I think that Chris is a very motivated person. He knows what he wants and he is willing to do anything to get there. This quote describes when Gallien was trying to persuade Chris not to go through with his hitchhiking plan, “But he wouldn’t give an inch. He had an answer for everything I threw at him” (Krakauer 7). This quote shows the depth of his motivated character because of his unwillingness to change his mind. Additionally, I also think that Chris has a very optimistic character and outlook on life. Chris is not willing to totally accept the danger of what he is about to do because he is quick to hope for the best. Proof of this character trait can be found in the following quote, “‘I’m absolutely positive… I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own’” (Krakauer 7). Chris does not agree with a lot of the values of society. He shuns the day-to-day sheltered routine that comes with the security of the material world. Chris does not hold the security of the government with a high esteem, as shown in the following quote, “‘H*ll, no… How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. F*ck their stupid rules’” (Krakauer 7). Chris doesn’t even enjoy the comfort of modern living. He prefers minimal …show more content…
Based on these writings and events in this chapter, what convinced McCandless that it was time to return to civilization? What did he learn from his time “in the wild”? Support your answer with specific details. Krakauer observes that it is not “unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders.” Identify two details from this chapter where McCandless exemplifies this observation. Explain whether or not McCandless would agree with Krakauer. Finally compare McCandless’ view with that of one of the following men mentioned in this chapter: Andy Horowitz, Gordon Samel, Roman Dial, Sir John
One thing that most people struggle to do in this modern society is to blaze their own path, or to be a pioneer. This was in Chris’s nature, this isn’t something that was force upon him, he himself was born with this trait and this became a part of his legacy. His desire and will to explore the Alaskan wilderness with little gear and no communication with the outside world can only be defined as crazy. (On pg. 69), Chris states, “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return south. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you...
Although Christopher McCandless was intelligent young man, he could’ve been a little more considerate of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. To be able to survive without civilization, it requires experience and awareness of what’s to be expected. Christopher McCandless was not familiar with this type of environment, therefore he couldn’t survive. He was brave and fearless leaving everything behind and burning most of his belongings. Starting over is a hard thing to do, but getting rid of your old self may not be the best idea.
Christopher Johnson McCandless was not justified for shunning society and social norms in favor of individualism. McCandless misinterpreted “Walden”, was crazy to shun society, misunderstood “Self Reliance”, and committed actions that contradicted themselves. McCandless was misguided, insane, and had no idea what he was trying to accomplish because he got two simple things like solitude and isolation mixed up.
To begin with, McCandless’s decision to walk into the wild was acceptable because he wanted to become an inspiration and an individual. Emerson states, “There is a time in every man’s education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance: that imitation is suicide” (Emerson). Chris McCandless left to shun the conformist society that he could feel changing him. Chris wanted the chains that bound him to be broken. Society takes the individual and locks it up and destroys it. According to Emerson, “It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion: it is easy to in solitude to live after our own: but the great man is he who in the midst of the crow keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude” (Emerson). McCandless left his materialistic family to be his own person ad to be unique. The world’s opinion does not make the man wh...
Throughout the book he shows great ambition and also the tendency to be self-centered. Chris harbors a lot of resentment toward his father for having a second family, which he only discusses with his sister rather than his parents. Around the time of his college graduation, he seems to have a good relationship with his parents and remained very close with his sister. He took off after this, with seemingly no recognition of his beloved sister or his parents. Chris never contacts his family again, which will in turn leaving them to wonder what they did wrong. Along with this selfishness, Chris shows a somewhat deliberate ignorance towards basic survival skills such as appropriate gear and food. “ He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’s scrounged at a gas station.”(5). It is proven early on that Chris is very intelligent and has a natural talent for outdoor tasks. With this background, Chris would have undoubtedly known the conditions of the Alaskan wilderness and what supplies he would need. These actions show that Chris is over confident in his abilities. He had developed an inflated view of outdoor survival due to extensively reading books by authors such as Jack London. “He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction,
Without the texts like “Civil Disobedience” people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi would never have been inspired. Chris, as a modern transcendentalist in his own eyes, should have shared his experience with the world. One might argue that he did, as one can watch the movie or read the book on his adventure, but that is simply incorrect. Chris died and his story inspires many people today to leave the world behind and go to Alaska and die, though the latter is usually not intended. Thoreau and Emerson would be rolling in their graves if they knew that Chris ultimately failed as a transcendentalist, yet he is praised as one too. From Walden to “Self Reliance” by Emerson, they all share a few things in common, mainly that their authors lived to publish their exploits. Towards the end of the movie it is shown that Chris was mostly incoherent by his last few days. Anything that he had even attempted to write down at that point could be false due to his altered state of mind from starvation, dehydration, general loss of sanity from being alone for so long, and the poison berries that eventually took his life. No one could really doubt it had Chris simply just survived. The fact that his tale was even told is surprising, but it would have been more inspiring has he actually survived. People wouldn’t follow in his footsteps
He was top of his class and had the grades to get into Harvard law school. he had pretty wealthy parents that wanted to buy him a new car. He had a secure future but he didn’t want that, he didn’t want to conform to society. Christopher had an adventurous side to him and he felt that nothing was more damaging to a man’s adventurous spirit than a secure future. So he gave up everything that he had and worked for and walked into the wild. This really shows how strong Christopher McCandless’s convictions were.
