"I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going to Alaska with his Romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on ignorance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy." This statement, made by Shaun Callarman, pertains to Chris McCandless’s trek into Alaska that ultimately led to death by starvation. Since the recovery of Chris’s body, there has been much speculation about the prevention of Chris’s death and the possible causes. Despite Callarman’s plea of craziness, there have been both eye-witness accounts showing that Chris was sane and prepared when leaving for the Alaskan wilderness, many natural …show more content…
As Callarman stated, “he (Chris) had no common sense.” What is the definition of common sense that Callarman is arguing against? Perhaps Callarman believed that Chris lacked the ability to perceive, understand, and judge a topic, issue, or subject. Evidence found in Chris’s journal, acquaintance 's accounts, and the preparation taken all conflict heavily with Callarman’s statement. Perhaps the most critical piece of evidence suggesting that Chris was not actually crazy, but was actually trying to prepare for the expedition can be found in an account by Gaylord Stuckey. Stuckey was one of the many people that Chris met and impacted when traveling up to Alaska. Stuckey decided to give the clean-shaven Chris McCandless a ride to Fairbanks, Alaska, despite policy stating against picking up hitchhikers on the trucking route. In the short three days of traveling together, Stuckey learned that Chris had wanted to “live off of the land” since childhood. The book Into the Wild gives a quote from Stuckey that explains one idea of Chris’s motive for the actions taken. “He wanted to prove himself that he could make it on his own, without anyone else’s help” (Krakauer 159). This quote from Stuckey gives an account from the weeks before …show more content…
The conclusion of craziness that Callarman suggests does not withstand the concrete evidence from scientific studies and analyzation of journal entries and testimonial accounts of Chris McCandless’s end stages of life. Although Shaun Callarman is correct that Chris made many mistakes based on ignorance and not enough education, that does not make guarantee craziness. The young man, Chris McCandless, was able to not only prepare for and record the journey of a lifetime but was also able to succeed in fulfilling the childhood dream of enduring the Alaskan
Callarman’s argument is that Chris McCandless made a lot of mistakes because he was arrogant and that he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness and he says that he was just crazy. I disagree with Callarman’s argument because I think that Chris McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) was not arrogant I think that he just wanted to learn new things. I also disagree because I think that Chris did have a reason to go to Alaska or else he would not have done it even if it just to go because he likes nature, and I don’t think that he was crazy at the beginning but I agree that he did start to get crazy when he was stuck in the wild on the bus. I don’t think that Chris is arrogant I think that he is just a guy who wants to learn new things about nature and just the world in general.
He repeats the Ad Hominem fallacy when he says: “American frontiers have always had a history of attracting adventurers, oddballs, ne'er-do-wells, and misfits … McCandless was a classic end of the roader '' (Beautification 2). Maybe McCandless could have had different reasons for going out into the Alaskan Frontier. The way Medred worded this makes it seem like Chris went to Alaska to die. It has never been proven why he gave up his life to have gone on this “journey”. Medred made Chris look like an incompetent person who makes questionable responses to the
Into the Wild Essay In 1992, 24 year old Christopher McCandless abandoned his possessions and decided to hitchhike to Alaska and invent a new life for himself. Chris had just finished college and many thought he was going to further his education but instead he took a fatal trip into the wild. There are many questions still unanswered to why he felt he needed to go on this trip and people will never know the real reason why Chris McCandless hitchhiked to Alaska by himself with insufficient equipment.
Chris McCandless was an American-born adventurer born in 1968 who gained widespread recognition and fame for his journey of freedom and self-discovery that ended in tragedy. McCandless, under the alias “Alexander Supertramp,” hitchhiked throughout the USA from state to state with the ultimate goal of living in the hard Alaskan wilderness. When Chris finally made it to his final destination, he was not prepared for the demanding and dangerous conditions that come with the Alaskan wilderness and tragically passed away in an abandoned bus in 1992. While some may view this story as a man who simply followed his passion and pursued happiness at the expense of only himself, the reality of the situation is that he exhibited many egocentric and haughty
Chris knew very well of the risks that came with exploring the wilderness and more specifically, Alaska. McCandless refused a map on his way into the wilderness, which could’ve saved his life. Chris also refused food and ingested poisonous berries because of his miseducation and ignorance. By refusing and not taking advantage of help, McCandless drove himself to his own death. Chris’s story ended idiotically but led to the way other people’s self betterment and self reflection.
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.
“Into The Wild” by Jon Krakauer is the story of Chris McCandless’s life and journey. In 1992, this young man, Chris, from an average family in the East Coast decided to cut off contact with his family and give up all his possessions so that he could hitchhike into the Alaskan bush. A main reason many believe Chris went into the wilderness was because he was in search of his identity. From reading this book I have come up with my own opinion of what type of person he was. The conclusion I have reached about Chris is that he was a distant and ill-prepared person who had a very strong will.
Chris McCandless: A Reckless Idiot Chris McCandless was a reckless idiot and there is no denying that basic truth. Chris McCandless was a man born into a middle class family. Chris had parents that loved him, a roof over his head, and food to eat. Despite all those riches he had, he threw them away. Chris was a very selfish man.
Into the Wild Essay Most people go into the wilderness to go camping for a week or less than a week, then leave. Some stay for more than a week. Chris McCandless was in the wild for at least one hundred days. “ I’ve decided to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and the beauty of it is too good to pass up.”(pg.92)
Taking a journey into an unknown state can cause many problems, but with no map or proper equipment, more problems arise. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris wanted to escape reality/society but he went into the adventure blindsided and unprepared. He did many things and didn’t think of his family and friends back home. When Chris left his whole life behind, he did some questionable things that made him a reckless and arrogant person by not being prepared, throwing his life away, and made arrogant errors that caused his death that could have been prevented.
Into The Wild was a tremendous story which Shaun Callarman did not have many positive things to say about Chris McCandless, the main character. He went on this adventure to find out what life is all about in his own eyes. He wanted to see how different living in the wild really was compared to society because he was not satisfied with his living arrangements and household. Shaun’s quote says that he thinks “Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.
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.
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.
Into The Wild was a tremendous story which Shaun Callarman did not have many positive things to say about Chris McCandless, the main character. He went on this adventure to find out what life is all about in his own eyes. He wanted to see how different living in the wild really was compared to society because he was not satisfied with his living arrangements and household. Shaun’s quote says that he thinks “Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.
Chris McCandless, whose story is analyzed in Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, is a young adult who decides to leave his known habits and material belongings behind and live a completely self-sufficient life in the wilderness, a choice which ultimately leads to his death. In doing that, he also forfeits his family and friends. With that in mind, a question can be posed regarding the ethics of said behavior. As a childless, single and financially independent man, Chris McCandless has absolute ownership of his body and thus his decision to continue doing a sport that he knows can kill him is ethically defensible.