McCandless and America
In August 1992 a the body of Christopher Johnson McCandless was found in a bus in Alaska by two moose hunters. His story was traced back and written. McCandless left his friends, family, and life behind him to survive the Alaskan wild alone. Chris McCandless found the American dream by realising he should have shared his happiness with the ones that he loved. McCandless was searching for freedom and the chance to truly become an individual. Alaska gave McCandless a place where he could be far away from everything that held him back. One of these was certain human relationships in his life. “You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships.” (Krakauer,42) McCandless did not feel that
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McCandless focused so much on his own adventure that he called life that he forgot about the people that he left behind. McCandless had such determination to visit Alaska that he forgot what was really important, his friends and family.
The idea of individuality deals with the American dream because America is based on individuality. The reason America is an independent country is that America wanted to be a separate entity from Great Britain. Individuality is still a part of America. Each state is separate from one another, yet they all come together to form something greater. This idea of mixing togetherness and individuality relates to McCandless because he wanted to be rid of the chaos of society, but before death realises that being united with others is a key part of life.
McCandless searched for the chance to be alone in Alaska so determinedly that he forgot about the people who cared for and loved him. On his deathbed McCandless found the American dream by realising that he needs to share his experiences with others to create something better. This is the American dream because the states are all separate entities but they all come together in the end to create something better, known as
In Into The wild, Krakauer narrates the last couple of journeys Mccandless had on his adventure to Alaska where he ultimately died. Mccandless Touched many people's lives through all of his journeys. Mccandless went on these journeys because he was confused in life when he figured out his dad had cheated on his mom. This changed Mccandless to the point he began to hate his parents. Mccandless had a lot of confidence in himself so he left on an adventure to find his identity.
Cyanne Hall Mrs. Quassy English 4P 22 February, 2016 Into the Wild Essay One day in July of 1990, Chris McCandless severed all contact with his family and set out West and started his two year long journey that would ultimately end with his untimely death in the frozen, unforgiving landscape of Alaska. McCandless was like us, the only difference, he went for his dreams. Although criticizers of Krakauer and McCandless believe Chris was mentally ill, McCandless suffered through emotional damage from family problems and was easily influenced in his vulnerable state through literature. How can someone throw away so much and want nothing in return except the wild? The more I read into McCandless the more I saw why the wild interested him
Secondly, most citizens would not hike across the country without having a main goal out of what they want planned. McCandless hiked steadily and excitedly all the way from South Dakota to Fairbanks, Alaska to be on his own. With a very small amount of food or clothes he stumbled upon an abandoned bus to live in to be away from people this continued to be McCandless’s paradise. Without the help of technology he used to sun for the time of day and hunting for his food instead of a grocery store. However being on his own McCandless decided to do his own way of society by starting with a Declaration of Independence for only his self but the main part declares, “No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild” (KraKauer 163).
Krakauer wrote Into the Wild with a great deal of respect and privacy in regards to this issue, but years later Carine decided it was time to come clean. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless still claim Krakauer to have written rubbish about their beloved son. Carine commented that she was not surprised by the response because their parents never understood the impact they had on Chris or herself (Holtzclaw). McCandless was about to embark on the unforgettable journey he had waited his entire life for in order to become “King of the Road” but only for the course of two years. “King of the Road” was country singer Roger Miller’s song, published in 1965 that idealized a type of vagabond lifestyle (King of).
Chris McCandless was in his early 20’s, he was the kind of that guy that wanted to learn and experience life without all of the material things. He wanted to be independent from his parents and friends so Chris did something that would be insane for most of us humans but to him, it wasn’t. He went into the wild of Alaska for months, in fact, McCandless even thought he could make it out alive at the end of his journey. As a matter of fact, he was known as being a risk taker and enjoyed being out and about in the nature side of the world. Many would believe that Chris McCandless went into the wild to purposely kill himself; however, I myself believe that McCandless did not do it purposely.
