Many people are not brave enough to leave an unsatisfying life in pursuit of the life they want to live. Christopher McCandless wrote in a letter to Ron Franz, “If you want something in life, reach out and grab it” (Krakauer 58). That’s exactly what Chris did; in April 1992 Christopher McCandless walked into the wild, thus fulfilling a lifelong dream. Four months later, his decomposed body was found in an abandoned bus. Chris’ story received a considerable amount of media attention starting with an article published in Outside magazine, then a bestselling novel Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, a film, several documentaries, a memoir The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless, and more. Twenty-four years later Chris’ story is still talked about, and for good reason. Chris was brave, intelligent, deliberate, and purposeful, the opposite of reckless and crazy. The fact that Chris failed to bring a map, and the only …show more content…
Many people judge Chris’ actions: abandoning his family, burning his money and other strange things that most cannot relate to, without considering his reasoning or the circumstances in which Chris was raised. Carine McCandless (Chris’ younger sister and best friend) wrote a memoir The Wild Truth revealing the truth of Chris’ childhood. She wrote, “The constant misconceptions about my brother made me want to cry out the real reasons why walking into the wild was far from crazy, but the sanest thing Chris could have done.” (CITATION). Chris grew up in a toxic, abusive household. Chris was brave enough to escape an undesired life. He stated in a letter to Franz “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit” (Krakauer 57). Chris took the initiative to change, he was
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
Throughout his life, Chris McCandless always sought out adventure on his own. After graduating college he decided to seek a life worth living. Leaving all of his family and money behind him. Some may argue that Chris McCandless went into the wild because he suffered from a mental illness, but the real reason he left everything was because he wished to find his true self, apart from the materialistic lifestyle that he was raised in. Although it may be true that he was a bit off to live so selfishly and not pay any mind to others, people should consider the many relationships he maintained along his journey because it shows a lot about his true character.
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.
In Jon Krakauer’s nonfiction book, Into the Wild, we follow how humans love the wilderness, the strain of father son relationships, and for the majority of the book a young adult named Chris McCandless. We see mostly through Chris’ eyes just how much the wilderness can entice young adults as well as how important crushing news of one’s father can change your life. McCandless was an angry pseudo adult who couldn’t handle a sizeable change in his life. He was too stuck on it being his way that he rarely could bring himself to accept help and improve his ability to actually survive. However, there was some good about McCandless. His search for himself and the truth were great intentions despite the flawed approach.
Christopher McCandless is seen by many individuals as an inspiration, an inspiration to not be afraid. “Chris was fearless even when he was little.”(Walt McCandless) Chris’s father made a comment about how he believed Chris was fearless, Chris was a fearless individual even was he was just a young boy, he showed how he was fearless and brave, his strong character was acknowledged as a young age by his father and his family. How many people have packed up a few of their belongings and just took a journey into the wild? Chris did and he took nothing along just what he could carry on his back, he proved to many individuals that all you really need is yourself to get you through the tough situations that you will encounter along they way.
Chris McCandless’s odyssey was nothing more than an adventure to prove to society that his ideals and way of living was the correct way, driven by his narcissistic disposition. On McCandless’s journey he left many remarks on the people he came in contact with. Ronald Franz, a retired army veteran that has a drinking problem caused by the loss of his family, leading to a life that has lost much of its purpose. Though Franz did not have much of a reason to go out and change his lifestyle,
All around us, nature envelops our world and gives society a constant thrill for adventure. The Alaskan wilderness has been described in John Muir’s journal as “a place that you should never go to as a young man because you’ll never be satisfied with any other place as long as you live”. Many people, such as a Chris McCandless take this as a test of their bravery and curiosity and venture out into the foreign lands only to die by their foolish decisions. Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild portrays Chris McCandless as being unprepared, stubborn, and carefree that eventually lead to his death.
Relates to the book “Into the wild” because Chris took a big risk and didn’t take enough time to plan his adventure out too much. He thought he knew what he was doing but sometimes maybe taking advice from other people isn’t such a bad idea.
Chris knew that it could be fatal but he still did it as stated “If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild”. Chris was a risk taker he knew that the things he did could be fatal to him but he still decided to take those risks and go to the wilderness. Chris’ s nature wasn’t that he was noble or arrogant but that he was free spirited so much that he could dead because of it and he did with a cause of death by
Chris being adventurous is important, because if he wasn’t he wouldn’t have died and there wouldn’t be a book about
Ultimately, Chris made poor decisions that led to his demise. Regrettably, Chris was unprepared. He traveled into the Alaskan wilderness at the worst possible time. He had no idea that the month of April would be so unpredictable and brutal. When he first came across the Teklanika River, the water was low and he was able to easily cross it. A few months later the river was swollen and uncrossable blocking his return. “He turned around and began walking to the west, back toward the bus, back into the fickle heart of the bush” (Krakauer 171). The decision to turn around and head back to the bus changed both his and his
Chris lived a meaningful life and sought happiness through living honestly and freely. Chris wrote in his journal and listed off his essential basics in life. “Positivism, the insurpassable joy of the life aesthetic, absolute truth and honesty, reality, independence” (McCandless 168) this quote shoes just how much Chris valued living freely and honestly. Chris’ yearning for truth shows his emotional pain from his
One of the most known and learned aspects of his story would be to know before a person goes anywhere. If a person is going off on an adventure he/she should know what he/she is getting himself/herself into. A person must be prepared and always have enough supplies. Chris barely took anything into the wild and it might have been because he was only going to stay for one hundred days. Even if it is just a short amount of time, people should always have enough knowledge and supplies for what they are going to do. Another thing that could be learned from Chris’s story would be to never judge a person without getting to know them. Whenever Chris got a job, the workers would judge him for how slow he worked, but they did not understand. Other people, when Chris was hitchhiking, would refuse to stop because they thought he was just another hippie. The few people that did stop and pick him up realized that Chris was actually a very smart man and he had a plan. “I could tell by the language he used that he was a real sharp fella. He wasn’t what you’d call a typical hitchhiker. I’m usually leery of ‘em. I figure there’s probably something wrong with a guy if he can’t even afford a bus ticket” (Krakauer 159). This man did not really know Chris at first and was not going to take him, but then he got to know him. Chris was a good man; he just seemed strange on the surface. When it comes to Chris’s story, many
“I now walk into the wild” stated Chris McCandless, as he is about to make the worst decision of his life. Chris was just your average rich suburban kid when one day he decided to flip his whole world around, Chris decided to leave his whole life behind and to go live off the land in Alaska. Chris tried to do the impossible, and failed terribly. For all i know the only people living off the land are tribes and people in third world countries, these people would switch lives with chris in a heartbeat! Chris never realized how lucky he was to have an education (not just your average education either, he attended Emory), a home, and people that love him. In my eyes chris killed himself with his stupidity. He lacked knowledge of the wilderness, and he never got to prove his point. Although he followed his dream, he died which proves that you cannot live your life off of the land. Chris was a fool because he was not prepared to go into the wild and because he hurt a lot of people emotionally while gone.
“‘Astoundingly, the eighty-one-year-old man took the brash twenty-four-year-olds vagabond’s advice to heart. Franz placed his furniture and most of his older possessions in a storage locker, bought a GMC Duravan, and outfitted it with bunks and camping gear. Then he moved out of his apartment and set up camp on the bajada. ”(Krakauer 58) Everywhere Chris went he made a significant impact and created unforgettable bonds with those he encountered.