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, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of biological, psychological, religious, and philosophical approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources. However, direct measurement of happiness presents challenges, for happiness is a relative concept that depends on the eyes of the beholder. A different attributes have been associated with happiness: relationships and social interaction, extraversion, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, endorphins released through physical exercise and eating chocolate, religious involvement, income and proximity to other happy people. McCandless considerations of happiness seemed nothing similar to what’s described above. McAndless wrote a letter to an old man named Ron Franz he met in Salton city, California during his journey, expressing that the real enjoyment of life came from seeking adventure and encountering new experiences, “there is no greater joy than to have and endless horizon, for each day to have a different sun” (qtd. Krakauer, 57) Chris thinks there is nothing more damaging to the spirit of an adventurous and passionate man than a monotonous life, tied down by the thought of a secure future.
McCandless past shows his thirst for adventure. In the book “Into the Wild” the author Jon Krakauer exposes that McCandlles’ first “journey” was when he was very young and he ran to his neighbors’ house to climb up to the candy drawer. Since he was little Chris had a big interest in exploring the world and he didn’t rely on social relationships for self-satisfaction. Krakauer quotes Chris McCandless’ mom saying that he was very drown to him self and introversive, however, not antisocial, he always had friends and people liked him, but he could entertain himself without the need of company. “He didn’t seem to need toys or friends. He could be alone without being lonely.” (qtd, Krakauer,115) Chris had a special relationship with his grandparent; According to Krakauer they had very similar personalities, both stubborn and dreamy and explorative. They were both untamed souls seeking for adventure. Since McCandless was little, he and his grandfather would go on camping trips. However, his first camping trip was with Walt, his father, when Chris was eight. (Krakauer, 108) This relationship wasn’t as strong as the one he had with his grandparent. Chris heated his dads parameters of life, Walt was all about seeking a secure future; an important degree and remarkable job was more important than the passion for adventure, and this, in Chris World, made no sense. Chris wanted to life his live in ways that mattered. He possessed grand spiritual ambitions and wanted to test himself. He thought an adventure was not real if the man pursuing it knew the possible outcomes of the journey. (qtd, Krakauer, 182) When analyzing Chris’ worldview, it seems like Chris he was seeking more for inward discovery rather than experimenting the world around him.
Chris McCandless also disapproved the parameters of modern society; he thought man should go back to their natural state, when relying on nature and using skills of hunting and exploring were the only ways of survival. In Chris’s eyes our society was extremely money-oriented and materialistic and he didn’t want to live like this. Chris’ opinion of society was just an extension of what bothered him about his parents. He reflected his family problems and magnified them to use them as the way through which he evaluated the world.
McCandless had very high social standards; he was a very hard judge, especially when it came to judge his family. In Thoreau’s “Life in the Woods”, one of the books found with Chris McCandless’ remains, there was a passage he highlighted that showed his big appreciation of truth and loathe of materialistic life: “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices.” Growing up McCandless went through a stressful existence; both his parents, Walt and Billy, worked all day long and then, after coming home, only fights and threats of divorce filled their environment. During his journey Chris discovers a secret his parents hid for years. When his dad was married to his ex-wife he started seeing Chris’ mom and even after having both children with Billy he kept the relationship with his ex-wife for years till he finally ended it, this made Chris and Carine bastard children. Going through all this only brought him closer to his sister Carine. In a letter Chris wrote her, he tells her she is the only person that could ever understand him and his motives. He most likely says this, because she is the only person that has been through the same situations and family turmoils he had to experience. McCandless appreciation of truth and dislike of shallow materialistic life is just another repercussion of his family life. When Chris went away he never seemed to be affected by being away from his family and he seemed to find happiness in being by himself. However, after “walking into the wild” and being alone for more than two months he realized human company was important to him. In one of the last entries of his journal before his dead he wrote “Happiness only real when shared” At this point, it could be interpreted, that he was ready to go back to civilization, and cherish the company of other human beings. At the end of his journey Chris was probably surprised to realize that maybe not every single concept of happiness was absolutely right.. However, this doesn’t mean he didn’t accomplish the purpose of his journey, in fact Chris McCandless went to Alaska not only seeking for happiness, but he went into the wild also to explore the inner state of his own soul, and being there showed him that happiness was only complete when others could appreciate it as well. “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may god bless all” was Chris’s last entry in his journal before he died (qtd, Krakauer, 199) Chris McCandless didn’t regret embarking on this journey, he found what he was looking for, which was self-discovery and evaluation, and he found happiness living in the wilderness away from everything he hated from society, however he regretted not being able to share that joy with others.

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