakauer writes, “Long after falling in love with Billie, long after she gave birth to Chris, Walt continued his

So much is not understood about Chris, from his exact philosophies to how he died. Most of his following comes from the idealization of his life; since so little is known about him people can fill in the gaps of his existence in a way that pleases them. Chris’s time spent in the wilderness is almost completely unknown; much of the events that took place in the movie was from artistic license from the director. The one thing that was right was the brevity of his diary, where many days’ entries were only one word. Author Matthew Power in his essay “The Cult of Chris McCandless” puts it perfectly, “the truth doesn’t always conform to Hollywood ideals.” The only way director Sean Penn could spin this into a movie was if he took the hero route, because having Chris’ life be only end in a comedy of errors would not attract a cult-like following. Also in the essay by Max Power, it says McCandless symbolizes the “human urge to push the limit of experience, to live a life untouched by the trappings of culture and civilization.” While McCandless may represent those ideas, he certainly isn’t the first adventurer to live an unorthodox life in the country pursuing their own dreams. With quite a few others similar to Chris, the question that begs to be asked is what makes him different to fellow explorers? He does have

Christopher McCandless left for nature bitter over society and its shortcomings. It was a society caught up in material possessions and wealth. His disapproval towards material goods is reflected when in a letter to his sister, Carine, he complains, “I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.” (Krakauer, pg. 21) Chris ventured off by himself trying to rid himself of this false sense of security given to him by nature and gain new opportunities to rediscover himself. One major, specific factor in his disappearance that added to his loathing of society may be the mistakes of his father in his previous marriage. Walt continued his relationship with his former wife after starting a family with Billie and even had a child with her a couple years after Chris was born. Chris’s resentment of