Tragic life experiences create new and better identities for people who are struggling. For example, Into the Wild narrates the life of Chris McCandless. He is a smart individual who leaves home to begin a new adventure. Another example is Maya Angelou, who writes about her childhood in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She experiences the act of rape and tries to overcome the horrifying memory, but decides to stop talking to anyone for five years. McCandless and Angelou change their own identities to create better lifestyles for themselves throughout the two books. Chris McCandless walks alone in the wilderness to invent a new life for himself. His relationship with his family is different as he is closest to his sister, Carine. He feels that his parents are too controlling, and he wants to be more free. Chris seems happy at his college graduation, but he leaves his house unexpectedly and never returns. This leads his parents to worry about Chris’ well being. He is not someone to ask for much money, because he gives his savings to charity and burns most of his possessions. McCandless explores the wild by hitchhiking towards Alaska.
McCandless meets new friends along the way. Ronald Franz notices that McCandless is hitching back out to the bajada and stops to offer him a ride. He eventually creates a strong bond with McCandless and wants to adopt him. Franz shows how hard it is to say farewell when Chris leaves for San Diego. “It was a very hard thing for me to do,” Franz