I am in agreement with Krakauer on the fact that Chris McCandless was not a sociopath
Most people go into the wilderness to go camping for a week or less than a week, then leave. Some stay for more than a week. Chris McCandless was in the wild for at least one hundred days.“ I’ve decided to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and the beauty of it is too good to pass up.”(pg.92) He went into the wilderness to experience adventure and to find things he was searching for; nature, the path to happiness and freedom. Chris’ determination, self will, pursuit of happiness and the urge to break free are all explored. He did everything he could, so people wouldn’t be able to find him. Changing his name to Alex Supertramp, eliminating everything he had, and only taking things that he needs. Jon Krakauer's “Into the Wild” is an excellent book about how McCandless traveled to Alaska, and how he conquered his dreams. Krakauer also put some of McCandless’ journals and letters in the book. According to Shaun Callarmans analysis Chris McCandless had no business going to Alaska. Callarman thinks Chris McCandless is just plain crazy. Callarman doesn't admire his courage or noble ideas. Even though Shaun Callarman thinks Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant, also made mistakes because of his arrogance, I disagree with Callarmans analysis
"I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going to Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on ignorance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy." This statement, made by Shaun Callarman, pertains to Chris McCandless’s trek into Alaska that ultimately led to death by starvation. Since the recovery of Chris’s body, there has been much speculation about the prevention of Chris’s death and the possible causes. Despite Callarman’s plea of craziness, there have been both eye-witness accounts showing that Chris was sane and prepared when leaving for the Alaskan wilderness, many natural
Throughout the course of Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild the reader can see that time and time again Chris McCandless is unprepared for what lies ahead of him, which is why he is not a noble man, nor should his journey be considered noble. While it is true that McCandless had gone on adventures before, nothing had prepared him for the bitter cold climate and the lack of food he had in Alaska. McCandless was not prepared physically or mentally and he did not bring anywhere near enough supplies for someone planning to spend the summer in the harsh environment of Alaska. While it wasn’t foolish for Chris to go out and try to find happiness for himself, it was foolish of him to have been unprepared to begin a difficult adventure in Alaska. Chris McCandless
In the novel “Into the Wild” Chris McCandless is portrayed as a hero. Chris possesses many heroic traits but he lacks one very important quality. One of Chris's most heroic traits throughout the novel is bravery. Another one of Chris’s heroic traits is determination. The trait that Chris seems to lack throughout the novel is responsibility. Chris McCandless possessed many heroic qualities that are shown throughout the novel but due to those qualities he did not always make the most responsible choices.
Christopher McCandless, a 29-year-old dreamer, went on the journey of a lifetime to involve himself with nature and being truly independent. He had lived a life of privilege, made amazing grades in school, and even went to school at Emory College, getting degrees in both history and anthropology. Even though he seemed to have everything good going for him, it’s not the life he wanted. McCandless decides after law school to go deep into the “wild”, with no map, no resources. All he kept was a small journal and camera in which he captured and recorded all of his experiences in, allowing people for the rest of time to read and learn about his journey in his book titled Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. This impulsive decision that McCandless made would soon cost him his life, and most people would see him as being crazy for it. A man named Shaun Callarman, for example, believed that he “ had no Common sense. . . he was just plain crazy.” I disagree with this statement, however, and believe that Christopher had a very transcendentalist view on life,agreeing with most all of the great Henry David Thoreau and his ideals, but just made a few careless mistakes that would have been the difference between life and death.
Before you take a highly important test, you should study. Before you run a marathon, you should train. Before you attempt to survive on your own, in the wild, such as Chris McCandless from Mr. Krakauer’s Into the Wild tried to, you should prepare yourself to. Chris McCandless, while a daring and intelligent young man, was a fool to blindly run into the wilderness without taking precaution to survive. Courtney Long ( 2014 ) once argued, “I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time.” McCandless’s choices were an oxymoron, when comparing how he was so bright, yet so foolish.
