Chris Mccandless Conflicts In Into The Wild

A common thought among adolescents is the dream to finally leave home and discover who they are; I certainly share this dream. Though the concept is common, the reasons are unique; The differences in character and circumstances define who a person is. What may appear reasonable to some could very well be completely irrational to another. The story of Chris McCandless as reported by Jon Krakauer in the biographic novel Into the Wild is no exception. From the events in his childhood to the conflict with his father, we can see that Chris McCandless, a young man still discovering himself, became disillusioned with the structure of society and desired nothing more than to “no longer be poisoned by civilization” (163). Although McCandless had an adventurous, independent nature, it was his darker past, the conflict with his family, that influenced him to seek refuge in the wild.

When Krakauer discloses the family narrative, the first member discussed is Walt McCandless, who is introduced as a figure of authority "When Walt talks, people listen. If something or someone displeases him, his eyes narrow and his speech becomes clipped" (105). This is carefully constructed chronology as, the reader can generalize McCandless as being the type of character who does not follow the established prescient; Chris broke convention. A former teacher of McCandless commented that "Chris marches to a different drummer" (pg 107). However, Walt McCandless is however, the authority, the head of the family, and the rule maker. The highly polarized characters were bound to clash, the question now is what would precipitate the