...Chris McCandless’s Journey Chris McCandless’s was the son of an upper-middle class parents in the suburban Virginia area. Chris was trying to find the Self through the practice of self-reliance from 1990 to 1992. Inspired by geography, nature and his personal quests of self-discovery, he looked for peace within the Alaskan wilderness. He completely disconnected from his past life and abandoned everything but a few possessions. He misguidedly believed that the abandonment of others would be necessary to find enlightenment. Chris’s journey is comparable to the travels of Siddhartha from his privileged family to the end of their remarkable experiences. During the teen age years of Chris and Siddhartha, both wanted to leave their families to start an expedition of self-discovery. Chris’s parents were upper-middle class parents who loved Chris and wanted him to succeed. Siddhartha’s father was a Brahman who wanted Siddhartha to continue his practice with him. However, Chris felt like society was corrupt and that money should not be the most important valuable to someone. Siddhartha felt like he has achieved the limit of...
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...Krakauer’s argument in chapters eight and nine display controversy over Chris McCandless’ journey, and eventual death. Numerous claims as to McCandless’ sanity where made, mostly by Alaskans. Krakauer explains these particular viewpoints through the story of Gene Rosellini, a man who spent a sizable portion of his life trying to “return to a natural state.” (page 74). Rosellini attempted to live his life as primitively as possible with the aim to subsist as a Stone Age native. After more than a decade, Rosellini concluded his experiment with a verdict saying that while he “realistically experienced the physical, mental, and emotional reality of the Stone Age,” ultimately, “it is not possible for human beings as we know them to live off the...
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...government and society want you to become. Chris McCandless, later Alexander Supertramp, from when he left his old life and family behind to pursue a life where Chris can be Chris. After seeing his life he is the ideal person to back up Emerson’s belief. Chris McCandless finished studying at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated with honors and had his whole life ahead of him. He could go on and do anything he wanted, if he wanted to he could end up going to Harvard Law School. He did end up doing something, it just was not what society wanted him to do, instead he decided to go to Alaska and try to live off the land and see how long he could survive when he ventures into the wild. This decision showed that Chris did not care about conforming and doing what others did....
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...Andrea Perez English 110 A journey of self-discovery Going into the wild, Chris McCandless, a young man, whose past shows the wounds of a troubled family, gives up living by the standards of society and decides to go in an adventure for two years. Living as a tramp, traveling around; first by car, then by foot, meeting people on the road but always continuing towards his ultimate adventure: Alaska, McAndless shows great determination to carry on the road that brought him to his final exploration. However, not knowing that his odyssey would cost him his life and the pain and suffering of the ones that loved him the most. Thus, many people ponder: “was he crazy?” “Why would he do something like that?” It is easy for one to wonder what was the impulse for such an adventure. What was driving his heart and soul to that lifestyle? Some people argue that he was just a reckless young kid trying to punish his family. However, some of this thoughts might be true; Alexander Supertramp, a name he adopted to symbolize a complete disconnection with his previous life, had deeper and more important reasons to his actions, his main intention was to pursue what made his soul feel at peace, he was looking for happiness and escaping from the ghost of a past that tormented him. Though, he surprised himself by realizing that his stubborn concept of happiness wasn’t completely right for himself. According to the google dictionary happiness is a state of mind of feeling characterized by contentment...
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...Chris McCandless was a complex individual who went on an incredible, or incredibly stupid, cross-country expedition to Alaska. In 1990, Chris started his journey by getting rid of all money and material things and changing his name to Alex. He then headed west without telling his family. Living as he chose, he wandered across America until making his way to Alaska to live off of the wild. Some believe that it was the ignorance in the lack of preparation of McCandless that lead to his tragic death, however, if it were not for a few major errors, Chris McCandless could have possibly survived. Chris looked very young, though he claimed to be 24. He had a scrawny, wiry look and only measured up to only about 5’7’’. His gear was “exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions…” He had “cheap leather hiking boots… neither waterproof nor well insulated.” He had a .22 caliber rifle too small for large animals which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. “He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map…” (pg. 5). McCandless was an independent person. When he realized he was getting close with someone, he would move on avoiding becoming too close. He had been raised in the upper-middle-class in Virginia (pg. 19). After he graduated from college, McCandless grew apart from his parents, not speaking to them in “nearly two years” (pg. 6). Chris McCandless had a benevolent...
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...Compare and Contrast Argument Essay Adam Shepard and Chris McCandless were two young men who shared a desireable dream to prove something after graduating college. Adam Shepard wanted to see if the American Dream was still achievable in todayś society and Chris McCandless wanted to go out into society and test his self reliance. Although they both had a great impact on people Adam Shepardś journey served a greater purpose because he impacted more people, he was more admirable, and he achieved his goal within the first six months of his journey. Adam Shepard overcame many hardships throughout his journey. He kept a positive mind set and constantly worked hard to prove what he believed in. Many people viewed shepard as weak and unprepared but forget that he went into this journey not knowing what to expect nor what the outcome would be. Shepard used the government's services to help prove that the American Dream was still achievable in today's society. For example he worked jobs provided by the shelter he was staying at...