The addition of Jack London’s epilogue from White Fang is the first hint that Chris McCandless did not survive. The excerpt from White Fang states that Alaska was a “desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness… It was masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life”(9). Krakauer chooses to add this passage from Jack London in order to create suspense and mystery. The sense of loneliness and darkness of Alaska the readers receive creates an urgency to keep reading.
He even goes as far as saying, “I now wish I had never shot the moose. One of the greatest tragedies of my life” (Krakauer 167). Another example of McCandless’ mental unpreparedness can be seen when he was discovered by Ken Thompson, Gordon Samel and Ferdie Swanson. They found the letter that said, “S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here.
Everyone sets their goals at different expectations than others which is why you typically don’t go for the same goal as other people. The adventure that McCandless went on was dangerous, but it fit his expectation to be independent and to find where he belongs. McCandless valued self-reliance ,he needed to be his own person, with his own vision and way of thinking so that others wouldnt influence him along the way. He recognized that the only way for him to find his own truth would to be self-centered and focus on his own being first, without others clouding his sense of
McCandless and McCunn's ventures into the wild had similar intentions and strategies. Although, the outcome of their ventures were slightly different. Both men displayed a certain degree of common sense. They were both friendly, curious, responsible, educated and intelligent men. Having fairly average lives, with big aspirations for their future.
McCandless’s dream was to go into the Alaskan bush and survive away from society for a while. He did this by meeting new people and hitchhiking all the way to Alaska. Along their way there were a couple of people that told him that he shouldn’t do it. One in particular was Jim Gallien, the last one to give him a ride. When he picked him up and learned what McCandless’s plan was.
The Alaskan Bush is one of the hardest places to survive without any assistance, supplies, skills, and little food. Jon Krakauer explains in his biography, Into The Wild, how Christopher McCandless ventured into the Alaskan Bush and ultimately perished due to lack of preparation and hubris. McCandless was an intelligent young man who made a few mistakes but overall Krakauer believed that McCandless was not an ignorant adrenalin junkie who had no respect for the land. Krakauer chose to write this biography because he too had the strong desire to discover and explore as he also ventured into the Alaskan Bush when he was a young man, but he survived unlike McCandless. Krakauer’s argument was convincing because he gives credible evidence that McCandless was not foolish like many critics say he was.
James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (The American Dream). An idea sought after by millions of people is the American Dream; they believe there is a reward for hard work and that that reward is happiness and prosperity. The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Crucible are all works, which portray the pursuit and destruction of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s American dream was to marry the woman he loved. This is evident throughout the novel; Gatsby is determined to transform his life from dirt to diamonds all to be a suitable man for Daisy.
Chris McCandless abandoned the modern world and chose the wild because he believed that he could improve himself through living in the wild, and found the true happiness of the life. McCandless abandoned his wealthy family because of his complicated relationship with his father, and he was ashamed with his father’s adultery. Therefore, McCandless believed that human relationship was not the only thing that forms happiness, instead a man’s connection with the nature brings joy as well. He also believed the habitual lifestyle was not what people were meant to do, and people shouldn't have more possessions than what they need. For this reason, McCandless traveled with little effects.
In the beginning, McCandless starts his adventure by cutting himself off from all the human connections he had. He severs all ties from his family, including his sister which whom he was previously very close to. He burns his social security card, changes his name, and decides to travel across the country. Throughout his journey, Christopher often accounts for his parent’s wrongdoings for the reasons why he wanted to run away to Alaska. He subsists with a minimalist lifestyle and is disappointed in his parents’ behaviors and their materialism.
The American Dream of wanting less material goods in order to live a more fulfilling life that is indulged in the natural beauty of the world was the American Dream that McCandless was seeking. Christopher McCandless rejected the American Dream, as it’s traditionally defined in pursuit of a more emotionally and spiritually fulfilling existence free from the social pressures of our materialistic society in the Alaskan wilderness. The irony of McCandless's rejection of the traditional American dream is that he lived such a perfect life. a life many would want to live and achieve as a part of their own American Dream and yet he wanted to remove himself from society's standards. An important part of the traditional American dream is the “perfect American family” which is essentially the family that McCandless grew up in.