Chris Mccandless Suicidal Essay

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”,

and “He wasn’t the type of person to do this”. These are all quotes that somebody might’ve said about him and other people. But half of these are true. He knew the risks of taking a journey into the Alaskan wilderness. He perfectly well knew these risks when he took his first trip the summer before college. That is why he brought a book of what plants he could and couldn’t eat. He wanted to survive in the wild, but on his own terms. And when people said, “He wasn’t the type of person who would do this”, that is a lie. If anyone had been moderately close to him in any sort of way, they would’ve known that he loved the outdoors and getting lost only to find himself again. That is what I think the journey personified: getting so lost that you must rediscover yourself in order to survive.
Johnathan Croom set out on virtually the same journey as Chris.

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

problems.
There was a considerable amount of people that cared about Chris like he was there own child. And the same could be said about Chris about how he viewed some of these people. He occasionally wrote to some of these people so that they did not worry about his condition. Just by writing to them he was able to convey his occasional feeling to them so that they could send help if they truly needed to. And let’s not forget about that journal. The journal was Chris’ only solace of sanity in his trek for inner peace and sanctity. After the discover of his corpse, Chris’ journal was often read and interpreted so that the coroners could understand and relay the messages and thoughts of what Chris was experiencing and feeling. That being said, if Chris was suicidal or if he thought about ending it all, he probably would’ve written it down in his journal or would’ve told someone via postcard.
In summary, I personally believe that Chris was not suicidal and knew that risks of taking a life altering journey “Into the Wild”. He knew at any moment he could die in a variety of ways. It was his own stupidity that killed him in the end but that does not mean that Chris was suicidal. He knew the blatant risks of taking such a journey, he could’ve killed himself a lot sooner instead of getting involved with people that cared about his well being, and he was too involved with people and his journal, no matter how much he said he wanted to break free of social and societal norms. Chris was not a depressed adult with an overbearing desire to end his life. He wasn’t crazy and didn’t ignore the dangers of going into the wild alone. He fully knew the risks and challenges that would come his way and he embraced these feelings. Chris wasn’t suicidal, only a man that wanted to find peace with himself and the sad world that he was blessed upon.