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Analysis Of Chris Mccandless: The Hero's Journey

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Chris McCandless’s journey has inspired many people around the world. However, some people view him as a hero and others as a fool.The Hero’s Journey describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as the hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization. Some would argue Chris’s story does not paint the picture of a hero because everything he did was based on himself. On the other hand, some people believe he was a hero and broke down many barriers for people across the world through his actions.

One main reason people believe Chris falls under the category of hero is because of his character. Joseph Campbell, author of Hero with a Thousand Faces, says “ A hero must prove worthy of hero status, and to prove this the hero will face a series of challenges while on the journey.” Chris Mccandless character was tested many times by people he met, but he always stuck to his beliefs. Even when people tried to help him out by buying him food or gear, he refused, insisting on making it on his own. Chris’s character went far beyond just turning down gifts from strangers, but he even declined assistance from his own family. On page 21 of Into the Wild Chris stated his displeasures of his …show more content…

Chris Vogler says, in The Writer’s Journey, “ Having crossed the threshold, a hero faces tests, encounters allies, confronts enemies and learns the rules of this special world.” Chris’s situation was unique in the sense that his enemy was also his allies, which was nature itself. Chris was living off of the land and animals. However, the harsh environment in which he was surviving off of ended up being what killed him. Until the day he died, Chris never let the environment around him control what he did or did not do. Instead, Chris embraced the challenge of traveling deeper into the wilderness, chasing his beliefs and

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