Why does he prefer to live a transient life disconnected from family, detached from possessions and critical of societal institutions? Why does he seem to reject everything the average person would embrace? What is he really searching for out in Alaska and is it something worth risking his life for?
April 8, 2011
Having Everything yet Wanting Nothing
Chris grew up with advantages other children might not have: married parents, financial stability, a college education and an above average intellectual capacity. However, he rejects, and some might think wastes, those advantages. He cuts off all communication with his family except for his younger sister. He donates and burns his money and the little he makes is used only for necessities to get him to Alaska. He chooses not to go onto law school after graduating and he isolates himself from mainstream society.
Why does he prefer to live a transient life disconnected from family, detached from possessions and critical of societal institutions? Why does he seem to reject everything the average person would embrace? What is he really searching for out in Alaska and is it something worth risking his life for?
"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Why does he prefer to live a transient life disconnected from family, detached from possessions and critical of societal institutions? Why does he seem to reject everything the average person would embrace? What is he really searching for out in Alaska and is it something worth risking his life for?
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While most people enter the United States to pursue the American Dream, Chris McCandless seems to be giving up this opportunity. It is as if he does not appreciate the advantages America offers for him. He completely changes his identity by creating a new alias, Alexander Supertramp, with the mistaken notion that he can conquer anything. Chris has the final say in how he wants to live, yet he chooses a third-world approach to survival; those people do not possess the freedom to make choices and such people do not have the resources available to improve their condition. The bottom line: he is not normal; he is not average; he is not ordinary.
By exiling himself from the “real” world, no one can judge him. Chris does not have to compete for the highest average in school, strive for the best job, or earn the highest paying salary possible. He does not have to feel that someone is always comparing him to another individual or criticizing him. After all, Chris believes that “titles and honors are irrelevant” (20). Chris is solely accountable to himself; he is commander of his own destiny. Perhaps his expedition is a quest to find answers to unanswerable questions; Chris is interested in pursuing a more satisfying life than he currently leads. Yet, can he survive any challenge, or will something or someone prevent him from achieving his goal?
If most people were to abandon normal living, would they relocate to a place as extreme as Alaska? While it can reach 75 degrees in the summer there, winters are brutal and some regions only have 2 hours of daylight each day. The remote location is appealing to Chris: a wild, adventurous place that he never visited before. Chris fully intends to “live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up” (33). The most intriguing part of his idea is that he is willing to risk his life. He is either unaware of the dangers or chooses to disregard the perils that lie outside of society’s boundaries, but he is furtive in his quest.
Many religious sects support the idea of asceticism where “less is best” and true happiness lies in internal harmony, not through tangible, physical achievements. In order to obtain inner peace or nirvana, one must relinquish outer possessions and worldly affairs. When this outer baggage is shed, only then can ones’ innermost light shine through. Chris capsulizes his philosophy, “It is the experiences, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found. God it’s great to be alive” (37). So, in Chris’ opinion, satisfying his soul is well worth losing his life. He’d probably prefer that both ends could be achieved simultaneously, but he has shown that he is willing to sacrifice his life in order to lead a meaningful existence. How’s that for irony?
e.e.butler@comcast.net
I can only imagine what went through Chris McCandless head when he made the decision to throw away all the good matter that was practically being spoon-fed to him off a silver platter. As Liz said, it is as if he does not appreciate the advantages America offers for him. McCandless, otherwise known as Alexander Supertramp was a very intelligent young man of his age who left school, his family and mainstream society for a journey of possible self-discovery. The real life story of Chris McCandless reminds me of a fictional story written by J.D.Salinger: The Cather In The Rye.
Holden Caufield, the protagonist of the novel and antagonist towards his own fictional life is the complete opposite of McCandless. Holden failed out of a handful of schools. He is apathetic towards his future and his personality hints to a possible mental disorder. Holden strongly dislikes the majority of not only mainstream society but society in general, labeling most people as "phonies." His only true care is for the young people - the new generation of children, such as his younger sister Phoebe. Holden himself wants to hold on to his own innocence he acquired as a child and preserve the innocence that lays within kids.
