A Selfish Hero In Into The Wild By John Krakuear
“Into the Wild” by John Krakuear is about a young man named Chris McCandless who finished high school in Virginia with outstanding grades, later Chris attend Emory University for about 4 years. In Chris’s senior year, he moved into a small apartment accumulated basic necessities only like water and electricity. The last his parents ever heard from him or seen from him was his college graduation. Shortly after, Chris donated his twenty-five-thousand dollars to an organization that obliterates poverty and starvation around the world (OXFAM). Chris then ditched everything and headed west in his 1985 Datsun. He encountered many people who were very generous and caring and willing to help him. Chris’s parents came with a surprise visit only to come and find a neat pile of letter he left for his parents to read. John Krauker created this book to explain what happened to Chris on his journey and why Chris decided to do such a stupendous thing . This book explains how a young man is against nature and himself, which allows him to truly feel what he is capable of and that he doesn’t need to rely on others, or on society, to survive, and begin true to yourself is the key to happiness in life.
McCandless praises to be self-reliant and does everything in his power to run from the dependence of others meaning not taking help from anyone but himself at any cost. 'McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well.' Into the Wild, 55. So in this quote Chris is thrilled that he did not form a relationship with the people he has come across and who have helped him. In the quote, Chris just left Ron Franz who already wanted to be more than friends with him or someone he just cross paths with. Ron wanted to adopt Chris and make him his grandson. But Chris got slightly mad at that and ignores the harm he has done to the people when he risked his safety and his life.
Another example that Chris doesn't need anyone to survive is, “My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal.” Into the Wild Chap3. Now in this quote it shows how independent Chris is. He wrote a letter to the Westerbergs, justifying he appreciate the money offer, but life's more adventures when you don't know when, where, or how your going to eat and that really challenged McCandless capacity for self-reliance.
“One of his last acts was to take a picture of himself, standing near the bus under the high Alaska sky, one hand holding his final note toward the camera lens, the other raised in a brave, beautiful farewell. His face is horribly emaciated, almost skeletal. But if he pitied himself in those last difficult hours—because he was so young, because he was alone, because his body had betrayed him and his will let him down—it’s not apparent from the photograph. He is smiling in the picture, and there is no mistaking the look in his eyes: Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God” Into the Wild 199. This quote is the final passage of Into the Wild and it really gathers all themes the book has and forms an understanding message to reader. Krakauer complements McCandless for his bravery Into the Wild, rather than criticize him for being selfish and reckless like some people thought. The language that the author uses is simple and understanding, so as the reader the author wants you to remember Chris McCandless as happy. As you can see the author refuses to argues that Mccandless is reckless, irresponsible and selfish when all he's trying to do is to live his life freely and happily alone.
In conclusion, “Into the Wild” I understood Chris McCandless behavior and action because the authors use of language. When I first read the novel I thought of McCandles as an arrogant, irresponsible, selfish person and that's just me reading the summary of the book. But taking an insight in the book really cause me to open my eyes and look at mcCandless differently. One reason begin, he's an independent young man who didn't want to be in society or follow anyone rules but himself. Chris thought following someone else's rules meant you weren't free and by rules I mean the government rules, and his parents rules.
