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Review Of Chris Mccandless 'Life On The Road'

1219 Words5 Pages

McKenna Vargas
Mr. Cagley
ERWC-Period 3
08 December 2015
Module 4: Life on the Road

In the biographical book, Into the Wild the author, Jon Krakauer, reveals the journey of the late Chris McCandless. McCandless chose to leave his privileged life for a much more rugged life in the Denali Borough of Alaska. McCandless’s ill-preparedness led to his journey’s end after only 113 days resulting in death. McCandless’s story begs the question, Is life on the road suited for everyone? As shown in Into the Wild, life on the road is tough and takes a special type of person, a determined and dedicated person; therefore life on the road is suited for anyone willing to take the risks in order to survive if they feel that life on the road would be the …show more content…

Life on the road comes with freedom, self reliance and of course an opportunity to meet new people and create new memories. McCandless left his structured life in order to create a life that had no rules and no responsibilities. McCandless’s ultimate way of gaining freedom was by creating the persona of Alex Supertramp. The one way Chris left he could completely detach himself for his life as Chris was to no longer be Chris. By creating Alex, Chris released all of his ties to his old life giving him the ultimate freedom he wanted. Like Chris many people yearn for freedom that life on the road would provide. Additionally, life on the road lends itself to a self reliant life. Chris was able to get away from the “impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it” (Krakauer 55) when he went to Alaska. “He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family” (Krakauer 55) and even when he arrived and met new people he left before he became too attached to them, for fear of getting hurt. Many long to be self reliant but are hindered by the overwhelming amount of love and people who are around to provide for them. This overwhelming amount of help is not provided in the wild so for those looking to be independent the wilderness provides all the means necessary to do so. Lastly the road provides an opportunity to mean new …show more content…

It takes a determined person who is willing to risk it all at the cost of adventure. Chris McCandless was this type of person, despite his lack of preparation. “Chris was fearless...He didn’t think the odds applied to him” (Krakauer 109) Chris stayed true to his initial goal and “didn’t think twice about risking his own life” (Krakauer 128) as long as it meant that he would be happy. “[Chris] was hungry to learn about things,” (Krakauer 67) and if he had educated himself a bit more before he set off on his journey it is possible that he would still be alive; however, Chris decided to live out his beliefs as soon as he was compelled to and knowing what was at stake continued to follow through with his plan. McCandless is a perfect example for a person who may decided that life on the road is for them. McCandless had the right attitude on the risk necessary to leave it all behind while also exemplifying that with the proper prior knowledge the journey may come to a fatal

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Numerous People state that Chris McCandless was a very thoughtless individual who made crazy decisions after graduating college. Yet many people found his actions to be inspiring as he risked his life to flee the hectic world that surrounded him. As Chris was raised in a perfect environment, living in wealthy middle-class, His relationship with his parents was very degenerating especially towards his father after he found out his dad cheated on his mother when he was younger. This ultimately led Chris to begin his trip to Alaska so he can find his true-self and to live life how it's meant to be lived.

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What happened instead was that McCandless died at an early age, whilst Krakauer barely made it to tell the tale; proving nothing of value came from their journeys. While life on the road can offer solace to individuals who have struggled in their lives, it is unfathomable to think that the wilderness will offer them any embrace to their ambitions; therefore it should not be pursued as it leads to family issues and ignorant behavior. Life on the road can provide one with a sense of independence from the confines of society. For example, Chris McCandless decided to escape the societal

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People at some point in their lives have been overly confident about a certain aspect. This confidence has either lead to something desirable or not so desirable. Jon Krakauer in a book he wrote titled Into The Wild writes about a man's adventure into the wild. Chris Mccandless, The main character in this title was born into a friendly family his mom Billie and his dad Walt. Mccandless has three siblings but is very close to his little sister Carine.

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Throughout history, great men and women have been willing to die for a cause they believed in. Society often holds these people up as heroes, role models to be celebrated by the following generations. In his novel Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer makes the argument that Chris McCandless deserves to recognized as one of these heroes. Into the Wild tells the story of Chris’s life and ultimately his death in the Alaskan frontier, following him from his disappearance after college graduation to the eventual discovery of his remains two years later. Although Krakauer portrays Chris as a noble young man on an inspirational quest, in reality Chris’s journey reveals an out-of-touch young man who naively followed the ideals of his favorite authors.

