“Wild Versus Into the Wild: Loving Versus Loveless” Alone in the wilderness is where both Cheryl Strayed and Christopher McCandless find themselves in the books “Wild” and “Into the Wild.” However, this is where the similarities end as the reasons each found themselves there and their intent in being there could not be any more different. Cheryl found herself there to heal from injures only someone who truly knows love could ever feel, whereas Christopher was out there for only himself and his desire for adventure. It would seem that Christopher may have never truly know or wanted to know what love was. It might have even scared him. Cheryl however knew what love was and when she lost her root of love everything else around her shattered and was driven to the point of destruction before she found herself. …show more content…
It is, however unclear to as to whether or not he ever felt love from or toward anyone in his life. It does not seem like he respected his parents at the very least, as shown by a letter to his sister before his journey stating “ I’m going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect.” (Krakauer 21) In contrast, Cheryl Strayed grew up with just here mother from the age of six until at thirteen her mother remarried. She never knew luxury growing up but knew what it meant to be loved whole-heartedly. This love is illustrated very well by Cheryl’s memory of her mother asking, “Do I love you this much?” (Strayed 13) While holding her hand at varying distances until her arms were as wide as she could make them with the answer always being no she loved them