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...This book is based on a true story about a man named Chris McCandless. McCandless had many problems and handled them slightly odd. He left his family for a trip that would cost him his life. I believe he had an undiagnosed mental disease that lead him to do this and react to situations the way he did. McCandless may have had the disease schizophrenia he shows signs throughout the book that he may have the disease. When McCandless started calling himself Alexander Supertramp, that rose high suspicion in my eyes. The book “Into the Wild” tries to make McCandless seem as if he is just trying to explore the wild but in reality it was his untreated mental illness that caused him to do it. The name change is a sign he had another personality and that he was suffering from schizophrenia. In an article by Medred he says “Chris was one of those troubled young men who suffer mental illness in their early adult years and flee family and friends for reasons hard to explain”(medred). Many Americans go untreated every year for mental illnesses, according to The National Institution of Mental Health approximately 7.9 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. These are people with the same problems as McCandless. Many more Americans go untreated every year and are believed to be normal...
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...If you were to go on a long journey, how prepared would you be for it? In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Christopher Johnson McCandless, who later changed his name to “Alex Supertramp” and is also called “Alex McCandless,” heads West for two years and hitchhikes to Alaska; he was ill-prepared and is found dead due to starvation by a moose hunter after four months in the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley, Alaska. Chris McCandless was an arrogant, selfish, and ignorant person because he left his family and took very little supplies with him to his long journey. McCandless showed that he was selfish when he left his family. It was a selfish act that he did. He left the people that he loved with no warning. The only thing he told them was that he was “going to disappear for a while.” His family loved him so much that they were even confused when they found out he was dead. For example, “his bewildered family was left clutching the shards of a fierce and painful...
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...interests of man”(Krakauer 157). Christopher McCandless is neither a pilgrim nor a suicidal narcissist. A pilgrim is defined as one who journeys for a religious purpose. Although “God” is mentioned multiple times throughout the novel, McCandless never states that his reasoning for traveling to Alaska was because “God put him in the land of righteousness- Alaska”. McCandless also did not journey on his Odyssey to find God or improve his relationship with...
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...McCandless vs. Shepard Chris McCandless and Adam Shepard were two different people with the same concept. They both grew up in nice neighborhoods and had wealthy families that always tried to give them the best they could have. Adam Shepard had one brother and Chris McCandless had one sister. Both boys had graduated from college before going on their adventure that would eventually interest many. Their backgrounds might have been similar but their journeys are what separates them. Chris McCandless was more admirable because he impacted the people he met along the way and adventured more during his journey. One of the great reasons why McCandless made a bigger impact on society was because he traveled more places. Chris started his travels...
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...Into the Wild Character Analysis Essay Chris McCandless, the main character in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, is a man with many problem in his life, in which, sets out to find his true self by surrounding himself with nothing but nature in the Alaskan wilderness. In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer characterizes Christopher Mccandless as foolish and determined. Christopher Mccandless is a guy who sought out nature to find the true meaning of life, but in doing so, it killed him because he was foolish. Chris was going to make the long journey to Alaska by foot, but everyone else knew he would end up needing a ride, but ¨… when they see that [machete]¨(Krakauer, 68), no one's gonna want to. He intended to make his long journey and live off nature...
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...Christopher McCandless, the author of Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild." has been widely regarded as a transcendentalist. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the importance of individualism, nature, and self-reliance. This essay will argue that Chris McCandless fits into being a transcendentalist. Firstly, Chris McCandless embodies the transcendentalist value of individualism. Throughout his journey, he seeks to find his true self and rejects the expectations and constraints of society. He leaves his privileged life behind to live a simple and self-sufficient life in the wilderness. He does not conform to societal norms, nor does he seek approval from others. This pursuit of individualism is a key tenet of transcendentalism,...
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...The Beat of Chris McCandless’ Drum Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is an account of Chris McCandless and his journey to his final destination of the great Alaskan frontier. Many songs by Eddie Vedder contribute to the readers understanding of the enigmatic Chris McCandless as well as his approach to life and time on the road. The three songs that reflect Chris’ struggles and philosophy are Far Behind, No Ceiling, and Guaranteed. The first piece of music that mirrors Chris’s approach to life is Eddie Vedder’s Far Behind. Chris McCandless has a very unique approach to life. He believes that the less material possessions you have the better life will be. The reader knows this from a letter written to Ronald Franz. The letter included “... as a general rule spend as little as possible and you will enjoy it much more immensely” (Krakauer 58). Chris gave this advice to most of the...
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...Realist or Narcissist? Throughout Chris McCandless's journey we never truly find out if Chris McCandless is a noble but misguided idealist or a narcissist who hurt his family.Chris McCandless is a person who travels America and the Alaskan wilderness in order to pursue his ideals on his journey he puts his ideals into action by leaving behind materialistic possessions for example his car in the Mojava desert and giving away his money to charity.This essay will give insight into whether Chris McCandless was an idealist or narcissist. Chris McCandless is more of an idealist he followed his ideals, he thought of the perfect world for himself and he knew he couldn’t change the world and get people to live the way he wants so he does it by himself...
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...In the book Into the Wild and Thoreau’s passages from Walden, John Krakauer shows how Thoreau is important to Chris McCandless and how he was influential to McCandless. Chris’ story in Into the Wild tells how he is driven by Henry David Thoreau’s Transcendental beliefs. Transcendentalism is a religious and philosophical movement that began in New England in the mid-nineteenth century. It was formed by the ideas of American Democracy. Both Thoreau and Chris McCandless grasp Transcendentalism through concepts such as simplicity, self-reliance, and to live an honest life. The first Transcendentalist belief that Chris McCandless follows is to simplify his life. For example, Chris brings a very small amount of food with him on his expedition because...
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