Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless 'Into The Wild'

Submitted By
Words 245
Pages 1
Into The Wild Essay
Into The Wild is a biography of a man who goes to Alaska in order to live in peace. This man, Chris McCandless, is one of high caliber he was an elitist in academics, we notice this when he writes his parents stating ,”Here is a copy of my final transcript. Gradewise things went pretty well and I ended up with a high cumulative average”(21). This leads to reader to question his motives for his expedition. Although many believe that Chris’s risk-taking tendencies are to blame for him leaving for Alaska, I am convinced that his family issues and mental illness were key factors. Countless debates have arisen due to this tricky turn of events. Chris was described as stubborn by Wayne Westerberg when he proclaimed, “Knowing

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless In 'Into The Wild'

...Chris McCandless left his home, his family, and his future career as a lawyer simply because he was tired of living materialistically and dealing with the pressures of his materialistic parents. He wanted to remove himself from the life he was living and find his true self by cutting up all of his credit cards, burning his social security card, and donating his college fund of over 20 thousand dollars to a hunger relief charity. At the end of Into the Wild, Chris McCandless realizes he should not have left everyone behind, including the people he met while travelling across America. In the beginning of the movie, one of the first scenes starts with Chris graduating college. It is already shown that he is not one to conform to social standards because he jumps onto the stage causing a disruption in the ceremony. The camera pans to his parents and their faces are visible with distaste towards his actions. This scene being shown early on depicts the kind of relationship Chris has with his parents, one that is not very good. After the graduation, Chris and his family go to a fancy restaurant. He lets his younger sister drive his car and when they...

Words: 882 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless Into The Wild

...Chris McCandless, round and static character of commentary text novel Into the Wild is depicted as a detached young man contending solely with his own internal conflicts. Into the Wild is a non-fiction journalistic piece written by Jon Krakauer which delineates the events Chris McCandless encountered over a two year journey of self discovery, independence, and utter emancipation from materialistic society in the wilderness. To begin with, Christopher Johnson McCandless, known for a brief period of his life as Alexander Supertramp was born on February 12, 1968 to Walt and Billie McCandless in El Segundo, California. Christopher’s secondary education originated at Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia where he would furthermore...

Words: 755 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless In Into The Wild

...Chris McCandless is a legendary explorer that inspires many people to go out and do some pretty crazy, but amazing things. In Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild, Krakauer told the epic story of when Chris McCandless dropped everything in 1988 and went on a long journey across the states and ended up in Alaska for his last big adventure. This last adventure cost McCandless his life, nevertheless he was still an amazing adventurer. He was an amazing adventurer because he was very resourceful, he was a great athlete, and perseverance First, what makes McCandless an adventurer? It has to be his trait of being resourceful. One example of this trait is him hitchhiking across the country. This was seen in the first chapter of Krakaer’s book, when Jim Gallien picked up McCandless and dropped him off at the Stampede Trail (5). This shows that he can travel by using the hand he was dealt with. Another time McCandless showed that he was resourceful by killing animals like porcupine, squirrels, and a moose. Killing these...

Words: 669 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Into The Wild, By Chris Mccandless

...Into the wild essay Who is Chris McCandless? If you read the book into the wild, then you would probably think he is a young, go getter who went on an Alaskan adventure that went horribly wrong. According to some of the locals in Alaska, there were some obvious key mistakes that he had made that any normal person could have made that would have saved McCandless's life. Could it be that McCandless was just your average idiot? If you were a local is Alaska then your answer would probably have been a strong yes. The book starts off with McCandless dying, which is never a good thing to have in your soul searching adventure. The book then goes back to tell the story about how he make it up to Alaska. A Lot of the things just go against common sense and may even show signs of mental illness. He starts off by leaving his family with nothing, not even a note saying goodbye. He then goes on a long journey to get to Alaska so that he can finally be at peace in the wild. On this journey he meets a band of hippies that take him in and help him get part of the way up to Alaska, on the rough they stopped at a place called slab city where he meets a girl who falls in love with him and wants him to stay...

