Into The Wild, By Chris Mccandless: A Tragic Hero

One day in July of 1990, Chris McCandless severed all contact with his family and set out West and started his two year long journey that would ultimately end with his untimely death in the frozen, unforgiving landscape of Alaska. McCandless was like us, the only difference, he went for his dreams. Although criticizers of Krakauer and McCandless believe Chris was mentally ill, McCandless suffered through emotional damage from family problems and was easily influenced in his vulnerable state through literature.

Into the Wild was about a guy named Christopher McCandless. He was a top student and athlete who came from a wealthy family. After he graduated college, he told his parents that he was going to spend his summer traveling. Chris then sent his final college transcripts and a letter to his family but little did they know that would be the last time they would hear from their son. Before Chris left for his adventure he cut up all his credit cards, burned his social security card, and donated his life savings to a charity. He was traveling by car until a flash flood happened causing him to abandon his car and travel by foot. After that he burned his remaining cash and began to go by the name Alexander Supertramp.

Into the Wild is a story about a passionate, very gifted athlete, and scholar named Chris

From the beginning of the novel it is apparent that McCandless has issues with his parents, mostly his father in particular. McCandless doesn’t approve of his father attempting to take over his life. His father’s ideals for him include going to college, getting a high-class job, and living a “normal” lifestyle. None of which is in McCandless’ future plans. This authority his father as well as the government tries to set upon him is one of the reasons why McCandless left to go into the wild. Another turning point in which McCandless lost trust in his father occurs during the revealing of his father’s secret, second family after questioning a number of old family friends. This pushes McCandless past his limit, and results into him rejecting his

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

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. Chris went off after he graduated college and “lived off the land”. Chris would travel to the coast of Mexico, the plains of Kansas, and the dunes of Nevada. Chris went on a final expedition to Alaska that cost him everything. In the following paragraphs I will fully detail how Chris was reckless, selfish, and naive. I will also explore how Chris tied his life to the beliefs of transcendentalism. One thing to not forget:

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.

Krakauer wrote Into the Wild with a great deal of respect and privacy in regards to this issue, but years later Carine decided it was time to come clean. Mr. and Mrs. McCandless still claim Krakauer to have written rubbish about their beloved son. Carine commented that she was not surprised by the response because their parents never understood the impact they had on Chris or herself (Holtzclaw). McCandless was about to embark on the unforgettable journey he had waited his entire life for in order to become “King of the Road” but only for the course of two years. “King of the Road” was country singer Roger Miller’s song, published in 1965 that idealized a type of vagabond lifestyle (King of). According to the 20/20 on Chris McCandless this

I am in agreement with Krakauer on the fact that Chris McCandless was not a sociopath

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.

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. 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.

Into the Wild was written by Jon Krakauer and is a biography. Into the Wild is about a man named Chris Mccandless who separates himself from his family, friends, and all civilization. After college Chris Mccandless separates himself from his family and he goes into the alaskan wilderness to live alone. Chris Mccandless denies a car that his parents offered him and before he went into the wilderness he burned all of his cash in his wallet before he went into the wilderness. Chris Mccandless separates himself from his family, he doesn’t accept any gifts, and he has a conflict with everything around him.

“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 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.

Christopher Johnson “Chris” McCandless wan an American hiker. He ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992, with little food and equipment, hoping to live simply for a time in solitude from the poison of civilization. In attempt to escape the discomfort cause by society and his family, Christopher McCandless sets off on a two-year trek across the country, where he changed himself into “Alex super-tramp.” “McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or world at large but to explore the inner country of his own soul” (Krakauer182). Krakauer realizes that McCandless’s journey wan because of his desire to find happiness and enjoy life that way he felt life should be experienced. Going out into the wilderness by himself,