Book Analysis: Chris Mccandless

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 ignorance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy”- Shaun Callarman. Feeling invincible is new for young adults, but Chris McCandless convinced himself that he knew he was immortal rather than just believing it. His adventure into the wild was mostly due to his rebellious spirit. Some would argue that his vacation wasn 't inspired by his irrational aspirations, but instead by his family. Some say that he skipped town to get away from the strict prison that he called

McCandless follows this to heart for he does not accept any kind of luxury item. When his car becomes stuck in the aftermath of a flash flood, instead of feeling devastated, he is excited: “He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage....he arranged all his paper currency in a pile on the sand...and put a match to it. One hundred twenty-three dollars in legal tender was promptly reduced to ash and smoke” (Into The Wild). McCandless 's loss of his once beloved car is tossed away in a second because he has the fortunate accident that allows him to get rid of a materialistic object that makes his journey easier. Money is also considered as access to acquiring luxury items, which is why McCandless does not waste any time getting rid of it. Any opportunity to stray away from a minimalist lifestyle must be quickly avoided in order to follow the ideas of Transcendentalism. McCandless practices the idea of minimalism again when Jan Burres, a friend McCandless met during his trip, urges him to take some long underwear and other warm clothing when he is getting ready to leave: “ 'He eventually took it to shut me up...but the day after he left, I found most of it in the van. He 's pulled it out of his pack when we weren 't looking and hid it up under the seat '” (Into The Wild) McCandless proves that even good friends cannot sway him away from his

For example, he strays away from Robert Franz 's offer of adopting Alex to become his grandson, after the two of them form a close relationship: “ 'So I [Franz] asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson. ' McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question: 'We 'll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron '” (Into The Wild) McCandless shields himself from any sign of attachment to other people he encounters in order to follow Transcendentalist ideals. He treats human bonding as a distraction from his real goal, which is to achieve total independence and a spiritual connection with nature. Charlie, a man who McCandless has briefly acquainted himself with during his journey, reports his observations that McCandless is not much of a people person: “ 'Didn 't like to be around too many people, though. Temperamental...He 'd get moody, wouldn 't like to be bothered '”(Into The Wild). Being normally antisocial becomes a trait for McCandless because he values and follows the Transcendentalist ideal of minimizing human contact. McCandless mirrors the typical Transcendentalist because he prefers solitude over socializing, believing that being alone is a much more meaningful and spiritual