Christopher Johnson McCandless, a.k.a Alexander Supertramp, “Master of his Own Destiny.” He was an intelligent young man who presented himself as alone but really he was never lonely. However, he believed that life was better lived alone, with nature, so he ventured off throughout western United States before setting off into Alaska’s wild unprepared where he died. Some may say he was naive to go off on such a mission without the proper food and equipment but he was living life the way he wanted to and during his travels he came across three people: Jan Burres, Ronald Franz, and Wayne Westerberg. McCandless befriended these people, it is believed that he made such a strong impression on them that their connection left them with strange feelings after finding out about McCandless’ death.
In the summer of 1990, while looking for edible berries on the highway, McCandless came across a couple, Jan Burres and Bob, who picked up McCandless and took care of him as if he was their own. Soon enough the metaphor became literal. Apparently, Jan Burres had a son who was quite similar to McCandless, who set out to live the world alone with nature, free from society. Burres attempted to mature McCandless by warning him of the dangers of his intentions; which probably was her attempt to keep McCandless as her own. Burres later on confessed to McCandless that he reminded her of her son which is why McCandless left a strong impression on Jan Burres.
Some believe that Walter, McCandless’ dad, affair is what drove McCandless to his journey to the wild but during his journey he met a man who represented a father figure but was the opposite of his actual father. This man was Wayne Westerberg, grain elevator operator. Westerberg gave McCa...
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...because he left a strong impression but possibly because they’re mourning the loss of a friend who was warned not to go off into the wild. Krakauer may have included these characters into, Into the Wild to show readers how McCandless had the opportunity to survive, and the opportunity to start over again but his desire to live free from society, alone and with the wild overcame his reason to stay with people who grew to care for him.
Given these points, it seems that McCandless really did leave a strong impression on each of these individuals; all in deep and different ways. Although Jan Burres, Ronald Franz, and Wayne Westerberg had only a limited amount of time with McCandless it was obvious that they all felt a connection with this intelligent and young hitchhiker. He inspired them, leaving them with his interesting personality and different outlook on life.
...en writing a book based on ethos, logos and pathos, it is very challenging for an author to stay completely objective. In Krakauer’s case, his bias comes out strongly in certain chapters, sometimes detracting from his argument. Some faults exist in his credibility and logic, but his use of emotional appeal makes up for what those areas lack. Krakauer does an excellent job developing the character of Chris McCandless. The author brings him back to life with his descriptions and is able to make him tangible to the reader. The discussion over what McCandless's thoughts were when he went on his fatal trek will continue as long as his memory lasts. Ultimately, the readers of Into the Wild are left to form their opinion of McCandless, with Krakauer nudging them along the way.
Read, Adam. "Christopher McCandlessaka Alexander Supertramp." Chris McCandless Now I Walk Into The Wild Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, describes the adventure of Christopher McCandless, a young man that ventured into the wilderness of Alaska hoping to find himself and the meaning of life. He undergoes his dangerous journey because he was persuade by of writers like Henry D. Thoreau, who believe it is was best to get farther away from the mainstreams of life. McCandless’ wild adventure was supposed to lead him towards personal growth but instead resulted in his death caused by his unpreparedness towards the atrocity nature.
To start with, McCandless was not someone who gave up. Despite others trying to scare him out of continuing with his journey into the Alaskan wilderness, nothing deterred McCandless. He anxiously awaited to experience life off the land. The people McCandless encountered on his way to Alaska often commented on his determination. Jim Gallien, a man who drove McCandless into the Alaska interior, described McCandless as “real gung-ho”. McCandless's attempt to undertake such a risky endeavour is something to admire in itself. To travel two years, mostly on foot, is certainly not an easy task. However, McCandless still persevered through the hardships he faced throughout his journey. McCandles...
McCandless was not the 'sit down and take it in stride' kind of person. If he saw something wrong, something he did not agree with, he would try to fix it, or help in any way that he could. He was inherently compassionate, a man of his principles; owned by the rules that he governed himself with. It is apparent that he had always been an idealistic dreamer, and had always believed himself capable of much, because as his friend shared: “He'd say 'Come on,...
Christopher “Alexander Supertramp” McCandless was a dreamer. However, unlike most of us nowadays, Christopher turned his desire for adventure into reality. Similar to Buddha, he gave up his wealth, family, home, and most possessions except the ones he carried before embarking on his journey. He traveled by various methods, mostly on foot, to eventually reach his desired goal in the Alaskan wilderness. Unfortunately, due to various mistakes, Christopher ultimately passed and his body was found in a neglected Fairbank City Transit Bus. His motivation to achieve his goal was based on the many aspects of his life. Chris’s dysfunctional family weighed heavily on him, one prime reason for driving him onto the road of freedom.
