He did not have the right equipment nor did he know a lot about surviving in such conditions. Jim Gallien, the last person to to Chris McCandless, described the terrain saying “The rivers are big and fast. The mosquitos will eat you alive….Livin’ in the bush ain’t no picnic (Gallien 4)”. As Gallien was on his way to drop McCandless off, he couldn’t help to realize that Chris was well unprepared for this journey and labeled McCandless as “People from the Outside”. Gallien describes the group of “People from Outside” (4), as individuals who see Alaska on a magazine and decide to go there to solve their current problems in life, only to underestimate the terrain and to find out that “it isn’t like the magazines make it out to be”(4) .
Khang Nguyen Jasmine Le Ms. Brooks English 4 P4 February 6, 2018 Socratic Seminar Critical Questions 1.Why did Frankenstein run from his creation? Victor is the type of person that cannot handle responsibility well. We first see this in Chapter 3, after his mother’s death, “My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to perform; we must continue our course with the rest and learn to think ourselves fortunate whilst one remains whom the spoiler has not seized.” This can only make sense if he stays with his family, however, he decides to run to Ingolstadt. He later isolates himself at the school. This indicates that his nature is to run from the problem.
Into The Wild was a tremendous story which Shaun Callarman did not have many positive things to say about Chris McCandless, the main character. He went on this adventure to find out what life is all about in his own eyes. He wanted to see how different living in the wild really was compared to society because he was not satisfied with his living arrangements and household. Shaun’s quote says that he thinks “Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.
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.
McCandless planned to survive in Alaska by living off the land while Krakauer wanted to be the first one to climb the Devil’s Thumb. What happened instead was that McCandless died at an early age, whilst Krakauer barely made it to tell the tale; proving nothing of value came from their journeys. While life on the road can offer solace to individuals who have struggled in their lives, it is unfathomable to think that the wilderness will offer them any embrace to their ambitions; therefore it should not be pursued as it leads to family issues and ignorant behavior. Life on the road can provide one with a sense of independence from the confines of society. For example, Chris McCandless decided to escape the societal
Both his emotions and unpreparedness provide a sense of femininity because he is both fearful and he too naive to bring a map to help him. Once McCandless realized he could not cross the river because it would be suicide had he attempted to do so, he went back to the bus and wrote in his journal, “Disaster [...] Lonely, scared” (McCandless 170). His journal entries about the way he feels shows his vulnerability, which is a big portion of the femininity in the novel. Another feminine aspect in the novel is his ignorance of preparedness when he decides to go into the wild. In chapter 17 it is explained that had he had a topographic map readily available, McCandless would have been able to return to civilization by finding a gauging station with a thick steel cable that crosses the river.
Alex and Huck like to live in the wild because they know nature is powerful and can provide for all their needs. These protagonists choose to leave society behind because they want to leave the worldly things that corrupt society behind. Huck sees his father whose life is ruined because of drinking and he wants to forge a new life. Twain wrote, “Pap he hadn’t been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn’t want to see him no more” (Twain 12). The readers can see Huck’s disdain for his father.
Whenever Chris got close to someone he would always leave. In Penns movie, Into the Wild, He left his parents, and multiple people he met along his journey. People would grow attached to Chris, like the free spirited couple he met on the road and the old man who loved him so much he wanted to adopt him, but Chris was selfish and left. He wanted to go to Alaska so badly that he just wanted to leave his whole life behind. Chris trying to leave society makes his disregard the rules and laws that society put in place.
In his work, Krakauer talks about the value of McCandless’ journey. Krakauer describes the nature of McCandless’ journey, claiming that “Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large, but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul” (220). That is existential because McCandless is assigning a particular meaning for his trip to Alaska. McCandless is not traveling to Alaska for fun, he has a purpose to find his “soul” within the wilderness. Later on in his work, Krakauer explains how McCandless views happiness when he says, “I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness.
This has turned into a myth in which many believe that the most important parts of nature are areas that have been untouched by human hands. This is why I consider McCandless was driven to the last frontier of Alaska and many of us sense that we must voyage to Yellow Stone or the Grand Canyon to have a true nature experience. Approaching his death, Chris realizes that he truly cannot live without society and people. This exhibits the boundaries of the frontier ideology and rather than establishing a connection between nature and humanity it makes it impossible to have one. In showing us this extrication, we can see the problems that the frontier ideology creates and generates constraints to the environment we protect and