Romantics are usually referred to as ” dreamy half-cocked greenhorn[s]” (72). This is solely because they tend to have their own special views of the world and how it will benefit them. One example is Christopher McCandless, the main character and protagonist, in Jon Krakauer’s novel Into The Wild. Chris decides that his normal life in Atlanta isn’t one he wants to live. So, he moves to Alaska and “now walk[s] into the wild” (69) to fulfill his purpose in life. His life story is one example of being independent and free, but do so with caution.
Romanticism is not to be mistaken with romantic. To be a romantic means to act or behave in a manner of love or affection. Romanticism, however, is an idea . It is having a special view of the world that only fits your thoughts. This is present almost, if not all of the time in Chris McCandless. A romantic is someone who spends most of their time in a fantasized created world, which isn’t all bad. However, they fail to realize the reality of life and how cruel it can be to them. Romantics, unfortunately, tend to perish from existence because they do not
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He is overwhelmingly underprepared and is lucky enough to find a bus. Krakauer says,” The third bus was left about halfway out the trail to serve as backcountry shelter for hunters and trappers,” (10). Because Chris found this bus, he was able to live in it for quite some time. He remodeled the bus and outfitted it to fit his needs. But, he still was ill prepared and did not have enough supplies to last him for more than a few months. Due to his lack of experience and knowledge of living in the wild, he passed away. His body was found by a couple who were from Anchorage. Chris’ death was reported to be starvation. This ties into the fact that he gave the rest of his college tuition to a charity that helped feed starving kids. All of these actions committed by Chris exemplify what a romantic