He was no longer Chris Mccandless he was now Alex Supertramp. He would no longer shave his beard and began his journey to seek what he so longed for. He would get rid any and everything that reminded him of the resentment he felt towards his family but mainly his father. His father played a major role in him wanting to deviate from his family. Chris burned his money and left his car abandoned which was his initial plan but thing played out that way.
Family, friends, and possessions pressure individuals through the imposition of values that contribute to identity; we are told that we obtain our qualities simply by inheritance and association. The environment one chooses to surround themselves reflects similar learned behaviors and thought processes. Deviating from the norm is often contemptible, but natural, according to author Jon Krakauer. Realizing that he did not want to become a carbon copy of his parents and environment, Christopher McCandless wandered the American West for two years, as a nomad, to reject society as he knows it―his family, friends, and possessions. He burns his money, abandons his car, and cuts all ties with his family on an identity crisis that would lead to his death in the inhospitable Alaskan tundra.
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.
Going into the wild and abandoning all that you know and love is such a hard task to do. Chris McCandless is a brave soul for going on that journey to find himself and discover who he truly is. Living in complete solitude with nature was his solution to his personal issues at home and inside his head. He longed for complete happiness and believed he could discover it on his journey to Alaska. Anthony Storr, a noted psychiatrist explains, "creative attitude and the ability to have peak experiences depends upon being free of other people...", and I agree with this idea.
Nature is shown in this manner, because it causes one to be completely isolated as they will be able to find their ultimate freedom with themselves. One can find their true identity and realize that materials do not make them the person they are, it is the experiences they encounter. McCandless’s journey into the wilderness shows that he was ready to change the way he was living and his surroundings. Changing his lifestyle, and going by another name, shows that he was rejecting the values forced upon him by his parents’, and that he wants to start creating values for himself. Nature played a huge part in allowing McCandless to reach his ultimate freedom by serving as a character itself.
As a matter of fact, Sammy could have easily reneged on his word. He could have taken back what he said with Lengel’s questioning, “I don’t think you know what you are saying” (Updike 4). He pleaded with Sammy to reconsider his actions for the sake of his parents. Lengel blatantly mentions, “You don’t want to do this to you mom and dad” (Updike 5). Truth be told, Sammy did not want to upset his parents, nor did he wish to ruin the friendship they had with his manager.
By adopting her explanations, Charles falls victim to having a fixed mindset. From the beginning of the book, the reader has an insight on what kind of person Charles is. He is envious of his older step-brother, Adam, competitive, violent, and cynical. With this personality, he believes that there is no way he can possibly earn his dad’s love and the spot of being his favorite. Steinbeck accentuates Charles personality by stating, “Charles moved close and struck him in the
Giovanni's Room focuses the story of David, an American who has been trying to escape his own homosexuality from a difficult experience of youth. That night, the narrator describes as the most terrible of his life dedicated to narrate some remote events, such as his first affair and the relationship with his father. This story is set in the 50s. David is a man of middle class that feels cornered by his father expectations, like everyone else, in which a child becomes a man , get a wife, and make a family. David was not clear whether it mattered or not, and ran away from the family in search of freedom.
While the play itself states it was for his family, one can infer that his own selfishness -- one that did not benefit him as Abigail’s benefited her. The finality of John Proctor’s decision feels like he made his hastily, while Abigail provided herself with a quick and easy escape, fleeing Salem for greener pastures where any sort of witch hunt attached to her name was left behind
In the story, "Sonny's Blues", the narrator, who is Sonny's big brother struggles with the best way to help his brother. Both were raised in Harlem and lived within poverty. The narrator used his childhood struggles as a stepping stone to better himself and become a teacher for a high school. While Sonny became one of the many teens who fell into the drug world of the streets. The narrator's biggest conflict, in my opinion, is why did Sonny turn down such a dark path and how can he help his brother without judging the lifestyle he chose.