Into the Wild Essay
Cynthia Aguilera
Into the Wild is about Chris McCandless and how he was a man of polarity. He is either insane or brave. John Krakauer stated that “Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; other fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity- and was undeserving of the considerable media attention he received.” I presume that McCandless was both arrogant and passionate for self- discovery. At times, he was with other people and enjoyed their company and he made an impact on their lives, while at the same time he refused the help and advice given to him by the new friends he met along the way.
The people that view Chris as an insane and stupid person often give the arguments that he didn’t bring the most simple and obvious equipment to the wilderness. Someone in their right mind would bring the essentials like a map, compass, hunting gear, strong and well insulated hiking boots. Something so obvious didn’t occur to Chris that he needed them. For example, a quote from Jim Gallian, an electrician who picked up Alex, “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed extremely minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated.” Gallian noticed that he was packing extremely light for a parson was going to ” live off the land” and be successful in surviving. Another example in which Chris was to arrogant was him thinking that he could accomplish the trip to Alaska successfully without dying. Chris’s entire mindset was that he wanted to be an isolationist, he wanted the government to not know his where-about, he just wanted to be alone. He would make friendships with people he would meet on the road, these people offered to help him get new gear, or drive him all the way home but Chris would get close enough to make an impact on them and then disappear. Why would he disappear right up to the point in which he made friends? Why whenever he’d get tired of being alone he would leave the wilderness and comeback to civilization? He had his own form of religion, to live alone and keep his entire life private from other people, his family, and the government but still manage to be remembered by everyone. Chris believed that he could concur the Alaskan terrain with such certainty and arrogance but ultimately lost to nature.
McCandless was in search of nature and self- discovery. He was brave and made it longer in the wilderness than anyone thought he would. A quote found by Reegan, a student in my class, says “DAY 100! MADE IT!” He noted jubilantly on August 5, proud of achieving such a significant milestone, “BUT IN LIFE. WEAKEST CONDITION OF LIFE. DEATH LOOMS AS SERIOUS THREAT. TOO WEAK TO WALK OUT, HAVE LITRALLY BECOME TRAPPED IN THE WILD.” McCandless made it 100 days in Alaska were the conditions were rough and someone with little preparation made it that long time. Chris was a friend to all, especially nature. Chris had a bad childhood and yet he seems to continue going with life. Chris was brave to even attempt such a hard trip. A quote found from Lacey, “I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet scheduled life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to good who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then rest nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor- such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps- what more can the heart of a man desire?” From Chris’s own words I can tell that he has lived his life to the fullest and he is happy with himself and found a home in nature. Chris was a passionate individual who believed religiously in separating himself from civilization.
In his last words, you can tell that he died happy. In his pictures, I can tell that he is proud of his accomplishments. He went in to the wild in search for himself, in search for the meaning of life in his own view. When he found the answer, it was too late for him to leave. Chris is happy with his accomplishments and that’s why he’s so excepting of his death. Chris inspires many people today with his isolationist views, so much, that people visit his memorial site in Alaska by bus 142. Chris was both brave and arrogant thought his short and intense journey.