Jon Krakauer, fascinated by a young man in April 1992 who hitchhiked to Alaska and lived alone in the wild for four months before his decomposed body was discovered, writes the story of Christopher McCandless, in his national bestseller: Into the Wild. McCandless was always a unique and intelligent boy who saw the world differently. Into the Wild explores all aspects of McCandless’s life in order to better understand the reason why a smart, social boy, from an upper class family would put himself in extraordinary peril by living off the land in the Alaskan Bush. McCandless represents the true tragic hero that Aristotle defined. Krakauer depicts McCandless as a tragic hero by detailing his unique and perhaps flawed views on society, his final demise in the Alaskan Bush, and his recognition of the truth, to reveal that pure happiness requires sharing it with others.
Chris McCandless is regarded as being something as a spiritual figure almost as a cult hero, some call him a disillusioned fool, some call him a great adventurer, and the debate still continues. As Matthew Power calls in his article, an article where he tells the story of McCandless,“The debate falls into two camps: Krakauer's visionary seeker, the tragic hero who dared to live the unmediated life he had dreamed of and died trying; or, as many Alaskans see it, the unprepared fool, a greenhorn who had fundamentally misjudged the wilderness he'd wanted so desperately to commune with.” Like so many stories covering Christopher McCandless’ death, both ends of the argument are discussed in an unfavored manner in the hopes to help develop an opinion on the McCandless story. This open ended question can only be answered open-endedly based on what the readers base for themselves as covered stories intend. Like Power has done, ...
In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer explores the human fascination with the purpose of life and nature. Krakauer documents the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man that embarked on an Odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. Like many people, McCandless believed that he could give his life meaning by pursuing a relationship with nature. He also believed that rejecting human relationships, abandoning his materialistic ways, and purchasing a book about wildlife would strengthen his relationship with nature. However, after spending several months enduring the extreme conditions of the Alaskan wilderness, McCandless’ beliefs begin to work against him. He then accepts that he needs humans, cannot escape materialism, and can never fully understand how nature functions. Most importantly, he realizes that human relationships are more valuable than infinite solitude. McCandless’ gradual change of heart demonstrates that exploring the wilderness is a transformative experience. Krakauer uses the life and death of Chris McCandless to convey that humans need to explore nature in order to discover the meaning of life.
He wasn’t too fond of truly becoming close to others. Krakauer states, “McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well-relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it” (55). This had also occurred a few months prior in Niland Slabs, where he met Burres and Tracy. He had made friends there, and Tracy had developed feelings for him, but he rebuffed any of her advancements; he didn’t want to get involved with others, not after having left home for his journey. To him, having had friends and family that he left behind, he loved people, but he didn’t want to be close to them in any way other than purely being around them. Growing up with a difficult family relationship, such as McCandles’s, which caused him to push people away; it’s easy to relate to him in that aspect. For a majority of my life, up until I was around 13, I did almost exactly as he, when it came to being around others; I enjoyed their company, but I pushed everyone away and only felt relief from doing so. I was more than happy with how it was back then, but now I’m not much different; I’ve learned to accept a few people into my
McCandless made a huge impression on people because he was very different from others. He was a very hardworking man, as it states when he started a job he would finish it no matter the difficulties he encountered. McCandless was a passionate in what he did. He avoided society not
Over a decade ago, the body of Christopher McCandless was found in bus 142 in Alaska. He was almost completely decomposed and nobody had known what happened to him. Many say he was a young man looking for his purpose in the world while others say he allowed his dreams to take over and ultimately take his life. McCandless was more than that, he was not just an ill prepared youngster taking on the world without knowing much about it, he was a traveler seeking for a more meaningful life.
He showed him that it's not always about being with family and the society but to live your own life and discover yourself. The solitude and total freedom of the wilderness created a perfect setting for either melancholy or exultation." p. 157 When Christopher McCandless's died in the Alaskan interior, people from all over the country reacted in different ways. Many wrote letters describing Chris as some ignorant kid who did not know what he was doing, but others, reacted in a more personal manner. These were random people who happened to pick the vagabond up on the side of some street. These were people who were affected by the unusual personality of Chris, aka Alexander Supertramp, as he introduced himself along his expedition.
The seventh and eighth chapters of Into the Wild focus on the similarities and differences of Chris McCandless and several other individuals who also embarked on similar journeys, including a man named Everett Ruess. Much like Chris, Everett Ruess adopted new names. He went from Everett Ruess to Lan Rameau to Evert Rulan and finally, to Nemo. Both McCandless and Reuss were romantics and pursued experiences they had dreamed about. They loved freedom and being alone, but also enjoyed the occasional accompaniment of others. They differ in the goals they wish to attain while on their adventures. McCandless' main goal is to completely reject society and start anew. Ruess, on the other hand, has a burning desire to be surrounded by beauty. They both, however, strive to be a "lone wanderer of the wilderness" (Krakauer, 91) McCandless and Ruess' journeys eventually
McCandless was a fearless human being. I think that most of the people’s ideologies and personalities have to do with how they were raised by the parents and everything that was taught to them. When a lack of love exists from a parent towards his child, a hate can be created without knowing it. McCandless could have gone away from society to escape reality or, for being in a place where he could find himself at peace. Either one, we can assume that he obviously had different ideas about civilization; the idea of having a life full of danger and adventure inspired and excited him.