“The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences”. Chris McCandless was an adventurous young man who decided to go into the wild to find a deeper meaning in life. Many people believe he was insane for leaving behind his privileged life for the wild, but all he was doing was following his dreams. I believe that Chris McCandless’ was a brave young man, he wasn't selfish or a reckless person. He did something no one would have the courage to do. For example in the movie of Into The Wild it shows that he cut up his cards, burned his money and when he was about to go into the wild he left everything behind like the people he loved. He left everything other
What is your thoughts about Chris McCandless? Was he brave, or was he just another foolish person? The book “Into the Wild” written by Jon Krakauer was a book describing the life and death of an adventurer known as Chris McCandless. The answer to the question I asked earlier is simple. McCandless is neither wise nor foolish, for he has both qualities. Chris McCandless was a foolish person but he was wise in other aspects.
The way Krakauer writes this story is very different from most other books. He writes it in nonlinear narrative, a literary technique used when writing linearly has many more disadvantages. It works in this particular story because one’s interest is peaked right off the bat as he describes how Chris McCandless was found dead in an abandoned bus. The text states “Chris McCandless had been dead for two and a half weeks” (Krakauer 13). This scenario raises many questions such as “How did he get there?” and “How did he die?”. These questions will cause the reader to continue with the book to receive answers. Another way Krakauer writes this book is using anecdotes from his own life and other people’s lives. An example of this is when Krakauer
Into the Wild, a true story and now a book written by Jon Krakauer. This story is about a young self driven independent college graduate who gave all his money to charity, gave his car away and hitch-hiked his all of over the United States seeking for adventure and his Dream. Chris McCandless abandoned everything he had and left without telling anyone. After two years of his journey, Chris McCandless was found dead in a bus located in Alaska. He had eaten potato seeds which was a big factor on how he died. Chris McCandless decided to drop everything and live his life the way he wanted to. He wanted to push himself to his own limits alone and Step Into The Wild.
Chris McCandless may seem like a typical boy who hated his family and wanted to get away, but in reality he was so much more. He was in a sense, a paradox, because he had such conflicting emotions. He cared deeply for many people and always tried to help anyone he could, yet he was a hurt individual who was somewhat self-destructive. Chris was a transcendentalist who was trying to find peace and truth in the wild, not a psychopath, but an emotionally scarred man who learned something very valuable and found what he was looking for before he died.
In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer the story of Christopher McCandless is told. Christopher was an adventurous young man with family problems and strong philosophical beliefs. Some may blame McCandless’ life choices on mental disorder, rebellion, or even just lack of love, however I believe he went into the wild just to get away from the stress of his family and society in general. He thought of nature as some sort of therapy in itself. Chris always felt trapped when he had to abide by the rules of society. He refused to wear socks while at work, he burnt all of his cash, and turned down the gift of a new car from his parents. The wild of Alaska was supposed to be a temporary getaway for Chris, however it tragically
Evel Knievel had just landed his famous jump over a 90-foot crate filled with 50 rattlesnakes and 2 lions. Although this jump was one of his stunts that left him unharmed other than a sprained ankle, it put others at risk. During his landing, the back tire of his motorcycle had hit the edge of box and allowed some of the snakes to escape. The audience that was watching Knievel’s stunt were terrified and had to run away in order to avoid the snakes. Despite knowing the risks of this stunt, he continued with it anyway. Similar to McCandless, Knievel was being reckless, which had affected others around him. McCandless had left his family to travel to Alaska and live in the wild in search of enlightenment. After his death, word about his journey spread around the country. Many viewed McCandless to be egotistical due to the fact that he left his entire life to pursue his personal desires, and he didn’t think about how others would feel after he left, or if he did, he didn’t care. McCandless was also seen as ignorant. He was not only careless with the feelings of others, but also with his well being. He didn’t seem to know what would be awaiting him in the wild because he didn’t bring many supplies or do too much to prepare, which is what set him apart from a typical adventurer. Chris McCandless was an ignorant narcissist, which was made clear through his recklessness.
Chris McCandless was a intelligent, idealistic young man who lived his life alone, in nature. Chris rejected the ideals of society and had a yearning for a nomadic lifestyle. McCandless went into the wild seeking a life without materialism and a life without rules. He does find what he was looking for; but his journey leads to death in the end. Most people wouldn’t have made the journey that Chris made; nevertheless survive as long as he did, with as little as he had. This is what makes Chris stand out as a hero and a person with redeeming qualities.