Thoreau states, “I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary.” I truly believe that McCandless took this adventure in order to be able to live his own life the way he wanted to with no problems and without the cost of letting others make his decisions for him; hence never accepting help from others. McCandless understood what he was getting himself into, he understood that it would be difficult, he understood it would take a toll on his body and he understood that he could possibly die. With the knowledge of this it was his own decision, his own ideas and thirst for adventure that lead him into the
The strange life and death of Christopher McCandless is an enigma. After disappearing for 2 years, McCandless was found dead at age twenty-four in the Alaskan wilderness, the world stunned on why an affluent young man with a bright future would give it all up to live in seclusion in the wilderness. In his book Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer theorizes the motivations of McCandless and why a seemingly sane person would take such dangerous risks. Krakauer’s major theories of why McCandless did what he did revolve around a singular idea: freedom. Krakauer uses McCandless’s change of identity and wilderness adventures to symbolize freedom and self-expression.
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.
...elligence to help him last an extended period of time in the Alaskan wilderness. In truth, McCandless was someone who wanted to find himself. He wanted to get away from a life in which he could not find fulfilment, which is something many others would be able to relate to. Although most people would not go to such extremes to find fulfilment, everyone has a different way of finding happiness and going after what their heart truly desires. For McCandless, his desire was to live out in the wild. Unfortunately, this man of great character did not succeed in getting out alive. However, that does not change the fact that he tried. McCandless knew what he wanted for himself and he persisted, regardless of the obstacles he faced. He put an incredible amount of effort into accomplishing his goals and never gave up, and that is why Christopher McCandless is someone to admire.
... every aspect of his life whether it be his education, physical endurance, or making it through the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a rifle, a backpack, and a road map. Chris was aware of his differences and that he did not fit into society. He fully embraced that and and chose to lead his own path. Chris led a happy life according to one of his last journal entries he wrote, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” (Krakauer 199). Chris was willing to risk everything to gain that happiness. His ambition to enter the wilderness, in the end, took his life but that did not stop him. He would have rather died a happy man than lived a miserable one. Chris ventured out into the wilderness and found himself; a tragic story for a tragic hero.
...emselves. They endure mosquitoes and rain and tough walking and bad river crossings and the possibility of bears. The burden the pilgrims carry to the bus is so heavy, laden with their frailties and hopes and desires, with their lives that don’t quite satisfy. Well, so many of them are young, and they’re lost, somehow, just as he was.” What makes Chris McCandless such a hero to young men is that he is easily relatable to those young men. As Neal Karlinsky writes of Chris McCandless,“McCandless tramped his way across North America determined to live completely free of the trappings of modern society. He was intoxicated by nature and the idea of a great Alaskan adventure — to survive in the bush totally on his own. In his last postcard to a friend, he wrote: "I now walk into the wild."
In Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild, the important story of Chris McCandless is a caution for all readers.
McCandless was a fearless human being. I think that most of the people’s ideologies and personalities have to do with how they were raised by the parents and everything that was taught to them. When a lack of love exists from a parent towards his child, a hate can be created without knowing it. McCandless could have gone away from society to escape reality or, for being in a place where he could find himself at peace. Either one, we can assume that he obviously had different ideas about civilization; the idea of having a life full of danger and adventure inspired and excited him.