What ties together Holden and Chris is their turn to a reclusive type life. Both boys set off an a journey of self-discovery of which could also be an excuse to find a separate peace from the "phonies" and complications of the world. Also, Holden thinks about his younger sister from time to time and visits her in the novel. McCandless does something similar. He does not write to his parents but keeps up an effort to write to his younger sister. McCandless might have the same mindset as Holden - despite the fact that Chris did not face major hardships in his life (as far as I know), his level of intelligence might have brought him to realize that the world is indeed full of phonies and his younger sister is the only one worth his time.
Chris rejected the opportunities some of us can only dream of having. He had law school in his future which would obviously lead to a successful career. He had tons of money and his parents even offered to pay for law school and a new car. Chris set out for Alaska as Alexander Supertramp to re-invent himself by discovering a more simple life that he never got the chance to live.
Some might think that Chris is stupid, or just ungrateful, I think he is neither of those things. While Chris did come from married parents, wealth, and intelligence, he found there was more to life that those things. Or rather he wanted to find out if there was more to life than what he had always had, and knew. He had everything handed to him in life, and most people would take advantage of that, not throw it away. Chris must have had a great reason for wanting to throw away everything he had, everything he worked so hard to achieve in life.
I think the main reason why Chris decides to throw away his whole life, and start over and in a new way is to find answers. People generally make huge changes in their life because they have realized they need to change, or feel they could do something better, or more worthwhile in life. Chris is a very honest, and unique guy. He had been raised with everything, but a lot of times that isn’t enough. I’m not trying to say he was greedy, he was the opposite if anything of that. Although a lot of the time, people raised with everything realize that’s not how they want to live their life, they don’t want everything handed to them, they want to work for it, as Chris did. Chris could have easily used some of his money to get to Alaska and not starved to death, or even not get a job when he had more than enough to buy the essentials he needed to live in the wilderness. His main reason for doing this drastic thing of rejecting society is to find himself, and some answers.
He rejects everything most people would embrace because he isn’t most people. He’s so much more. Most people raised how he was would probably take full use of the money, and intelligence he had to offer the world. But Chris was different. He wanted to change his life, and he did just that. He even gave himself a new name for his new self, Alexander Supertramp. He travels all the way to Alaska without money, and almost no food, and very few belongings. Most people who even attempt to do what he did wouldn’t have lasted nearly as far as he did. He worked and hitchhiked rides all the way to his destination; the wilderness of Alaska.
To Chris this search he is on is definitely worthwhile, and worth risking his life, and everything he and he family have worked so hard to achieve in life.
I like what Ashley says that Chris went to Alaska to find the life that he never got to live. That is so true, and most likely the main reason for his whole adventure, and life changing event he went on.
raech629@verizon.net
Most people would think that what Chris is doing is rather silly. They would ask “Why in the world would you want to give a perfect life, for a rather rash and difficult one out in the wild?” I would say that Chris is just curious of life without luxury. At the beginning of "Into the Wild", the reader will notice that Chris seems annoyed with his parents' ability to give him awesome items that any college freshman would die for. Chris did not want his parents to “Buy his respect.” This may have very well contributed as to why he disconnected with his parents all together. He was close to his younger sister, which explains why he is still connected to her and all the other people he has met in his journey. Then a person might say “So why not be bothered with society and its rules and regulations” Chris is a hard worker and maybe, just maybe he wanted to work hard with no one telling him how to work. Society says “Work in school and then work a job” Maybe Chris wanted to explore himself through freedom to work where and how he pleases. Chris is a curious boy, that we can tell.
