Bryan Navarro Mrs.Corbett ERWC 1 November 2016 Final Draft Chris McCandless left his comfortable living for a crazy adventure into the deep forest of Alaska. No one will ever know why he did it, but there are a numerous reasons. Chris’s focus on adventure, freedom, solitude and his resistance against the government influenced him to leave his comfortable living to try to survive the wild. Chris was heavily inspired by his favorite author Jack London, a man that writes about topics mostly about man vs nature theme, where nature always wins. Jack London also wrote about a time where he himself spent a bit of time in Alaska describing it as treacherous, dangerous, and deadly. All Chris wanted to be free of the pressure of society. Chris was …show more content…
Living his new life going to Alaska was his goal .Chris was determined to go to Alaska and see if he can survive like his favorite author. (38) “The dominant primordial beast was strong in Buck, and under the fierce conditions of trail of life it grew and grew. Yet it was a second growth. His newborn cunning gave him the poise and the control”-Jack London “The Call of The Wild”. As Chris was already in the wild camping inside a busted up bus he vandalized the bus writing “All Hail the Dominant Primordial Beast! and Captain Ahab too!-Alexander Supertramp.(Chris’s alias). In this Chris writes this in the bus to make himself feel dominant, in control, as if it was self confidence to help him fight another day in the wild. It made him feel in control like he’s the primordial beast. (9) Another of Jack London’s quote that Chris felt inspired by was carved on a piece of wood at the site where Chris McCandless died, he carved (9) “ Dark spruce forest frowned on …show more content…
He felt that the government should mind their business. For example (6) Gallien asked whether he had a hunting license. “Hell, no,” Alex scoffed. “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business. Fuck their stupid rules.” Chris played by his own rules, not others he was a leader not a follower. Another interesting characteristic of Chris was that he hated money too. Well he did not exactly hate money he always wanted to be self reliant. Self reliance, he teaches that people have to be in solitude to hear their own thoughts, because society, and its pressure urges them to conform and not having to rely on money to lead him to happiness. Chris noted (189) "HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED."He lived money and worry free in the wild Chris believed that money made people too cautious, rude and dishonest. Growing up in a nice suburban neighborhood, with a family able to go to nice vacations he witnessed that having money was a limited distraction that can hide the truth. Chris did not want to be distracted nor wanted to hide the truth as Alexander
I agree with the author, John Krakauer, in the notion that Chris McCandless was not crazy or an outcast because he was very likable to others and very determined in his fancies, but he did seem to be lacking common sense and was also unprepared for the wild. He made friends very easily and had a very strong effect on people. Wanting to travel and explore did not make him insane, most people love to embark on adventures, but Chris was somewhat incompetent in being prepared. Chris was very likable as others described him, but he also lived by his own rules. Carine, his sister, stated that, “he was very to himself.
Chris believes that if he too the ticket from Wayne that would be a shortcut, an easy way out. Chris believes that the voyage is just as important as the destination. One example of this is on Page 67 Chapter 7 “Once Alex made his mind up about something, there was no changing it.” This quote shows Chris’s stubbornness and how he is determined to get to Alaska as he intended, the long way. Another quote showing that he lives to his own words, and wouldn’t take a shortcut is on Page 68 Chapter 7, when Chris sent a postcard to Wayne saying “April 18 Arrived in Whitefish this morning on a freight train. I am making good time. Today I will jump the border and turn north for Alaska. Give my regards to everyone.” TAKE CARE ,
According to the book Into The Wild and Chris’s parents “there was always a little wanderlust in the family, and it was clear early on that Chris had inherited it” (108). Billie’s dad Loren Johnson and Chris both loved the wildlife, Loren was charmed by Chris and Chris adored his grandfather When Chris was eight Walt took him on a mountain climbing trip where he carried his own backpack, hiking the mountains became a father-son tradition. While on his trip to Alaska many people that he meet offered him stuff so he could survive there but he would always deny their offer. One person that had offered him rice did not accept a “no” so Chris was forced to take it. The last person to see Chris on his journey was a union electrician called Jim Gallien. Jim was on his way to Anchorage, Jim thought Chris was crazy to think he could survive in the forests of Alaska, but Chris’s love for nature and his adventurous spirit were too strong to fear all the warnings people kept telling him. From just these few things that Chris was introduced to made him love the wild and he became
“Don’t judge a book by it’s cover, it’s what’s inside counts” This quote reminds people about how they should not judge other people from the outside but look deep into their true personalities. Looking from the appearance and how Chris lives, everyone would assume that Chris is a crazy, foolish person and does everything without thinking. If people try to know more about Chris, they would have different perspective. Chris is intelligent, determined, independent and follows what he believes. He went into the wilderness to escape from the society that tries to suppress him and look for the meaning of life.
He went through many obstacles that could have proved fatal. From canoeing in the Colorado River to picking the right berries, he was testing his intelligence. Chris had a true confidence in the land and in himself to set out on a mission so dangerous. “Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works. It not only offered an escape from society but also was an ideal stage for the Romantic individual to exercise the cult that he frequently made of his own soul. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exaltation” (Nash; Krakauer 157). Chris longed to escape from society and rely on only mother nature. An innumerable amount of people desire to withdraw from society as Chris did; but they are so comfortable and secure with a normal life they do not dare take such a gutsy
Chris’s parents had only good intentions for him as every parent would for their child which is why they entered him into a gifted school. However all this opportunity never seemed...
