Chris Mccandless Suicidal Essay

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Was Chris McCandless Suicidal?

Let’s answer this question point blank: No, Chris McCandless, the ‘adventurer extraordinaire’, was not a suicidal human being. Was that too blunt? Got high off of it? Need explanation? Ok, well here are the reasons why; he knew the risks of taking the perilous journey to go “Into the Wild”, if he wanted to die, he would’ve done it sooner and the friendships that he made with people and his notebook (journal?) were far too strong. Those three reasons are why I think he didn’t end his life. When McCandless wanted to go “Into the Wild” he already had experience on his own. The summer before college began, he took a journey all by himself, he proceeded to get lost and almost starve to death, but returned home safe. “This time might’ve been different”, “He knew the risks”, …show more content…

He left his car and went into the wild. Fast-forward a week later and the police discovers his dead corpse. They deemed it a suicide. This is what differentiates Chris and John. They both went into the wild for different reasons and both had a tragic ending, both wanted to defy social norms, but each had a different story all together. Johnathan was obsessed with Chris and his story and wanted to personify his adventure. John wanted to defy social norms but also wanted to be closer to nature and him. Comparing the length that they survived, one week versus several months, there are stark differences. I believe that John couldn’t handle the adventure and the stress that came with it, so he committed suicide. Chris endured the adventure because he was in pursuit of who he was as a person. Chris had several months to commit suicide. In Mexico he could’ve drowned himself, at any location he could’ve hung himself or slit his flesh, and in Alaska he could’ve shot himself. Point being, when put under the stress and commitment that Chris had to his journey, he didn’t seek and easy way out to end his

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