Chris wants to be free of expectations. He does not want to just be like the average rich kid who gets everything that he wants. Chris is rich, but he is not spoiled. He wants to work for things in life. But he might have taken it to the extreme by going into the wild to work for everything in life, Down to food and shelter. Because He wanted to strive by himself for so long in life, he finally saw a good chance to do so in life by moving away from his parents and society. To do things in his life, his way. But Alaska is all too dangerous and extreme for living by himself in the wilderness. Chris took it too far; He should have just gone to Canada where there isn’t always danger on your front door step.
I have read Charolette throwing around some good ideas which appear to be the most closely related to my own. Charolette believes that Chris McCandless went off on a quest to avoid authority. To be truely free and all the typical teenage ranting. However, I do not believe this to be the actual case. We see Chris talk about contempt for society's authority to the truck driver in Alaska, but in a log Chris wrote before that does not totally support this conviction. In an earlier log which was written just to himself with no outside factors he said that he HAD TO LEAVE TOWN. It was not that he would not stand society; it was that he could not stand society.
This tells us a great deal about what Chris was thinking. That talk earlier mentioned about screwing authority was just to look tough in front of a stranger, but this was not the cause of Chris's new life style. Chris had it all: good family with connections, good grades, good friends, and a good future. All these things which society had to offer was not making Chris happy though so he threw it away. He came to a revelation that he could not stand a life with society so he killed his old life. With it Alex was able to find a misguided happiness that he was free was society and all it's "advantages," but always had to return to it at some point to regain his strength. It is also interesting to note that Alex had to go from one extreme to the next to satisfy his feeling of being separate from society while leading a filling life. An example is going from the hot deserts of Mexico to the chilled wastelands of Alaska. Alex and Chris are both fools because they failed to realize that they must serve his community for the over all improvement in what ways he can help. Their lack of vision led to a more or less expected end.
Email: nicocoup@msn.com
I feel that Chris finds there is more to life than what others may perceive. While most people would jump at the kind of opportunities, and gifts Chris gains he almost overlooks them. He finds there is more to life then the fancier things. He feels all he needs is the simple things to survive. He also seems like a very sentimental person. For instance when his parents offer him a new car to replace his old used car with over 100,000 miles on he refuses insisting that his car is all he wants and needs. I don't know anybody who wouldn't accept a new car for free. I feel that Chris is trying to live life to the fullest as Rachel said. He doesn't want everything handed to him he wants to work for everything he gets, and live life fully. He wants to make it through obstacles that most people can only dream of. Some may call Chris stupid, but I think he is dreamer. He has dreams to live life in a way thats not usual, but worth living.
Chris is searching for peace within himself t know that he has complete his ife to the fullest. Finding peace within yourself is one of the most important things to accomplish in life, so yes it is worth killing yourself. If Chris didn't follow his heart to live how he felt he wanted to, he wouldn't be at peace with himself, and if he isn't at peace with himself he might as well be dead.
Like Lizzy said, people from all over the world have the thought of American being "the land of opportunities". It is a rather accurate vision of America because looking back that is why my parents migrated here when they could; so me and my brother could have a better life with more opportunities. So why would Chris give up all the advantages he has to go live in the wilderness of Alaska? In the beginnning of "Into the Wild" it states that Chris was brought up in a wealthy family, so he was spoiled by his parents. But this does not mean he wanted these items. Instead I agree with Charlotte when she says that they were in a way trying to by his respect. Chris always liked to work for his earnings so this may be the reason for why he cut his parents off completely. If he was going to go through with this plan, he will need cut off the main resource, which in this case is his parents. For example, if a crack addict is wanting to sober up, he/she will need to cut off any communication with the crack suppliers inorder to accomplish his/her goal.
Since he is the type of person to work for everything he earns and not be given to him on a "silver plate", all throughout the book he earns his own money to survive in the town he is in for the moment. Once he is starting to move along, he burns all the money he earned in that town and continues until he gets to his next stop. Chris seems to give help, but he rejects the help other people are trying to offer him. He works for everything he does and does not like to take what other people give him, unless he works for it.
