Chris Mccandless Journey Into The Wild Essay

Have you ever had the urge to go to an unknown adventure into the wilderness? A young man once did his name was Chris McCandless also known as Alex Supertramp he was a free spirited man who had this urge to go off on a life changing conquest. His journey to the Alaskan wilderness changed his life, his need to search for spiritual liberation caused him his life as well as harming his loved ones. Many people question the motives of why this miraculous young man with an extraordinary future ahead of him would take such risk to the rugged Alaskan wilderness. Although some would argue that McCandless’ actions were based off of his relationship with his dysfunctional family, however his real motives were influenced by the literary influences and

his thirst for adventure and taking risks.
One reason McCandless was influenced to go to the wild was because of his literary influences from writers such as, Henry David Thoreau, Boris Pasternak and Jack London who he expressed London as his live like hero; these great men inspired McCandless to experience life fully. An excerpt from Thoreau conveys, “ rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not and I went away hungry from inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices” (Krakauer 117). McCandless was a man of simple pleasures who had lived his whole life in the upper middle class in the suburbs he lived in luxury and appearances. However, McCandless did not want to live like his parents he wanted to explore the world and wished for the truth in life rather than materialistic objects. Another great author who influenced was Boris Pasternak, he read from an expert stating, “ at such a time you felt the need of committing yourself to something absolute life or truth or beauty of being ruled by it in place of the man- made rules that had been discarded” (Krakauer 103). As mentioned before McCandless had the need to live to the fullest as well as the desire for a bigger purpose in life. He had been deliberately living without a care in the world.
Another reason for McCandless departure from civilization and into the wild is because of his rebellion of the youth and risk taking tendencies.

McCandless had a reckless behavior and like many young adults, they engage in impulsive activities. Krakauer expresses in the book that McCandless had the common misperception of the young which was his major flaw he states, “ it is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God- given right to have it” (155). This young man had a vision to do something significant without measuring the consequences, this is very common when your brain is not even fully developed to go off and do an extreme measure. According to an article, “ Why the Teen Brain Is Drawn to Risk” by Maia Szalavitz there are “biological tendencies that prime [teenagers’] brains to learn and be flexible”(1) thus not measuring the consequences of their actions. These risks can be wildly overestimated certain risks that McCandless had overestimated his endangered himself by going off into the wild by himself without the proper gear and equipment to survive the harsh Alaskan wilderness. Although some would argue that what drove McCandless to the wild was his toxic relationship with his parents while this may be true, but his thirst for adventure and rebellious attitude was the motives to off into the

wild.
McCandless took a risk to Alaskan wilderness, he called it “ greatest adventure”. He felt compelled to take hazard actions, Alaska was the ultimate test for him. The desire for independence and freedom to accomplish the only way to be satisfied was by going into the wilderness to enjoy the “ultimate freedom.” McCandless expressed in his journal, “ ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization, he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild”(Kraukar 163). This clearly states his intentions to isolate himself from society and live a nomadic lifestyle.
In conclusion the impulses that lead McCandless to the Alaskan odyssey was the literary influences as well as the his risk taking streak. Although, many people may argue that his actions were foolish and he was destined to die the way he did, on the other hand his actions were so bizarre and unimaginable that others started to romanticize his epic journey. McCandless’ tour was for him a spiritual journey, a self liberation, journeys that only few have the guts to go through, nevertheless the Alaskan fantasy had become a harsh reality.