Adventures of Chris and Adam
If you had the choice to take upon yourself one of the two following projects, which one would you choose to attempt? Chris McCandless was a white man from Virginia that came from a wealthy family that attempted to reach Alaska by living off of the land and starting from scratch. Adam Shepard was a white man from North Carolina who attempted to see if the American Dream was still alive by starting from scratch. Both men took upon themselves an extraordinary project; yet what Adam accomplished was much more admirable than what Chris accomplished.
Each man had his own goals and purpose for taking upon himself that certain project to accomplish. The purpose of McCandless's journey was he wanted to make it to Alaska without taking anything from anyone. Chris wanted to live off the land and not take short cuts by flying places or in his words anything that was considered “cheating.” Krakauer stated, “Chris McCandless intended to invent a new life for himself, one which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience.”(4) Chris wanted to be a whole new person that was free to experience places which he had never experienced before. In contrast, the
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In the movie Into the Wild it shows that Chris ended up alone and dead in the woods after finishing his project. McCandless ended up leaving a big empty hole in his family that could not be filled. McCandless didn’t impact many with his death because he didn’t really prove anything to anyone but himself; he just ended up hurting his family and all those people he met throughout his journey. Krakauer states, “Starvation was suggested as the most probable cause of death”(3). Adam, on the other hand, ended up fulfilling all of the goals he had set and made it out of poverty sooner than he had originally thought it would take. He proved that with hard work and a good attitude, the American Dream is achievable and anyone can achieve
Have you ever known a person who would leave everything behind to go on a journey to prove something? Adam Shepard and Chris McCandless did that exactly, but their journeys were very different. Adam was 25 years old while Chris was 24 years, both were college educated and were intelligent young men. Adam’s journey was to prove that the American dream was still possible, so in order to achieve his goal, he went to a new city with $25 and the clothes on his back, gym bag, sleeping bag. Chris’s journey was to travel to different places without needing so much money or sometimes no money at all.
What could Chris McCandless do differently if he did not go to Alaska? Perhaps he might have been an outdoor writer, or a National Geographic contributor. Instead he decided after graduating from college to explore the great world of Alaska. He decides to live his life on the ed and the result is his demise. The film better represents Chris’s life journey.
Compare and Contrast Argument Essay Christopher McCandless and Adam Shepard were both two young men who graduated from college. Right after college McCandless left his family and left everything behind to show that one does not need anyone but oneself. McCandless’s goal was too show everyone that he was self reliant. On the other hand, Shepherd was a young college graduate that decides to embark on a year long project trying to prove that the American dream is still achievable.
In Into The wild, Krakauer narrates the last couple of journeys Mccandless had on his adventure to Alaska where he ultimately died. Mccandless Touched many people's lives through all of his journeys. Mccandless went on these journeys because he was confused in life when he figured out his dad had cheated on his mom. This changed Mccandless to the point he began to hate his parents. Mccandless had a lot of confidence in himself so he left on an adventure to find his identity.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer.
Chris McCandless was in his early 20’s, he was the kind of that guy that wanted to learn and experience life without all of the material things. He wanted to be independent from his parents and friends so Chris did something that would be insane for most of us humans but to him, it wasn’t. He went into the wild of Alaska for months, in fact, McCandless even thought he could make it out alive at the end of his journey. As a matter of fact, he was known as being a risk taker and enjoyed being out and about in the nature side of the world. Many would believe that Chris McCandless went into the wild to purposely kill himself; however, I myself believe that McCandless did not do it purposely.
Different people have different goals. Everyone wants to achieve something, whether it’s becoming a surgeon or graduating high school. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, for Chris McCandless it was out of the ordinary. McCandless wanted to go out into the wild alone with nothing besides a few general needs. Some of those needs consisted of a journal, a camera, a large bag of rice, a small cooking utensil, matches, a knife, and some fishing twine with a hook.
Both men had the same intentions in mind, to set out on the road to Alaska. Their aspirations of Alaska had the same overall dream to live off the land. McCunn went to remain in the wilderness and shoot pictures of wildlife. McCandless went to live a simple life in nature without materialistic influence.
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.
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
After reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, I wondered to myself why I should even care about Chris McCandless. I can see how some think Chris McCandless was an idiot and he was trying to kill himself. After I dove deeper into this question, I learned that Chris McCandless story teaches us important life lessons. Chris McCandless teaches us to get out of our comfort zone. Ronald Franz was an older man who encountered Chris McCandless and gave him a ride from Salton City California to Grand Junction Colorado In Chris’s last letter to Ronald Franz, he says “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation…
The Alaskan Bush is one of the hardest places to survive without any assistance, supplies, skills, and little food. Jon Krakauer explains in his biography, Into The Wild, how Christopher McCandless ventured into the Alaskan Bush and ultimately perished due to lack of preparation and hubris. McCandless was an intelligent young man who made a few mistakes but overall Krakauer believed that McCandless was not an ignorant adrenalin junkie who had no respect for the land. Krakauer chose to write this biography because he too had the strong desire to discover and explore as he also ventured into the Alaskan Bush when he was a young man, but he survived unlike McCandless. Krakauer’s argument was convincing because he gives credible evidence that McCandless was not foolish like many critics say he was.
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.
We have all made mistakes, for some they are small mistakes that do not impact anyone. For others, they are of mammoth proportions and have a preponderant impact on how people think, or say about them. In the book Into the Wild it tells about the journey of Chris McCandless who died in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris McCandless was definitely one of these people who made a big mistake. People around the globe have mixed feelings about this twentieth century adventurer.
Chris McCandless was a college student with a need for adventure. On April 28, 1992, he left on a journey which would lead to the end of his life. After news of his death had reached public ear, most people came to the same conclusion: Chris McCandless was an uneducated, arrogant boy who went on a journey seeking death. However, in the novel Into the Wild, Jon Krakaur portrays Chris McCandless’ transcendental quest as a journey full of wonder. Throughout the novel, Krakaur defines McCandless as an intelligent, hard working, determined young man.