I agree with what Ashley Roxas said. She states that Chris went on a search for a life he never got a chance to experience. He was always living a life of luxury due to his parents, but the life he truly wanted was the wildlife. He might have felt trapped in a completely different world, a world he was forced to live. Once he finally decided to live his own life he dropped everything he used to have and start off in a different direction by working for everything he earns. This to me, is something worth risking his life for. Everyone should have a chance to live life the way they desire whether it is living in the wilderness or on the streets of New York. Noone should be told they way they should live, but if someone is forced to live a curtain way, that person will never get a chance to really experience life they way they want to. Like the rapper Drake says " everyone dies, but not everyone lives"
ecanancy@hotmail.com
Why would anyone give up everything? Money, a stable family and home, intellect...all things that one is lucky to have. Chris McCandless gave up everything. He left his family, donated all of his money, and abandoned his lifestyle for something new. He changed his name to Alex Supertramp to ensure his recreation as a new person. Despite the fact it is not his legal name, I will refer to him as Alex because I believe it is who he really was.
Alex's previous life (the one he lived as Chris) was a simple life. Everything he needed, he could purchase if it wasn't already available to him. If he wanted something, he would get it. He was at odds with his parents. He found this life unsatisfactory because nothing was a challenge. He had never known how to work for a meal and he had never seen the beauty supplied by nature.
Alex, however, had achieved these things and for that he had achieved a happiness he would never have previously known. As when we finish a huge project or beat a really difficult video game, there's a sense of accomplishment in surviving on his own and working for his meals. It is as though he's proven something to himself, however, Alex could not be fully satisfied.
I believe he was searching for further accomplishment in Alaska. Alex wanted to prove to none other than himself that he could survive in the worst possible conditions and still come out that much stronger. It would be only after this has been proven, that Alex could settle down.
Chris reminds me of the type of person who hates everything that is mainstream. Chris seems to loathe the thought of settling down in a nice house with a loving family and a steady job. That just seems too normal for him. Some might refer to him as a hippie. One must remember however that the majority of hippies suffered or died of drug overdoses or HIV/AIDS. I like some non-mainstream music, but I personlly love most mainstream music. I don't understand why some people despise everything mainstream. Mainstream is mainstream because a lot of people like it, because it is good, so why hate it? Chris wants to get out of the rut of everyday life. He wants to go out and travel and live life. I understand that, for I have the same ambition, but I think it would be a million times easier for him if he had the money and resources to do it. Another misconception by many people is that you need to be poor to reach enlightenment and whatnot. Money doesn't buy happiness, but having enough money to live comfortably sure doesn't hurt either. I don't think Chris is a hundred percent alright in the head, for he has taken my ambition, amplified it by a hundred, and gotten rid of all money and resources to aid him. He seems to be searching for happiness and contentment, but I don't think he should risk your life for it because there are far more ways to achieve satisfaction in life.
As I have written before in my homework assignment, Chris is very unappreciative and takes for granted the endless amounts of opportunities that he has just because he is an average American. Many people living the United States are poor – whereas he comes from an upper middle classed family. He can have anything he wants and can probably buy himself out of trouble. He seems to be irresponsible and runs away from the problems that he finds himself in. Like Ashley Roxas said, “I can only imagine what went through Chris McCandless head when he made the decision to throw away all the good matter that was practically being spoon-fed to him off a silver platter.” Was he mad, unsatisfied with his life, disappointed, annoyed, or just plain miserable? No one – not even his parents – can explains why he decides to leave society. As stated by the many Depalo Bloggers, he seems ungrateful for what he had and what he could have had. Without fully analyzing Chris’ thoughts and actions, one may feel that he is just one of those useless people in the world.
