Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Similarities

Into the Life of Chris McCandless Chris McCandless, a unique man, embarked on the journey of a lifetime. During his adventure, he broke away from the constraints of society and he learned what is important in life. I admire what Chris was trying to accomplish by heading “into the wild”, and I can see parts of my beliefs in his. My experiences are different from McCandless’ experiences in as many ways as they are similar. Material possessions have a huge place in society. I feel that this is the main similarity between Chris’ life and my own. Author Jon Krakauer says about Chris, “At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess. . .” (Krakauer 14). Chris realized that what you have and if people accept you does not define you. He sets off into the wilderness, with nothing but what he could carry on his back. This belief parallels my own. Material possessions should not matter. I admire what Chris did for believing in himself and for leaving it all behind. I have had similar experiences, to being in places

Chris writes, “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (qtd. in Krakauer 36). He thrives off of the uncertainty in his new lifestyle. I relate to Chris, with this quote in particular. I have moved around quite a bit in my lifetime, with my father being in the military. I have lived in eight different places in sixteen years. I have had many new experiences and many different horizons. At the time, I would not have said that it was a joyful experience, but looking back on it I have met many amazing people and have been exposed to many different ways of life. Like Chris, I believe that having new experiences and breaking out of your comfort zone is the only way a person can