Obstacles In Into The Wild

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A book author on the verge of his name-making exposé depicts his belief of success, though one might find it controversial. The word success derives on the tingle of enjoyment about what one does, sticking with what matters through hard times, and living out the full potential of a soul. Protagonist Chris McCandless, from the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, was in his early years of adulthood from El Segundo, California. He embarked a journey (by foot) to his destination goal--Alaska. Chris left most of his possessions and ‘became one with nature’ during the process. After being exposed to wilderness and different strangers, he arrived at the beautiful land of Alaska, and went to live in the Alaskan bush. Four months later, a moose hunter …show more content…

These aspirations occur when one only aims a single direction: his [her] dream. This dream of his [her] manages a fully satisfied life. Furthermore, Thoreau uses an analogy to deepen the meaning of success. It references that one does an etiquette job “if you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them” (Thoreau 217). This metaphor compares the castles and foundations. Castles in the comparison represents thoughts, goals, dreams, etc. and foundations are the work an individual puts in to achieve their dreams. One should not prevent themselves for the type of goal they aim for. Like before, no life is full of limitations. To attain a goal, one needs a foundation: the hard work and effort to complete it. Thoreau understood that aspirations are more of a vision, and to reach that 'castle in the sky ', there needs to be a structure to support …show more content…

McCandless displays success throughout the book Into the Wild. Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, produced a statement for those who disagree with McCandless’s decisions:
One of his last acts was to take a picture of himself, standing near the bus under the high Alaska sky... His face is…skeletal. But if he pitied himself in those last difficult hours… it’s not apparent from the photograph. He is smiling in the picture, and there is no mistaking the look in his eyes: Chris McCandless was at peace... (Krakauer 136).
Even though Chris’s body image became immensely gaunt, one can see in the photo that he was happy--genuinely happy. This shows that he achieved his goal to regain that missing piece within him, by searching deep in the wilderness. The tingle of enjoyment about what one does truly reveals in Chris’s choices and he stayed true to his values through hard times, especially the involvement with his parents. As one can see, McCandless’ lack of foresight (as well as his arrogance) killed him; not only starvation. In the earlier chapters, Chris wrote out in his journal, “S.O.S. I NEED YOUR HELP. I AM INJURED, NEAR DEATH... THIS IS NO JOKE… PLEASE REMAIN TO SAVE ME…. THANK YOU, CHRIS MCCANDLESS. AUGUST?” (Krakauer 11). Yes, Chris’s actions killed him, but he claimed he had a fully peaceful life after the adventure in the wilderness because “on the other