Character traits define who we are as a person. It gives people a sense of who they are, what they want, and what their motivations are. These traits sets people apart from everyone else. In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, there was a young man who started his life over to venture out into the wild to find himself and his purpose. He was able to do so because of the qualities he had. Chris McCandless had many different traits which makes readers think differently of him and what his motivations were. McCandless had qualities such as self-reliance, courage, and passion to motivate him for his adventure and life philosophy. Self-reliance was one of the many attributes McCandless had. He portrayed how he was self-reliant as a child and growing up. According to Krakauer, Carine, McCandless’s little sister, stated “He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn’t a …show more content…
McCandless was very passionate about nature and Jack London’s books. The author claims that “McCandless had been infatuated with London since childhood” (44). The author explains that he has been in love with London’s work since he was a child and growing up; it was what he ever talks about on his journey. He became very passionate about the books which lead him to think about nature and his life differently. This parallels to the idea that his life philosophy started with a passion for London’s books and nature. Krakauer asserts, “The old man’s backwoods savvy, his affinity for the wilderness, left a deep impression on the boy” (109). The quote explains the first indication of his passion and love for nature because of his grandfather, Loren. This evidence supports the idea that there was something that sparked his love and passion for nature. This also ties in with passion because it got McCandless going after what he loved and what he wanted. Passion drove him to go after what he loved and what he