Honestly speaking, there is NO reason why someone of Chris’ caliber should decide to up and leave society for the woods. What in the world?!There are many maybes while thinking about this life ending decision. The only maybe that may be true is: Chris was probably tired of having everything handed to him. In the novel, the author mentions the fact that Chris’ father was an eminent aerospace engineer for NASA. He also mentions that Chris’ mother wanted to buy him a new car, even though the old one was perfectly fine. Chris turned that offer down because he was comfortable with the car that he had already possessed. As Lizzy states, Chris gets everything he needs and wants – no questions asked. But maybe he was actually tired of everything being handed to him. While Chris was in his voyage to Alaska, he burned his money and abandoned his car. It seems as if he wanted to experience the hard life – the struggles of many American people. Although it seems crazy, maybe he actually appreciated and was grateful for the life that he was living with his parents and his sister.
Honestly speaking, many people do NOT leave their comfortable lives to place themselves in another man’s shoes. Chris experiences heartaches and the enjoyment of nature itself. Maybe in some way, Chris’ life-altering decision was a blessing...
Chris decides to leave back all his possesions because he wants to become one with nature. He felt like it was his duty to give back to the world what he had gained so by doing so he cut off all ties to his family and also burns all his remaining money. He decides to reject everything that seems normal because he wants to feel the way the animals do and become one himself. What he really wants with his life is to become more of a human being. He feels obligated to become a better man by doing a ridiculous stunt such as burning all his money and hitchiking to Alaska.
Chris simply leaves behind everything he had going for him, because he was tired of the usual. He was living what many would call "the American dream". He had a wonderful loving family, a high end education, and money, what more could anyone ask for? Well it seems to me with Chris he did not want to live such a typical storied American lifestyle. He is the type of person who has a uniqueness in the way he visualizes the world around him and even life in general much like Tiffany said. Chris starts over, changing his name to Alex Supertramp. This to me alone shows the uniqueness of Chris's new found lifestyle. If you really think about it long and hard we have all had that moment where we think "I wish that I could just start my life again from the beginning". Well Chris is putting that into action he does not take anything for granted and he proves to everyone that money does not bring happiness. He goes on a journey to find himself, who he truly is not this person he has acted as his entire life. He wants to find the true root to the meaning of life, to find how happiness is possible no matter what situation you are in. Overall Chris (or better now known as Alex Supertramp), is a young man who is wise beyond his years. His journey and destiny to find himself, and the true meaning of life teaches others he meets along the way. We should all carry a little bit of Alex Supertamp in us and look at life from a different perspective than we usually do.
Why does he prefer to live a transient life disconnected from family, detached from possessions and critical of societal institutions? Why does he seem to reject everything the average person would embrace? What is he really searching for out in Alaska and is it something worth risking his life for?
It is abnormal for a person, like Chris, to abandon society, and go to Alaska. He undoubtedly has a mental disorder where it causes him to think that he has to live by himself. There are a lot of people who like to do work alone. There are many students in school who rather work by himself or herself, instead of working in a group. Some people believe, “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” Sometimes this is true, because you cannot always depend on someone else to do something for you.
Chris not only decides to live by himself but tried to live as simple as possible, with only a backpack on his back. He does this because it is easy. Having a lot of stuff is a lot of responsibility. Now he does not have to take care of a lot of things. He lives in other people’s houses, and he does not have any responsibility. He is living an easy and carefree life.
He tries not to keep any long-term friends. Everybody he talks to he does not give a chance to remember him or have them see each other again. Westerberg is an exception, Chris does contact him again. He also probably has a social disorder, like how the McDonald Vice President said; he was missing some nuts and bolts.
He rejects his college education, money, car, family, society, friends and most of all himself. He leaves that all behind to live by himself in the west or like how Elizabeth says, or like a third world. He rejects all of it because it is unnecessary. Chris wanted to start over, make his life anew, like how Rachel said, throw away his life and start a new one. A lot of people starts over, people that get out of jail after 30 years, people who become religious and people who finally realize that their life was bad. They all throw their life away and start over.
