Into the Wild recounts the story of a young man, Chris McCandless, who tries to escape from society in order to find himself. Fascinated by nature, Chris gives up most of his material possessions to hitchhike around the western United States. Interestingly enough, he severs all ties with his family and believes that he can find happiness within himself, yet makes connections with several people along his journal. Fueled by the ideology of writers such as Tolstoy, London, and Thoreau, Chris camps alone in the Alaskan wild to find a purer version of himself until his death. Throughout Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer develops the idea that Chris McCandless’ quest for solitude is essential to obtain true freedom; however, Chris ultimately realizes …show more content…
This isolation took place throughout Chris’ childhood, as Walt McCandless describes Chris’ refusal of help or criticism. Walt, Chris’ father, successfully worked for NASA and made a living for himself, hoping that Chris would follow in his footsteps. Chris, although an intelligent person, “had trouble with the whole idea of parents” (115) and the control that they tried to exercise over him. This closely aligns with Chris’ beliefs of independence, that satisfaction can only be achieved by oneself. Because of this, Chris rejects his own privileges, including his parent’s wealth, when he begins his journey as he wants to feel genuinely in charge of his life. He strips himself of his former identity and “no longer [will] he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny” (23). Chris revokes everything his parent's gift to him, even going to extremes by denouncing their first ever “gift,” his birth name. This clearly shows Chris’ desire for solitude and freedom, and in order to accomplish those goals, he must create a new identity for …show more content…
Amidst the disparate criticism and praise Chris receives, something can be said about the ideology which he exemplifies as it relates to human nature. On one hand, the risk-taking and excitable aspect of Chris’ personality aligns with many others, usually younger males. However, his apparent rejection of a basic human necessity such as interaction proves detrimental. Humans naturally exhibit social tendencies, which can still be seen in the charming manner Chris interacts with people by singing or telling stories. Chris puts aside this need to find greater meaning in the world, yet despite his best efforts, the urge to form connections still