Words: 591 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless Conflicts In Into The Wild

...Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a non-fiction novel about a man named Chris McCandless who left his old life behind and lived in the wild on his own. Chris McCandless was an adventurer who wanted to leave his family and society behind and live freely on his own, but his parents were overprotective of him. One day after finishing college, Chris McCandless decided to leave his home and give all of his money to an organization for stopping hunger. He then created a new name for himself, “Alexander Supertramp the master of his own destiny,” and went on an adventure into the wild on his own (Krakauer 20-23). Chris McCandless eventually died of starvation in the wild (Krakauer 14). Chris McCandless died in the wild because of his many conflicts with society, his conflicts with his family, and his conflicts with nature. Chris McCandless died alone in the wild because of his conflicts with society. Chris McCandless had a conflict with...

Words: 975 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless In Into The Wild Essay

...Chris McCandless is a young man in Jon Krakauer's novel who drops everything to journey into the wilderness and find adventure. Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher McCandless as careless and independant. Chris is described as man descriptive adjectives by many people but one that I believe fits him very well would have to be careless. “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions… Alex didn't seem too worried” (Jon Krakauer 5). Chris went into the wilderness unprepared not ready for what he was about to encounter out there. He was prepared for what he was going to face mentally but not physically definitely not physically. All he had with hi was a pack of rice which probably didn't even last him a week so as you can there is one...

Words: 512 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless Symbolism In Into The Wild

...possibilities rather they be dangerous or promising. For some, escape to the unknown can lead to a new life. For others, it brings death. Still others are running to discover something exciting and new. Chris McCandless did both. The biography of Chris McCandless, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, recounts McCandless’s journey from Atlanta to discover America’s last frontier- Alaska- and perhaps to discover something about himself too. McCandless was a well educated 22 year old who left everything behind to escape 20th century civilization and find a new frontier of possibilities. The American Frontier best symbolizes what happened to McCandless. Like explorers and immigrants...

Words: 855 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Analysis

...Character Analysis The Roast of Christopher Mccandless “Prepared” simply put is being ready for an event. In the book Into the Wild, Chris or Alex, as he liked to be called, was not prepared for his spur of the moment adventure he went on. He may have been on multiple trips in the past like this, But that does not mean he was prepared to go to alaska. Chris was a dreamer and any realist or normal person would know that a trip to alaska would need more preparedness to be able to sustain themselves but Chris grew up with his head in the clouds as if it were an attempt to save himself from his real life. Chris was out of his mind going to Alaska without any real preparation. Christopher Mccandless was a mental wreck and should never have attempted this trek or adventure as he called it. Christopher Mccandless was a mental catastrophe who attempted a trek that he was ill prepared for and should never have started. Chris may have made multiple trips or camping trips growing up but none of them would amount to a crumb of the cake he chose to attempt. Chris had his head in the clouds and decided to take a trip that would inevitably take his life. Any experienced mountaineer or level minded person would know to bring a map. But Chris did not take a map he planned to wander through...

Words: 518 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless The Wild Analysis

...Chris McCandless is a smart dude and knows what he wants out of life.He attempts his own way of trying to find himself and he was foolish and made a couple of wrong decisions. He was being very ignorant and not smart by taking the chance at his life and he payed the price. The ultimate price was his life and he was trying to find himself in every way, He did have a problem with his metallicity but he wasn't a stupid he was trying simply to just find himself even though he was a troubled man who went insane and died. I believe he went in peace. Chris Macheneo the son whose father had made their family different by having two families', he didn't have the strength to make a change in his family> he did not come from a family of good parenting.When he discovered that his father had two families at the same time he wasn't able to shake off his emotions he wasn't able to he took everything to his heart and couldn't deal with the pain.He went through his life feeling horrible knowing that his father had another family and he wasn't able to deal with it and move on. This bothered Chris Really bad and changed his life forever.This affected him and made him unlikeable by many people....

