Ludlow Traveler Analysis

Perseverance is something that everyone experiences in their life. The definition of perseverance is “steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success.”. Perseverance is a big theme in the story “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer. Chris McCandless had to go through a lot of perseverance to get to Alaska. When Chris first started his adventure he needed to break free from the high life style that he was raised in, also the abuse and lies his father has caused on him and his family.

Chris McCandless is said to be a stubborn child who went into the Alaskan Bush unprepared for what was to come. Even though he did end up dying we can learn from his traits the different types of dreams people have. He showed many traits that explained who he was. He was courageous, mentally independant, and wholehearted. Having such different wants then what his parents wanted for him he followed his dreams.

Chris is ambitious and motivated, after Chris excels academically he inspires himself to carry out the more difficult goal of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness with as little equipment as possible. When Chris leaves his life in Annandale after graduating Emory University he makes the decision to succeed on his own terms. Chris did not travel to

The people of the world feel Connected by the events that they have lived through. This is even true for Chris; he went through many bad things but came out a good person. In the documentary return to the wild, it was said that Chris could be isolated but never be lonely. He needed nothing (PBS). This gave an insight into his life when he was younger.

Firstly, Chris had a determined mindset. No matter how difficult the task, or how tedious the job he did not quit. Furthermore, during his journey to Alaska, he came across many obstacles such as getting stuck in Mexico, and getting lost in California. Whenever one of these hardships came up, Chris pushed through them and did not give up until he was physically incapable. Additionally, despite the doubt that the people who cared about him expressed, he kept going until he eventually succeeded. Some people may think that his behavior of determination was reckless and stupid, and it is true that he did not know exactly how he was going to succeed.

Along the way Chris met some people who came to love Chris and wanted to help him. However distracted by his goal he acted selfish to all the people in his life and he met because of one goal; arriving to Alaska. Chris’s act of selfishness made lots of people worried, first being his parents. Chris left his parents with just a note, no phone call as it states, “By… August 1990 Chris’s parents had heard nothing from their sons” (pg 22) Chris’s goal to live a transcendentalist life made him leave his family whom they loved. Chris’s act continued as he made his journey to Alaska. On his journey, he met lots of caring people. From hippies that gave him shelter and friends giving him a job Chris met lots of caring people. One notable person that helped Chris was a trucker named Stuckey, “I gave him my credit card numbers… I pleaded with him to call his parents… He said maybe…” (pg 160). Stuckey’s generosity was not enough to stop Chris from going to the wild in the end Chris ignored his advice and did not call his parents. Every person Chris met or was in his life; he acted selfish to only to achieve his goal to live a transcendentalist

Immediately after graduating college Chris decides to leave all of his possessions behind and give all his money away to charities and venture off into the wilderness of Alaska. The thing that McCandless wants most in his life is to be free with nature and live off the land and not be sucked into society. Throughout his story chris meets lots of people who help shape his life and give him assistance in his voyage to freedom. In the book Chris says “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change

When Chris was planning to go to Alaska he had no clue what lay ahead of him. He didn’t know that it was going to be as cold as it was. “His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack”(5). Chris was not ready at all for this kind of trip. I think that Chris even if he knew wouldn’t have taken a lot of supplies, he burned his money and other possessions. He had cheap hiking boots that were not water proof. How did he think he was going to survive in the wilderness of Alaska. Food wise he wasn't prepared either. He had a five pound bag of rice a .22 caliber rifle, not a good hunting tool. Overall he wasn’t ready at all for what was going to happen.

In the book  Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher McCandless travels up the west coast of the United States eventually arriving in the beautiful state of Alaska to make an effort to discover his true self over the span of two years. He was later found dead in an abandoned bus by some hikers and several moose hunters during the winter season. When news of Chris’ death spread around the world, many saw Chris as a hero striving to find his inner self by isolating himself from society and other luxuries that would ruin his life. While others who did not agree believed that Chris was a complete idiot, a reckless young man who wasn’t prepared for what was about to come.

I believe Chris had started this journey in order to both espouse a minimalistic lifestyle and escape from his parents. Chris was probably exhausted of living his life as someone who was granted all these objects; he wanted to live in nature, with nature. Chris was said to have lived as a monk during his final year at Emory, with “little more than a thin mattress on the floor, milk crates, and a table” (Krakauer 22). After completing his undergraduate degree at Emory University, Chris decided that in order to be “emancipated from the world of abstraction and security and material excess,” he was going to travel all the way to Alaska. Chris once had said that he “would no longer give or accept gifts” (Krakauer 20), mainly because he did not

The little money he did have he would hide it so that he would not have access to it for a certain amount of time. And before he went off into Alaska, he put his Social Security number on the last work paper he ever filled out, something he never did. This makes Chris’ story so tragic, because he knew that this was a journey to find out who he was, and he planned on returning back into society to start a family and tell his story, but he was unable to. He acknowledged the fact that he may or may not return, he embraced it to the fullest, because continuing life would not be worth it or even a choice until he entered the wilderness of Alaska and completed his journey. When Alaskans found out about Chris’ death they did not understand his story, and found him utterly stupid and disrespectful, because of his unpreparedness and little knowledge of the land.

Many individuals that Chris encounters on his journey see him as a mature, and hardworking man who is living the life he truly wants without looking back. And others see him as an inspiring individual who worked hard for what he wanted without giving up no matter what is put in front of him. And some select few see him as a man who just wandered into the wilderness entirely unprepared just to stay in a remote area surrounded by only himself and nature. In reality, Chris works hard to fend for himself and survive under all the circumstances put upon him. He walks countless, and almost seemingly endless miles across the Western United States, finding food on his own due to his lack of money. What Chris McCandless did was in no way easy, and even

Christopher McCandless’ story does not just begin from when Jim Gallien picked him up on the side of the road. It begins much more before that. A few years before Chris left to Alaska, he met a man named Wayne Westerberg. In 1990 Wayne picked up Chris on the side of the road. Before leaving him they stopped at Wayne’s friends house. At his house they ate a big dinner made by the friend’s wife, because they had heard that Chris had not eaten in days. After leaving the house Wayne was about to drop off Chris when he realized how late it was. He asked him if he wanted to spend the night in his trailer, Chris ended up staying for three days. Before leaving Wayne offered Chris a job, if he ever needed one, a few weeks later Chris came back and took

When people think of Alaska they know it is a very rugged wilderness in an unforgivable climate. People that go to Alaska to go hunting, rock climbing, hiking, or camping all have one thing in common, they come prepared. When you compare Chris to these people he looks like a fool. All he had was a rifle, some books, a bag of rice, and a sleeping bag. Chris was so lost in his own imagination of how wonderful it would be to live in Alaska that he was blind to the fact that it could kill him, and it did.

Another way is because the author wanted his novel to describe the life of Chris in a unique way without him feeling judged from the mistakes he did while on his journey in Alaska, because he’s life did end in tragedy.