Persuasive Essay Into The Wild

Christopher McCandless’ long, fascinating, but an ultimately fatal journey into the wilderness of Alaska is depicted in the biography, Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer. Late in the of summer of 1990, a very young Christopher McCandless left his ordinary world in Annandale, Virginia to pursue a solitary life in the untamed wilds of Alaska. Many will insinuate that Christopher McCandless’ actions were childish and idiotic, but a stronger argument would be that his unconventional thinking and desire to live life on his own terms allowed him to reach self-actualization. Before Christopher McCandless had been exploring the alluring west, he was a typical man attending Emory University, where he excelled academically, even qualifying

This fails to be taken into account that Chris had already lived in a hostile environment of a different kind. Both his Father and Mother were constantly working and arguing with one another, “‘I was always on mom and dad’s case because they worked all the time and were never around’...” (Krakauer 129). They failed to give Chris and Carine, Chris’ sister who he adored and loved very much, a healthy environment to grow in. Critics may say that McCandless suffered from psychological problems caused by the abusive environment he grew up in, yet according to the Joyful Heart Foundation “A Child who has been abused can go on to have a healthy and productive life” (“Joyful Heart Foundation”). Chris’ journals and other writing indicate that he lived a rich and productive life, “I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness.”(Christopher McCandless). Chris would continue to hold a grudge over his father for continuing his relationship with his first wife Marcia. Chris resented his father for his lies and immoral actions; direct evidence of why Chris rejects his parents ' spirituality. In a letter to Carine, Chris declared “I’m going to divorce them as my parent once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live. I’ll be through with them once and for all forever”(Chris McCandless). Walter McCandless’ actions were shameful and dishonorable, and Chris’ abandonment of him can be justified by these actions and their consequence. Not only did Walter have a hypocritical attitude when it came to raising his kids, he held them to the strict and unforgivable expectations. I strongly believe that Chris’s actions were motivated by some type of revenge and like Schadenfreude said “If someone enjoys the misfortune of others, then there’s something in