Everyone has self-confidence, many people gain self-confidence from various things as well as lost confidence from various things. For many characters, isolation over time has changed their self-confidence. Sometimes isolation causes a character to be more self-confident over time, while other characters may lose self-confidence after prolonged periods of isolation. Characters in the stories Into the Wild, “The Most Dangerous Game”, and Lord of the Flies all experienced changes in their self-confidence.
In Into the Wild Chris McCandless’s self-confidence rises as he isolates himself leading up to his journey into the wilderness. Chris, at the beginning of the story, gives his belongings away and burns his money before going into the woods which shows he had confidence in himself. “Published in 1996, Into the Wild revisits the final years of McCandless, who, upon graduating from Emory University, burned all his cash, donated his savings, and turned his back on his family in
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The evidence of his overconfidence before landing on the island is shown during his conversation with another man on the boat. “Be a realist- the world is made up of two classes- the hunters and the huntees. Luckily, you and I are hunters” (Connell 1). His confidence in his hunting ability soon changed when he landed on the island and realized he was the one being hunted. As the days passed and he became more isolated he became more fearful. “At daybreak Rainsford, lying near the swamp, was awakened by a sound that made him know that he had new things to learn about fear” (Connell 14). He realized that he could no longer rely on his skills as a hunter and instead had to use strategy to win the game. “I have played the fox, now I must play the cat of the fable” (Connell 12). As Rainsford's isolation changed his self-confidence had a