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Into the Life of Chris McCandless Chris McCandless, a unique man, embarked on the journey of a lifetime. During his adventure, he broke away from the constraints of society and he learned what is important in life. I admire what Chris was trying to accomplish by heading “into the wild”, and I can see parts of my beliefs in his. My experiences are different from McCandless’ experiences in as many ways as they are similar.

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His persistence carries him through his journey into the wild, but also gives him trouble in later life when he gets a job at McDonald’s but leaves because they want him to wear socks while working (Krakauer 39-41). However, although McCandless has a few good morals, he lacks the belief of valuing family. This is evident when he states that, “I’m going to completely knock [my parents] out of my life… and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live” (Krakauer 64). McCandless’s beliefs give him a platform for his identity as a stubborn person that is hungry for something challenging, but also provides him with hardships and trouble along the

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Matthew Power in The Cult of Chris McCandless points out the "enigma of Chris McCandless" through the themes of "self-invention, risk, and our complex relationship to the natural world  while McCandless may have been a visionary man who wished to become one of a higher thinking and knowledge but through the mesh of lies that shield him he is only presented as an "unprepared fool, a greenhorn who had fundamentally misjudged the wilderness he'd wanted so desperately to commune with”. McCandless's hubris was one of the many reasons he did not survive his journey. He was too caught up in the pursuit of a dream that when it came down to acting upon it he was unable to succeed and fell under. There are many ways McCandless could've saved himself and got care and possible survived from his ordeal, one of the more obvious ways was to get up and leave.

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Chris McCandless abandoned the modern world and chose the wild because he believed that he could improve himself through living in the wild, and found the true happiness of the life. McCandless abandoned his wealthy family because of his complicated relationship with his father, and he was ashamed with his father’s adultery. Therefore, McCandless believed that human relationship was not the only thing that forms happiness, instead a man’s connection with the nature brings joy as well. He also believed the habitual lifestyle was not what people were meant to do, and people shouldn't have more possessions than what they need. For this reason, McCandless traveled with little effects.

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Different people have different goals. Everyone wants to achieve something, whether it’s becoming a surgeon or graduating high school. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, for Chris McCandless it was out of the ordinary. McCandless wanted to go out into the wild alone with nothing besides a few general needs. Some of those needs consisted of a journal, a camera, a large bag of rice, a small cooking utensil, matches, a knife, and some fishing twine with a hook.

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As long as he was away from social pressures and obligations he was free to be himself, to be Alex Supertram the unknown wanderer of the wild. Before leaving onto the stampede trail he sent a postcard to Wayne Westerberg, “If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild. Alex” (Into the Wild 3). McCandless knew the chances of never leaving the alaskan wilderness but was ready to take the chances.

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“Into The Wild” by Jon Krakauer is the story of Chris McCandless’s life and journey. In 1992, this young man, Chris, from an average family in the East Coast decided to cut off contact with his family and give up all his possessions so that he could hitchhike into the Alaskan bush. A main reason many believe Chris went into the wilderness was because he was in search of his identity. From reading this book I have come up with my own opinion of what type of person he was. The conclusion I have reached about Chris is that he was a distant and ill-prepared person who had a very strong will.

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Krakauer disagreed. “But the stereotype isn't a good fit. McCandless wasn't some feckless slacker, adrift, and confused, racked by existential despair. To the contrary: His life hummed with meaning and purpose” (Krakauer, p. 187). He saw McCandless as a young man who was trying his best to find himself through an adventure.

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Just as a road trip often entails encountering diverse landscapes and people, the PCT exposes Strayed to a wide array of challenges and encounters. Through her physical and emotional journey along the trail, Strayed navigates her own inner terrain, confronting her past traumas, and finding healing and redemption. The trail becomes a symbol of self-exploration, providing a sense of direction and purpose in her life.

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Kerouac and Cassady’s road trip described in Off the Road reminds me of the trip that Chris McCandless took in the 1990s. Obsessed with the thought of escaping conformity, he donated most of his college money and set out to travel with nothing more than what he wore and a few things in his backpack. McCandless was a typical all-American boy who never showed signs of wanting to escape the “burdens” of living a normal life, but something changed in him that

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For this, McCandless should be admired for his views for allowing him to live his best life. In conclusion, McCandless is not a reckless individual who perishes due to arrogance. Instead, he is admirable because his ideals have allowed him to live with true happiness. He waits long years and even breaks his values temporarily in order to achieve his goals.

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