Chris is searching for what the true meaning of life is. He is trying to figure out what it means though a peaceful environment. Even though there are very few people in the world who really know what the true meaning of life, Chris strives to become one. What Chris really finds is happiness. He finds that he could take care of himself. He finds that life is a piece of cake until he gets to Alaska.
joepedo@ymail.com
Everyone would expect the average human being to appreciate what they are given at birth, especially if it is above what the ordinary family is given. His family appreciates everything that he does and supports him every step of the way. They have a lot of money to give and are willing to hand over all that he needs, yet he is not satisfied. I feel that he may decide to ignore his wealthy family because in an unstable economy people may happen to look down upon those that are more fortunate. Chris also seems that he wanted to go out to where no one had spent time to explore in the wilderness. Like Julian says he was living the "American Dream" but that was far too typical for Chris McCandless. Everything that was being handed him made Chris's life far too easy and he did not have to work for anything given to him which posed a problem. This was because Chris thought having just enough money, food, and no one to worry about him was a far easier life style.
While he spent his time out in Alaska there was little for him to eat and hardly anyone to help if he were injured or in desperate need of intensive care. His run in with the elements taught him how to care for himself in the cases. It seems that he was searching for himself. All of his live he was given the little and big things in life, but that did not matter to him. His journey through Alaska was to find his emotions and to see if it was humanly possible for him to make a life out in the wilderness for himself. I do not think that it was worth risking his life because he could have just told his family that he wanted to make money for himself and how he wanted to make his own life and not live out of the palms of their hands. He took the hard way and in the end his life was taken.
syd1194@aol.com
People tend to question why Chris abandoned his family and left everything behind. He grew up with two wealthy parents and was given the opportunity to receive the education he needed in order to succeed in life. Chris decided to give up his college money and donate it to the OXFAM organization for poor people and his parents even offered to buy him a brand new car. Now you may wonder why a man who was given everything in life would deny every opportunity. I believe he denied everything to explore the natural inhabitants in the world. Chris looked at the world differently than others because he saw the natural beauty within it. He was a lot more appreciative of life and probably believed there is more to it than just materialistic items and jobs everyone is fighting for. I also think Chris believed that society creates a person. Society influences people to become good or evil and he just wanted to be him self. So in order for him to be himself instead of someone he is not, he had to leave society behind.
Efe stated there is no reason why someone should give up society to live in the woods but the only possible reason why he left society was because he was tired of having everything handed down to him. I disagree with part of this statement because I believe everyone does have a reason for taking actions. Whether it is for taking bad or good actions; there is a reason behind everything. I do agree that Chris could have been tired of getting everything handed down to him. This is because a person can receive everything from a new car or even acceptance into a sorority but it truly does not make them happy. Happiness cannot be brought and therefore Chris was probably never truly happy with his lifestyle. Leaving society allowed him to search for what truly makes him happy in life. He had the average lifestyle and apparently that was not good enough for him. Therefore he takes his journey to explore the world to see what is out there.
biancasanabria13@hotmail.com
Many people would love to have several advantages that Chris McCandless grew up with. His parents are still married. His family has money and was able to get McCandless to go to college and receive an education. I don't know why anyone would want to cut all of that off from their life especially when you have everything you need and want. I think that McCandless wanted to live a transient lifestyle because he was so used to having everything. I feel like he was sick of what his life offered to him for not doing anything himself to earn it.
Throughout Into the Wild, he always rejects what others have to offer him. For example, Jan Burres was offering him clothing for the outdoors and swiss army knives. She thought it would really help him out and hopefully McCandless would use it to his advantages. He did accept it to shut her up, but then afterwards he did leave it in the car when she wasn't looking. Chris McCandless is rejecting everything that he is being offered to see what life is like without all the necessities an average human being needs. Basically I'm agreeing with what Ashley said on why he is rejecting what is being offered. I'm not really sure what McCandless can possibly be searching for other than viewing a different lifestyle. I feel like he wants to be felt out of place and outside of society. I think it depends on the person for seeing if what McCandless is doing is something work risking his life. Some think it is a once in a life time opportunity and others may think it's stupid. I personally find it not work the risk. He has everything he has in life, why waste it?