Words: 457 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Comparison

...The description of Chris Mccandless, according to some, is that of a mad lunatic because of his outlandish actions displayed in Jon Krakauer’s “Into The Wild”.  However, there are a  few people who understand and show sympathy for McCandless’s view.  An example of an individual that shares the same thrill as McCandless is the author himself.  Similarities between Krakauer and McCandless mirror in their parental situations as well as their love for exploration into the unknown.  These two individuals will demonstrate the struggle with family and identity that society has a hard time accepting. Family and society take a toll on both McCandless and Krakauer, because their fathers demand so much from them, wanting them to exceed the legacy that they have established.  While investigating into McCandless’s odyssey, Krakauer starts to reflect on his own personal life,“But i believe we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers....

Words: 474 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless The Wild Analysis

...Chris McCandless was a very isolated person. He depended on one person only, that being himself. Not only did McCandless push away his family, he pushed away the society as a whole. On page 55 it says, “He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family.” This and his parents achievements show that he may have left his family because he felt like they expected too much of him, making him very independent. Chris was not close with his father, Walt. Walt was a very successful. Because Walt was successful, he was a busy man. Because if this, Chris did not see Walt very much during his childhood. This made Chris and Walt become distant and not close. As said on page 64, “Both father and son were stubborn and high-strung.” I think that because...

Words: 397 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Analysis Of Chris Mccandless In 'Into The Wild'

...Chris McCandless is not a hero by any means. Chris went on a long trip trying to survive on his own, and brought absolutely nothing useful. Only just a few belonging in a backpack. The book “Into The Wild” Jim Gallien thought “Alex’s backpack looked as though it weighed only twenty-five or thirty pounds, which struck Gallien---an accomplished hunter and woodsman---as an improbably light load…”(4). This quote shows that someone who knows the wilderness parts of Alaska knew that it was foolish to try and survive with none to some equipment. It was dangerous not having the right equipment to help, because you don’t what you might encounter. Doing anything and not preparing for it, you will start ten feet back from the start. By not being responsible...

Words: 330 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Analysis

...behind his old life and family to embark on a new one.  Chris McCandless, a 24-year-old outdoor enthusiast, established his own will as he ventured across the country.  He searched for independence along with his true self as an individual during his journey of free-spiritedness that has become well-known by the world today as a story of a man who controlled his life to be one of challenge and adventure. Chris grabbed life by the horns and made the best of it he possibly could for himself on a journey that was an unrestrained, passionate experience. Chris McCandless embarked on a life he creates as means of escapism from his family and society in pursuit to prove himself...

Words: 1410 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Who Is Chris Mccandless In Into The Wild

...“Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer presents Christopher McCandless as a character much like the transcendentalists who believe that life is best lived alone when engaging with nature, a primary motive in Chris’s arduous journey. I find the main character to be very much of an idealist who wishes to remove technology and progress in his life in order to pursue a life away from other human beings. For instance, Chris had received a bequest from a family friend of $24,000, but instead of using that money to attend law school, he donated it to a charity that was dedicating to fighting hunger. I don’t think I can relate to such a character because I believe that the money could have gone to better use so Chris may have achieved a successful, well-settled life. For instance, I...

Words: 496 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Chris Mccandless In Jon Krakauer's 'Into The Wild'

...Most of the population relies on one or more people to get them through their life. Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer’s, Into the Wild, is different in this situation though. He believed he could conquer this idea and go into the wild on his own. After living 113 days in the taiga of Alaska, McCandless ended up failing his quest and died in August of 1992. Many characters on Chris McCandless’s hunt for independence were affected. The person that was most affected was his sister, Carine McCandless, who loved him very much even for his differences. Carine showed her love and understanding of her brother by saying, “I knew he was happy and doing what he wanted to do; I understood that it was important for him to see how independent he could...

Words: 387 - Pages: 2