Imagine spending many of your young adult years alone in the wild, not connected to anyone and having not spoken to your family in years. Chris McCandless was a young man who set about his life in the only way he believed was right. He was an extremist idealist. McCandless believed life was spent best alone with nature and he took these beliefs to the extreme. Chris McCandless wanted to get the most out of every situation and never doubted himself and his abilities, which is what led him to be such an extremist. Most people, when longing for adventure, would simply spend a few days or weeks away traveling or camping. Not Chris- he had to take everything to the extreme. From being a top cross country athlete to performing exceptionally well in a challenging college to spending years alone …show more content…
He was a strong believer in being alone and finding yourself through nature. This is evident in all of the books he carried with him- Thoreau and Jack London style books. The young man took the ideas in these books and lived them. Chris has a version of himself in his mind, as a man who is connected with the wild. It is easily seen in the book that he tried to be as close with nature as possible. Readers can also easily tell that he is happiest when he is out alone in nature- he nevers tries to get very close with someone and never stays in one place for a very long time. He sees the value in being solitary. Another ideal of his he tried to live to the fullest was taking advantage of humans need and spirit for adventure. As soon a Chris was able, right after high school graduation, he went on a classic American adventure- a cross country road trip. The idea of a tough trip did not scare him away, he longed for it. This desire for adventure and also to be alone was what made Chris such an interesting person but was also his downfall in