Chris McCandless gives up nearly everything he owns only to live a life of complete mystery. Most people who have the potential to do great things and live a great life tend to contribute to society. In Chris’s case he does not want to contribute but instead isolate himself from the rest of the world. Maybe he feels that he is not good enough for society and instead wants to create his own. One where he can do whatever he wants. It makes very little sense as to why someone with many accomplishments in life would just through it away. Clearly there must be a logical explanation as to why he is deciding to literally “throw his life away”. Perhaps he is simply trying to find freedom, freedom from rules and humanity. It is a risky decision but if it benefits Chris than so be it. I think he is looking to be free from society and all rules and make his own along the way. He may not be very successful at first if not at all but at least he follows his dreams and doesn’t let others/reality push him around. As crazy as he may be, he has pride and confidence in what he is doing with his life and you have to respect him for that.
In our world there are way more spoiled people who take advantage of what their life gives them than people who want to give up everything to become a hobo. Chris McCandless was one of those select few who chose the latter lifestyle. It is a respectable decision for Chris to take because he felt that the mainstream lifestyle wasn't for him, but, personally, I wouldn't give up everything he had to go freeze in Alaska.
It is very evident that his family loved him very much. They hired a private dectective after they didn't hear from him for a while and found his beloved car abandoned. Unfortunately, this dectective sucked and couldn't even find Chris when he got a job where he actually gave them his real information. Chris decided to leave his family probably because he realized that people can be corrupt and a majority of America is. He wanted to create his own world somewhere where this corruption couldn't effect him, which is living the way he wants to, on the streets.
He was searching for a new world basically that isn't shady and corrupt. He sees nature's real beauty which most Americans in particular don't see. He saw nature as his new abode to create his own perfect world where he wouldn't have to deal with any crap from anyone and create for himself a completely new identity.
After civilization started, way back who knows when, people were naturally susceptible to corruption and shady dealings. So I think it is not worth risking his life for and he shouldn't have went about this the way that he did. It was an extreme way of expressing his feelings.
kristie.varghese@gmail.com
I agree 100% with Emma in that Chris left everything he had to accomplish something even bigger than graduating college. Just being a well-educated, upper-class citizen was not enough for Chris but I don't mean in terms of pride. I don't think that Chris used the experience to prove to anyone that he is stronger than him/her or that he can survive and therefore he is smarter. I believe that Chris was trying to find himself when he went out into the Alaskan wilderness. He did not want to be associated with any of the money or opportunities that he may have felt were given to him, instead of earned my him. As Emma was saying before, everyone loves the feeling that they have accomplished something through hard work and perseverance. Earning something gives a person a sense of pride that just plain receiving something can never do. In a way I do agree with some classmates when they say that Chris wanted to start a new life but not because he wanted new experiences or anything of that sort. He needed the chance to prove to himself that as person he could be self-dependent and be able to live without the money, education, and societal institutions.
I am not sure if his journey was risking his life for but unlike Sydney, I do not think that he could have accomplished his goal by just telling his family he wanted to make money on his own. He needed to leave everything he knew and was accustomed to behind in order to find himself as a person, uninfluenced by society.
Most people in this world want what Chris McCandless grew up with. He was set for life at birth, he would have a worry free life. Chris made the choice to cut off all ties to his family to find himself in Alaska. I for one no that when someone isnt happy with the environment they live in they have to change it. Chris had his mind set on changing his life, he wasnt happy with money and materialistic things. In a weird way I understand Chris, he needed to do what was best for himself. Even though his life ended tragically, it is better to die a man searching for happiness than a man who is unhappy. Chris was searching for what he felt he needed to make his life what he wanted, this was something he parents could not give him.
