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Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Character Analysis

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Christopher McCandless was a free spirit. Ever since he was young he never needed to conform to society’s rules of how life should be lived. He was a fiercely intelligent human being who had a serious case of wanderlust. The idea of being free to travel and live life how he thought it should be lived, attracted him like bees to honey. To put it simply, McCandless was just a man who believed life should be lived a different way, and he went out to live his life that way. Right before Chris sets out on what would end up being his last journey, he learns that his father lived a double life and had a serious affair. After finding this information, Chris’s demeanor and attitude toward his family changes the book tells about his …show more content…

He seemed to lose hope in the people he looked up to, which made him want to get away from this poisonous, materialistic society even more. But, even though Chris never had a great relationship with his father, he still yearned for his approval. He wanted his father to be proud of him and the things he had accomplished, but at the same time they did not share the same ideals as one another. Chris didn’t even believe that careers were necessary to be successful, for example the book states “Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don’t want one” (Krakauer 59). Along with being free spirited, Chris was an independent individual. He was who he was no matter what, people didn’t change him, he didn’t conform, and he didn’t follow society’s rules. Chris had his idea about how life should be lived and he went out and did it. Throughout this book we learn a lot about Chris and family which gives us a good idea as to why he did what he did. From the beginning Walt and Billie instilled in their children that you can do anything as long you’re successful. For example, the book states about Chris “According to the moral absolutism that characterizes McCandless's beliefs, a challenge in which …show more content…

He would give them food, money, and talk with them no matter who they were. Social classes, money, and material wealth didn’t matter to Chris he sought out to find himself and life the way he thought it should be lived, in the wild. Toward the end of Chris’s journey we continue to learn more and more about him. Even though he didn’t make it in the end, we learn that Chris is still a survivor. He was on his own for years and did absolutely everything he could to survive, there’s no way that taking this trip was easy but he did it and didn’t give up. He was headstrong and determined and this allowed him to persevere through every obstacle that came his way. For example, when he needed money, he got a job, just like when he needed food he got some for himself or made friends. He made many strong relationships on his journey, especially with Jan and her husband. The book states this about how Jan felt about Chris, “Because of what happened with my own son. He’s out there somewhere and I’d want someone to look after him like I tried to look after Alex” (Krakauer

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Despite Krakauer 's honorable attempts to portray Chris as someone who is relatable and should be pitied, Chris is portrayed as careless and inconsiderate. Krakauer 's biased diction end up showing Chris as stupid and egotistical. In the beginning Krakauer starts off make Chris a relatable person however after the first few pages Krakauer turns Chris into a superficial rich entitled person who thought he was able to do anything without repercussion. There are many instances where Krakauer reveals Chris as such. Chris may have been innocent in his ideals but that was his mistake, “For most of the sixteen-week ordeal…McCandless more than held his own.

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Throughout chapters 8 and 9, the author showed his bias towards Chris McCandless, which is an act of defiance to his position as an objective journalist, when he attempted to alter the readers’ negative point of view towards Chris by the introduction of different people who had similar experiences and characteristics as him and then making comparison. After reading the previous chapters, the readers have already made their own judgement on Chris, which are probably mostly negative. To address this issue, Krakauer initiates chapter 8 by introducing negative comments and mails not only about Chris but also to him, the author. These will serve as an argument that he will later attempt to disprove while at the same time, still informing the readers about what makes Chris special and unique.

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There were many people he met who tried to talk Chris out of it but since it was just him he never really listened. Shaun Callarman is just one of many people who agree with my ideas of who Chris really was. Shaun says, “I think that Chris McCandless was bright and ignorant at the same time. He had no common sense,

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But he abandoned his family because he wanted to be alone. 3.His relationship with his dad was negatively affected and also outside too. They appear to want chris to be a successful student even though meanwhile his inside was appearance and especially walter and was an abusive father. He was selfish around him and others because he thinks his family was fake towards him.

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I think he just wanted to pursue life in a different way. Chris was not seeing life the way anyone else was, so he decided to brush off into the wild and be free on his own. Though he did not survive, he was still a very bright, arrogant human being. Shaun Callarman states, “He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.” Chris knew going into the wild that he did not have much survival skills, but that did not stop him from doing what he wanted to do because he did not care about society and was just completely over everything which was why he made the move to the wilderness.

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Using evidence from the story I can clearly state that Chris McCandless from “Into the Wild” was full of braveness and courage, as well as arrogance and stubbornness. The last time his parent saw him alive he was muscular, clean shaven, and fresh off a college diploma. When he died he was skin and bone and had a very shaggy beard. He had so much to live for and threw it all away to follow his dreams.

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Individualism is when a person has achieved non-conformity, self-reliance, free-thought, confidence, and finding one’s self through nature. Although individualism may be achieved in society, it cannot be fully achieved until one removes himself from society. Chris McCandless did exactly that; he removed himself from society by backpacking and hitchhiking throughout the United States to test and achieve individualism. McCandless’s last great adventure was to Alaska to fully obtain individualism, unfortunately, he died trying to find his spiritual belonging and individualism. Many people would think it was absurd that Chris left his family and threw his life away, and they would think that he was not justified in leaving society, however, Chris McCandless was justified in leaving society because by doing so he could achieve non-conformity and self-reliance without being oppressed.

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A sociopath is someone who is mentally unstable, a nutcase is someone whose head isn’t screw on right, an outcast is someone that society just doesn’t want; Chris McCandless was none of those things. Although, an outsider and maybe even a little quirky, he was normal. McCandless was just his own person. McCandless had a bit of a twist to himself, but he was the same as the everyday person.

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Chris had a huge impact on everyone he knew, but he would not let them influence him or his decisions at all. He rebelled against his family because his father was too controlling. Later on, when any of his companions told him not to go to Alaska, or tried telling him to do anything that he did not want to, he would totally ignore them, and change the subject. As Krakauer writes in chapter 6, “McCandless…relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family.

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Into the Wild tells the story of Chris McCandless, a young man who embarked on an adventure across the U.S. Chris lived for adventure, and sadly met his demise in the Alaskan wilderness. Chris’ death brought about a large debate as to whether Chris was insane or simply idealistic. Krakauer wrote Into the Wild to prove Chris’ sanity and soundly completes that task by using rhetorical devices to persuade his audience. Throughout the book, Krakauer uses ethos to develop Chris’ credibility by providing examples of people who are similar to him. For example, Krakauer provides multiple examples of people who were very similar to Chris, such as Everett Ruess.

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Eric Dewar Mr. Darling ENG4U 22 October 2014 A Journey of Admirations : Ron Franz’s Perspective of Chris Ronald Franz is first introduced in Into the Wild when he decides to pick up Chris McCandless as a hitchhiker in Salton City, California on his way home to Colorado. Franz drops McCandless off at “Oh My God Hot Springs”, an encampment in the middle of the desert full of nudists and hippies. At first, Franz attempts to persuade McCandless to leave the camp because he argues that it is a bad influence; however, McCandless disputes his argument and says, “you do not need to worry about me. I have a college education.

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He also endures hunger, exhaustion, and nature’s most challenging hardships to attain his happiness. Chris McCandless does what most people in normal society are too afraid to do. He does everything possible, including giving

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