Christopher McCandless had very strong convictions. He believed that society shouldn’t rely on material wealth and a secure future. And when Christopher believed in something he stood very firmly by his beliefs and no one could change his mind about it. This is why Christopher McCandless decided not to continue his education, and rejected his parent’s gift of a new car, and walked away from everything because he didn’t want to be tied down by all of these
Chris believes that if he too the ticket from Wayne that would be a shortcut, an easy way out. Chris believes that the voyage is just as important as the destination. One example of this is on Page 67 Chapter 7 “Once Alex made his mind up about something, there was no changing it.” This quote shows Chris’s stubbornness and how he is determined to get to Alaska as he intended, the long way. Another quote showing that he lives to his own words, and wouldn’t take a shortcut is on Page 68 Chapter 7, when Chris sent a postcard to Wayne saying “April 18 Arrived in Whitefish this morning on a freight train. I am making good time. Today I will jump the border and turn north for Alaska. Give my regards to everyone.” TAKE CARE , ALEX
McCandless, an intelligent child to say the least, was frustrated with orders by anyone. He wanted to do things his way or no way and he does this throughout his life. Whether it was getting an F in physics because he refused to write lab reports a certain way (an F was something that was never on McCandless report card) or not listening to advice from his parents to the extreme of leaving society to go into the wilderness, McCandless definitely was not a follower. His parents were told by one of his teachers at an early age that Chris "marched to the beat of his own drummer". Chris never lost his ability to do things the way he wanted and when he wanted to do them. After receiving his diploma from Emory in 1990 he set off on a two-year escapade that would eventually end his life but in my opinion, if Chris could start over he would probably not do things much differently. I think he would still donate his $25,000 to an organization, leave his car in the woods, burn the remainder of his money, and hitch-hiked across the United States. The only thing he might do differently is finding a way not to starve to death at the end of the novel.
“McCandless was something else – although precisely what is hard to say.” (pg. 85). Chris was a very different person, but not crazy. He was emotionally motivated at the time and had his mind set on Alaska. In the end, Chris was nowhere near prepared for this journey, but was too caught up in what he was trying to do to realize this. I agree with Krakauer that Chris wasn’t crazy or insane, but in his attempts to survive in Alaska he made several mistakes and ultimately, led an ill-prepared journey to Alaska that killed him.
Would you give everything up to pursue a wild dream of living off the grid? Free from modern stresses and the ever haunting technological presents. That is what Christopher McCandless did in the book and film "Into The Wild". McCandless had just graduated top of his class as well as being a successful athlete. Instead of starting his life and career, he abandons his family and gives away his money to set off to Alaska, to escape from the pressures of his home and future. Shaun Callarmans, a book critic, commented on Chris McCandless: “I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on arrogance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he
... 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.
Chris McCandless lived a life in which he disgusted by human civilization, and left it, eventually being led to his death in Alaska. McCandless entered the Alaskan wilderness severely unprepared, a brutal error that cost him his life. In the novel, Into the Wild by John Krakauer, Chris glances into his mindset by they way of his journal, history, and analysis of his life reveals that Chris McCandless as an arrogant and judgemental narcissist, while not mentally unstable, had a condescending attitude towards society and perished not only from his reckless stupidity but also from his unparalleled ego. Chris McCandless was immune to love and had an obsession with nature and society, him showing characteristics that created the appearance of McCandless
Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer, is the story of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who ventured off to Alaska and tried to survive in the wild. McCandless grew up in Annandale, Virginia where he attended school and made very good grades, rarely bringing home anything below an A. His father, Walt worked for NASA for a little while, before starting his own business with Chris’s mother, Billie, out of their own home. They worked hard and for long hours to get the business up and running and it finally paid off. The McCandless family was wealthy, but had many emotional problems. After graduating from Emory University in 1990, Chris McCandless donated twenty-four thousand dollars from his savings account to charity, changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, and then disappeared. This book tells the story of his life and travels. Some critics say that Chris McCandless was a very admirable person. He was a brave man that followed his dreams. However, given all of his flaws, attitudes, and actions, he is un-admirable. McCandless walked into the wild very unprepared and stubborn. He also treated his family poorly as well as anyone who got emotionally close to him. Chris was additionally too impressionable in a way that he admired authors along with the books they wrote, and tried to imitate them. He was very rebellious in his actions as well, and did not try to change the world or help others.
All in all, it is interesting how the trials of life can lead a person into an awakening that inspires millions. Many people believe that walking “into the wild” to live off the land and find himself alone in nature was arrogant, foolish and irresponsible. Chris lacks of knowledge about the wild was a major factor in his death. Chris did not plan how he will survive in the wilderness without proper equipments. He misunderstood that he would have no problem in setting in the wild. Chris immature manner and decisions lead him to starvation and ultimately death. If he planned it out in the beginning he would have saved his life.