I think Chris rejects everything that the average man wants because he is not an average man. Chris is the type of man who is not impressed by flashy materialistic items. Chris is the type of man who will risk everything he has ever lived for to find what he wants. I think chris is a very admirable man, and I think everyone should question whether or not that are happy with what they have.
Chris grew up with a stable, comfortable life that some people would literally "kill" to have. The question is why throw it all away? Seeming as only Chris knows his individual answer I can only infer. We as people grow up being told what we should "want" out of life. Take for example a girl's childhood which is centered on fairytales which portray a beautiful princess getting rescued by a prince and living happily ever after. As a result the girls grow up seeking beauty, and love for it her "learned" understanding of what will bring happiness. In the world today some people will do anything for beauty even if it means harming themselves. Take for example people getting plastic surgery to alter the way the look because they think it will make them look “better according to society’s depiction”. Society often puts corrupt images of what will make "you" happy. Going back to the fairytale example where society promotes being beautiful=happiness, and women need men to "rescue" them. I think that Chris recognized this flaw and therefore decides to disown anything that he was brought up to believe will make him happy. I think that is searching for the true meaning to HIS life. I agree with Sydney where she says he is tired of living out of the palms of others. He needs to validate his own self even if his way is scorned upon. I think that it is dense for people to call him "stupid”. How can someone else say what will make another individual happy? I often find that as I continue to read this book that Chris has discovered something remarkable that other cannot see or will not allow them to see. I would have to say that I do believe that his choice is worth risking his life for. Life is too short just to play it safe all the time.
Many people do not understand the story of Chris Mccandles. The decisions he makes are confusing at first. After what I have read in the book "Into the Wild" Chris' decisions are more clear. He abandons what a lot of people would call a good life. He had many opportunities and he literally threw them away.
Chris left his parents because he did not like them at all. He wrote in his journal that they only loved him conditionally. He wanted to get away from that. He left his parents without saying good bye. He did all this so that he could live out his dream. He prefers the transient life style because it is exciting to him. He believes that this is the way people are meant to live. He rejects people who try to help him because he thinks its cheating. When he goes out to Alaska, he believes he is going to find what life is really about. Tramping around the country is what he believes life should be like and the lifestyles that the majority of people live is ignorant.
Chris McCandles pretty much had a perfect life. He had loving parents, money, and on top of it all he was quite intellectual. And yet he throws all of that away for very perplexing reasons. Chris put his materialistic things behind him in order to, in a way, find himself. Going to Alaska and isolating himself is what would make him happy. I agree with Olivia in the sense that it is Chris' life, and he should do what makes him happy. I belive McCandles separates himself physically in order to be "free" or "pure" in a mental or spiritual sense. This is what pleases him, and he should be able to live his life which every way he pleases.
Chris would rather live a simple life without all of the material things because he believes that life is better without all of the material things that make us crazy. He rejects everything the average person would embrace because he is not a materialistic person, and he even gets angry at his parents when they want to buy him a car and pay for his college. He is not un-greatful for what he has or doesn't have and he does with what he has. He doesn't need all of the extra things that normal people say they need but really want, instead he would rather live life ordinarily with the simplest things just to get by and live life as a happy man. I agree with Abijah in that Chris goes out to Alaska to find the true meaning of life and how it should be lived the right way. He doesn't want help from anyone else, he just wants to live his life by means of getting by day by day as simply as possible. He thought his parents were only loving him conditionally and he wanted to break away from that. He was one of the people that got excited when it came to surviving in the wilderness. It's his own belief and he stuck to it until the day he died.
Grlzluvemplaya1@aim.com
I'm sorry my response was a minute late but I got back from work really late tonight and I immediately ran to the computer to complete my blog.
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