One may say that McCandless’ violent childhood is what caused his downfall. McCandless may have even had the right idea, separating himself from his family, but due to his fragile state of mind he may have gone to too much of an extreme. He ended up taking the policies and principles of transcendentalism too far, which is really what resulted in his death. A concept that transcendentalism goes strongly against is materialism, a principle that may have saved his life. He was so anti materialistic in fact, that he refused to even have a phone or form of communication, this ultimately could have saved his life. Another principle taken to an extreme was intuition and self-reliance. As Chris traveled around collecting money for Alaska, he was also
In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer the main character Chris McCandless is not a role model and no one should be following what he did. After Graduating from college Chris thought it would be best for him to leave everything behind including his family and all the money his very successful father had left for him. Chris wanted to become homeless so he could figure out who he is as a person. One of the many reasons Chris left was because his father had two families and Chris's mother knew about his fathers double life but they both hid this from Chris and this made him furious. Chris went to the Alaskan bush in the winter and brought little supplies with him because he wanted to live off the land and survive with nothing, which is a horrible idea because Chris has no prior knowledge
Chris McCandless was a lot of things. Some say that he was an idiot for wanting to go to Alaska with no supplies, some say that he was fun and very friendly to others. Everyone has their own opinion on his life story. Chris McCandless was admired for his many talents and bravery which led him to go into to the wild in order to carry out his own happiness.
Into the Wild is a story about a passionate, very gifted athlete, and scholar named Chris Mccandless. Chris is a graduate from Emory. Chris grew up in a wealthy suburban town in Virginia. After graduation highschool Chris donates $25,000 of his savings to charity, and gets in his car and drives away without telling anyone. Chris fought for what he believed in and did not let anyone tell him how to do things.
Chris McCandless was a man who made his own destiny, who seeked the challenges and thrill of adventure life had to offer. He was morally driven, and was not tied down by the dogma of society. McCandless’s hubris, his ultimate downfall in his quest to shake off the clashing ideals of materialistic culture, allowed him to live a life without regrets. Brought up in a home where his parents pushed their ideals onto their children, McCandless developed morals quite differently than that of his parents. His ideals clashed between that of a libertarian and a transcendentalist.
In April 1992 Chris decided to hitchhike to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness. Before he left he had given 25,000 (most his money)to charity. He also burned all his money in his wallet and he abandoned his car and this is very ironic because these things could have possibly saved him from dying. If McCandless would have planned this trip he would
Into The Wild “Although he was rash, untutored in the ways of the backcountry, he wasn 't incompetent—he wouldn 't have lasted 113 days if he were”. This comment from Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild conveys his belief that young Christopher McCandless who is the focus of his novel may have been young and inexperienced in regards to the Alaskan wilderness but he was capable of basic survival as he had demonstrated during his many day’s surviving the brutal environment of the Alaskan frontier. After Christopher McCandless met his untimely death alone in a school bus down the Stampede Trail in Alaska, Jon Krakauer received considerable criticism for his viewpoint that Christopher wasn’t “stupid, tragic and inconsiderate”. He firmly believed
Chris McCandless from the book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a character who is extremely well liked by all. His smarts give him the ability to hold conversations with a variety of different people. Chris does not use his knowledge in a negative way that causes people to think that he is arrogant, it just comes out of him naturally, leaving many people impressed by the young boy. Through his character, I learned how much intelligence can truly add to one's personality. Chris is subconsciously phenomenal at speaking with new people due to his wide range of knowledge.
Though assigned books in English class are not always books on my must-read list, Into the Wild was a winter reading assignment with a captivating main character, Chris McCandless. After winter break, Room 7304 discussions revolved around if Chris McCandless was “great,” by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition. As the class majority believed McCandless was heartless and ridiculous and suicidal, I couldn’t help but believe in his “greatness.” If I could meet Chris McCandless, American hiker and itinerant traveler destined to reach the Alaskan wilderness, I would ask him how was he able to block out all the societal influences, even during high school. How was McCandless able to be this strong, independent thinker without being the black sheep and
No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Alexander Supertramp May 1992” (Krakauer, 163). McCandless was also known for his hatred of money. He believed to be inherently evil, and made people cautious and greedy. He hated materials and possessions generally as well.
In my opinion, Chris McCandless is an example of a modern-day transcendentalist -- someone who believes in nature, confidence, free thinking, self-reliance, and non-conformity. Because transcendentalists are typically people who live in the wilderness with no contact with society, transcendentalism usually relies on a more spiritual thinking rather than a certain scientific-like thinking based on materialistic things. This way of life can prove fatal if carried to an extent exceeding the person’s capabilities, knowledge, and/or experience. “There are no fixtures in nature. The universe is fluid and volatile.
Chris McCandless: A Reckless Idiot Chris McCandless was a reckless idiot and there is no denying that basic truth. Chris McCandless was a man born into a middle class family. Chris had parents that loved him, a roof over his head, and food to eat. Despite all those riches he had, he threw them away. Chris was a very selfish man.
Into The Wild portrays a man who went on a fatal unforgettable journey through the alaska wilderness. Chris McCandless was a man with great courage and the ability to live on his own made him more of a hero going on his fatal journey. Many would say he was foolish or not thinking right, but that is not the case. The case here is simply a man with courage wanting to fulfill is beliefs through his journey. One may ask what is courage.
McCandless’s self-reliance is a big part of identifying him as transcendentalist. In the short story, “Death of an Innocent”, Chris says, “I've decided that I'm going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up.” McCandless feels that life should not be wasted doing what you do not love, and shows this by traveling and living off the land every chance he gets. Transcendentalists take in all of what nature has to give them by becoming one with it; like McCandless does throughout the story.
Into the Wild Essay 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)
Born in A Different Life Life on the road is an idealistic way to escape from societal problems. There is no denying that it grants individuals satisfaction by allowing them to fulfill their goals, as well as providing immense freedom and control over one’s life; however, it is a fundamentally illogical path to take due to nature’s malevolence. In Into The Wild, Krakauer writes a biography about a young man named Chris McCandless, in which he illustrates the similarities between himself and McCandless’s overly ambitious journey to accomplish feats in the wilderness. Coinciding with their similarities, they also faced an oppressive father figure at home, which lead the both of them to believe that their journey will provide them an answer to their problems at home. 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.