Was Chris Mccandless Justified For Leaving

786 Words4 Pages

Deacon Ritmiller
Mrs. Moffat
English 3-4
January 11, 2023
Was Chris Justified in Leaving?
Who was Chris McCandless? He was a man that wanted an escape from life and his family in search of a greater adventure. While searching for peace and an escape from life, Chris ended up going on the greatest adventure of his life. Chris grew up mostly on the East Coast and moved to Annandale, Virginia as a boy in 1976. He had always loved the outdoors because to him the outdoors felt like home. Chris grew up very fast from a young age due to the trials he went through during his childhood. Chris was justified in leaving his family because he could take care of himself and needed an escape from them to find who he truly was. Chris was a very bright and …show more content…

He lived with his mom, dad and little sister in Annandale, Virginia. Chris had a good relationship with his sister. However, Chris’s dad was very abusive to his mother. This made Chris very protective of his younger sister. He also had a soft spot for his mother even though their relationship was complicated. He always found an escape and his main one for awhile was running. Eventually, Chris decided that he needed a longer distance and to leave his family. So, his next big goal was to hitchike to Alaska. “Chris was long gone. Five weeks earlier he’d loaded all his belongings into his little car and headed west without an itinerary. The trip was to be an odyssey in the fullest sense of the word, an epic journey that would change everything.” (22). This quote demonstrates to us that Chris had planned out his trip to an extent but wanted the wild to guide him. This way he could find what he truly needed to find which was himself and …show more content…

He decided to leave on his journey after finishing college. Chris learned many new things on his travels and found happiness. Even though the wild was his sanctuary, Chris had found a home in Carthage, South Dakota. There he had made friends and had become quite close with some of them. They had become a second family. “Hey Guys! This is the last communication you shall receive from me. I now walk out to live amongst the wild. Take care, it was great knowing you. ALEXANDER. (69)”. This quote is what Chris had sent to his friends in Carthridge after he had completed his journey on foot to Fairbanks, Alska, about him going out into the wilderness. Alexander is his fake name that they know him by. It shows that even though he left his own family he had found a new one and kept in contact with them throughout his journey making him less