The Analysis Of The Book "Into The Wild" By Jon Krakauer
Chris Mccandless was born into a well-to-do family from the East Coast. He grew up in a suburb of Washington, D.C. and was successful athletically and academically. He attended Emory University in 1990 and shortly after disappeared into the wilderness. In the book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless sacrifices his exceptional life to find his true love in the wilderness.
In an effort to escape the expectation set by his parents, McCandless eliminates his privileged upper-class lifestyle. After graduating from from Emory University, he changed his name, “to symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name”. McCandless took on the name of Alexander Supertramp further separating himself from his parents. Additionally, he was given money for law school from his parents, “money his parents thought he intended to use for law school…he would shortly donate all the money in his college fund to OXFAM America”.
His choice to escape his parent's plan for him and give away a large sum of money from his parents shows how deep he wanted the disconnect from his family to be. Lastly, his final cut from civilization is abandoning his beloved used yellow Datsun. This car was important to McCandless because he had bought it, traveled the country in it and refused to allow his parents to replace it. He told his parents, “ I have the best car in the world… a car that I am very strongly attached to”(21). He was careful not to accept gifts from his parents to ensure that they don't think they can buy his respect. McCandless sought full emancipation from his parents and through these actions in an effort to pursue a different life.
McCandless was seeking an adventure as he had always truly enjoyed the simplicity of nature. This is where McCandless was most happy and at peace. He spent any time not in school traveling, “he'd been in the habit of taking it on extended solo road trips when classes weren't in session”. McCandless talks with his sister about how he has gone thousands of miles from Miami to Alaska in his car. He prefers the nomadic lifestyle over being at home with his parents.
On his final journey, McCandless shared that he wanted to spend the summer alone and living off the land. One man recalled that Chris, “said he didn't want to see a single person, no airplanes, no sign of civilization. He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, without anybody else's help”. McCandless expresses his need to feel independent by proving to people that he can survive on his own.
McCandless was fed up with society. “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism”. McCandless expressed his hatred towards society. He believed that people focus too much on martial things and didn't focus on possessions that real matter happiness. McCandless’s purpose was to seek out a transformative experience in the wild. His desire for adventure. Chris wanted a a new experience, “My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal”. The thought of being independent is what McCandless was all about.
As expressed, Chris McCandless sacrifices a privileged upper-class lifestyle to find his true love in the wilderness. Some may call Chris crazy, but I admire his actions. While everyone has their faults, I strongly believe that McCandless should be remembered as the person who put their mind to something and did it. He wanted to escape the controlling society he grew up. He wanted to live in a world where there were no secrets. Although he wasn't able to come back from his Alaskan adventure, had he been able to do it all over again, he would've.
