Into the Wild by Chris McCandless

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 Jon Krakauer's novel Into the Wild, the main character, Chris McCandless, seeks nature so that he can find a sense of belonging and the true meaning of who he is. However, it is the essence of nature that eventually takes his life away from him. At the end of his life, he is discovers his purpose and need of other people. After Chris McCandless death in Alaska, Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to reflect on the journey that McCandless makes. Krakauer protrays McCandless as a young man who is reckless, selfish, and arrogant, but at the same time, intelligent, determined, independent, and charismatic. Along with the irony that occurs in nature, these characteristics are the several factors that contribute to McCandless death.

In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explores the human fascination with the purpose of life and nature. Krakauer documents the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man that embarked on an Odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Like many people, McCandless believed that he could give his life meaning by pursuing a relationship with nature. He also believed that rejecting human relationships, abandoning his materialistic ways, and purchasing a book about wildlife would strengthen his relationship with nature. However, after spending several months enduring the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’ beliefs begin to work against him. He then accepts that he needs humans, cannot escape materialism, and can

Chris was independent and the fact that he went out and was able to support himself was courageous. His bosses claim that he was “the hardest worker they have ever seen” and enjoyed his determination to get the job not only done, but done right. “In a matter of a few months, half a dozen other students were working under him, and he’d put seven thousand dollars in his bank account...he used it to buy the yellow datsun.” (Krakauer, 116). McCandless worked hard, and he appreciated being able to do things for himself. This explains the reason why he went out on his own and didn’t tell anyone or let anyone help him. It wasn’t that he was stubborn or ungrateful, he truly loved being independent and he valued the luxuries he was able to provide for himself. Chris McCandless was hardworking and determined, which is inspiring because he was able to accomplish the goals and dreams he set his mind on.

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.

Imagine being stuck in the wild, on the verge of dying from either starvation or freezing to death. There are not enough resources, not enough food, all you have left is to hope. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, is a story written of a man named Chris McCandless who overall did not like his life. He thought society corrupted his dreams that he previously set, and he wanted to get away from all of societies norms. Chris wanted to achieve his dream, he wanted a “thrill” in his life, so, Chris decided to go out into the wild and be a free man. In the process he left behind his family who worried everyday having no notion of his whereabouts. Chris was without a doubt , a very controversial/confusing person. People who have heard his story have reason to believe that he was a foolish, stupid kid who got lost into the wild and got himself killed. However, due to Chris' grit, his ability to look deep inside himself to bring out the real him, and his love of nature are all exceptional. Chris' journey into the threatening Alaskan wilderness was not one of stupidity, but one of self determination and courageousness.

It is often noted that one can never truly understand the beauty of life until they go and experience it. This idea parallels with getting to know who they really are and figuring out what their purpose in life genuinely is, which not many people cannot comprehend. Everyone has different fears, desires, and feelings, but not until you live a life of new experiences do you harness your true self. Growing through experiences and connecting with nature allows someone to more deeply reflect on their individual purpose on Earth and discover their own definition of happiness. Henry David Thoreau comments on this even further by proposing that the disconnection from a society in which we are comfortable is the only way to cultivate an understanding of ourselves. Chris McCandless sets out on an adventure in a life absent of routine to push his boundaries and prove that he could make it on his own, finding the meaning of life in the process. Henry David Thoreau’s statement “Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves”, is correct, as evidenced by Jon Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild.

Initially, Chris willingly renounced his financially comfortable background because of his characterization of being a nonconformist. McCandless believed that it was possible for an individual to acquire too much money and could be a result of unearned privilege which is why “he donated the balance of his bank account to OXFAM” (Into the Wild) and later began to earn his money from labor that he would perform on the job. The actions McCandless made in his life were both equally irregular and bold due to his determination to challenge everything that he has known which instigates to a heroic persona. Furthering what was last stated, a limited amount of individuals have neither the resourcefulness nor initiative to abandon the conformity of their simple lifestyle no matter how imperfect it may be due their uncertainty of what could potentially arise from completely shifting their

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.

Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India once said, “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm, and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if we seek them with our eyes open” (Nehru). In the book Into the Wild Jon Krakauer introduces the reader to Christopher McCandless’s, a young man from California with a heart yearning for adventure and a head beyond his years. The reader learns there is no one quite like Chris McCandless, but many people have sought out to seek the “more” from life. Jon Krakauer uses pathos and quirky but also thrilling anecdotes throughout Into the Wild to separate how Chris McCandless perceived himself and how others perceived him.

Much of the human race live their lives in accordance to what society sees as acceptable, but Christopher McCandless disregards societal norms in the novel Into the Wild. Within the novel, Jon Krakauer explores the story of Christopher McCandless’s journey to Alaska and investigates the events leading up to his death. Krakauer tells the story concerning McCandless’s life in a fashion that reveals a truth about nonconformity. Krakauer sends a message to common readers that nonconformity is not possible and the only way to survive the world we live in is to conform to our surroundings. Jon Krakauer express’s his ideals on nonconformity within Into the Wild through his non-chronological organizational structure, the use of logical reasoning,

To begin, living freely, being one with nature, and not conforming to society is what Chris McCandless shows through his actions. Living freely is what the meaning of life is to Chris McCandless as shown through his actions.This quote is from one of his letters he wrote to his friends, “ This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care it was great knowing you” (Krakauer 69). This is an example of him living freely by cutting off all his communications with his friends and going to live in the wilderness. Furthermore, Chris McCandless finds it important to become one with nature and to be one with it. By going into the wild he is surrounding himself with nature and nothing else,“The beauty of this country is becoming part of me”(Krakauer 91). What this means is that through living in the wild he becomes closer to his surroundings and finds out what life really means. Lastly, the final meaning of life is to not to conform to society as Chris McCandless did. He did this through not listing to people who just wanted to make him better, “But if you tried to coach him, to polish his skill, to bring out that final ten percent, a wall went up. He resisted instruction of any kind”(Krakauer 111). This shows nonconformity by him not accepting advice from anyone to make his skill the best he is resisting giving into what everyone wants him to do and not conforming to society.

Throughout history, people encounter a stage in their lives where they feel the necessity to assert their independence and challenge their abilities and self-worth. In the book, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the author shares his understanding and kinship with the main character, Chris McCandless, a young man who thrusts himself into a life of solitude and a harsh environment during his search for meaning to his life. Krakauer depicts himself and McCandless as modern day transcendentalists with an abundance of competency, resourcefulness and skills as naturalists. Although McCandless chose to experience a life of solitude and face the hazards that nature presents, his lack of preparedness prevented him from completing his endeavor successfully.

Award winning journalist and author, Jon Krakauer, in his book, Into the Wild, analyzes the life of Chris McCandless as well as the events that ensued his death. Krakauer’s purpose is to inform the reader about how and why Chris McCandless decided to embark on a journey into the wilderness of Alaska. He adopts an empathetic tone in order to impart to his readers that Chris McCandless was a very misunderstood young adult.

At a young age Chris McCandless started growing distant from his family. After Chris graduated from high school, he fled from home to travel and ended up in the Alaskan wilderness. Despite the lack of supplies and the dangers of Alaska, Chris wanted the sensation of transcendentalism. Throughout the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless’ character grew a exponential philosophy that emphasizes the intuitive and spiritual thoughts that rise above the empirical.