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Hubris In Into The Wild

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An idea that played a big role throughout the book Into The Wild is the subtle line between hubris (excessive pride or self confidence) and deliberately living one’s life on the edge. Several
Alaskans state that Chris McCandless brought about his own demise by going into the wild without sufficient respect for the wilderness. Others believe that Chris understood the risks he took and that he did so deliberately because he wished to push himself to the limits of his ability. The question would be which one is correct. The answer could be simple, and look for signs of hubris or deliberate risk, but depending on the parts of the book one looks at, one could say chris had a little bit of both. Though he did seem to do some extreme acts. and he …show more content…

Yes he was more adventurous than most people, but that does not mean he wanted life to be a constant danger. from the very beginning of the book it can be seen that Chris did not have a liking for materialistic things. This is why it is mentioned on page 20 that Chris had no desire for gifts and would not accept the car that his parents offered as a gift, and in fact got mad at them for thinking he may have wanted it. Chis did not only explore because he “loved to live life on the edge.” It was also his way of escaping the world full full of wrong. That is why when ever he seemed to have fallen in love with a place he is visiting; It seemed it made him quicker to leave.

Books such as Into The wild have greatly inspiring stories that draw people to discover different parts of the story. such as why they are doing exactly what they are doing. This leads to questions such as the means of Chris going into the wild even though he knew the dangers. Some people will argue that he was brought to his death because he thought of himself as better than he truly was, or that he had a desire to live life on the edge at all times. Though these are good thoughts separately; they form a greater understanding when it is understood that a little bit of both sides are

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