Analysis Of A Transcendental Lifestyle In Into The Wild, By Jon Krakauer

I believe Chris lived his transcendental lifestyle, in the fullest of his ability. Showing signs at a young age about the negativity of authority, reading books from past heroes, finding himself in isolated locations, are all points that lead up to Chris becoming a transcendental hero. In the book Into The Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris gets inspired by a famous novelist named Alexander Supertramp, who talks about living and being a transcendentalist in various undisclosed areas. Some say Chris can be reckless, and disobedient at times, but really being a transcendentalist requires taking risks for the greater good. Being a transcendentalist means being intuitive, having a spiritual thinking instead of scientific thinking based on material things.
Chris is a young aspiring learner that has what it takes to become a transcendental hero, he's not acting because of being rebellious, but rather because he wants this way of life.
At an adolescent age, Chris has had some form of rebellious behavior with authority. When he was only 2 years old, he decided to take a trip down the block, without any parental guidance, or permission. He was found scrambling in his neighbor's candy jar the next morning. “It is impossible to know what murky convergence of chromosomal matter, parent-child dynamics, and alignment of the cosmos was responsible, but Christopher Johnson McCandless came into the world with unusual gifts and a will not easily deflected from its trajectory” (Chris 74)
Throughout his days as a teenager, going to school was a normal routine, just like anybody else. He loved helping people from the poor, to the ones who can’t perform daily basis tasks. He was an extremely outgoing person, who wanted the best for everyone. He had no plans to go to college after his 4 years in Woodson, which was not the best of news for his parents Walt, and Billie. Walt, a wealthy hard working man, wanted to see his son strive in the real world, but he claims that won’t happen if he does not attend college. “Early in his senior year at Woodson, Chris informed his parents that he had no intention of going to college. When Walt and Billie suggested that he needed a college degree to attain a fulfilling career, Chris answered that careers were demeaning “twentieth-century inventions,” more of a liability than an asset, and that he would do fine without one, thank you”(Chris 79).
With that being said, Chris had already started to grow a bigger hole with their parents not supporting him. He did not want to cause them agony, as he wanted the best for them, but he sees life different that how a normal human being sees it. When Chris obtained his license he drove around a shaggy, yellow old car, which chris surprisingly admired. His father, which at the time was proud of his son’s graduation, offered to buy him a brand new car. Chris, in a low key respectfully manner declined it, and went on a rant about how his car was just fine, and you shouldn't be doing this. “Chris had only recently upbraided Walt and Billie for expressing their desire to buy him a new car as a graduation present and offering to pay for law school if there wasn’t enough money left in his college fund to cover it. He already had a perfectly good car, he insisted: a beloved 1982 Datsun B210, slightly college degree to attain a fulfilling career, Chris answered that careers were demeaning “twentieth-century inventions,” more of a liability than an asset, and that he would do fine without one, thank you”(Chris 79).
With that being said, Chris had already started to grow a bigger hole with their parents not supporting him.
He did not want to cause them agony, as he wanted the best for them, but he sees life different that how a normal human being sees it. When Chris obtained his license he drove around a shaggy, yellow old car, which chris surprisingly admired. His father, which at the time was proud of his son’s graduation, offered to buy him a brand new car. Chris, in a low key respectfully manner declined it, and went on a rant about how his car was just fine, and you shouldn't be doing this. “Chris had only recently upbraided Walt and Billie for expressing their desire to buy him a new car as a graduation present and offering to pay for law school if there wasn’t enough money left in his college fund to cover it. He already had a perfectly good car, he insisted: a beloved 1982 Datsun B210, slightly Having the thought that Walt had a secret family, behind his real wife's back was upsetting. Chris became stronger from this point forward. He did not want to become the man Walt was. Chris wanted to be different, have a new way of life that did not involve any extra possessions. Going forward to when Chris was about to start his Alaskan journey, he prepared for months prior to this. After leaving his family for good, he was not a wander but a worker. He gained knowledge from different places where he worked at, that gave him the skills to endure such a task later on. “here. I have been
working up here in Carthage South Dakota for nearly two weeks now. I arrived up here three days after we parted in Grand Junction, Colorado. I hope that you made it back to Salton City without too many problems. I enjoy working here and things are going well” (Chris 40). Having the skills to determine how to farm, plant, gut animals, was quite the handy when he was in Alaska. Having just few mistakes was extremely normal, but not reckless. He was well, and up for the challenge, which he did almost live through. Spending times by himself, really showed how much he picked off from it. Having not done all these previous commissions, he wouldn't be able to last a day in the Alaskan wilderness.
When Chris decided it was the right time to travel to mexico, we all saw how extremely unprepared he was for this adventure he was about to succumb.
Walking into the desert with little to nothing, living on the verge to starvation with only 10 pounds of rice, was not the smartest move. “For that entire period he subsisted on nothing but five pounds of rice and what marine life he could pull from the sea, an experience that would later convince him he could survive on similarly meager rations in the Alaska bush” (Krakauer 26). Having that said, when Chris entered the shallow depths of the Alaskan wilderness, it seemed he forgot all that happened during his time in Mexico. When he almost died because of not having a map, or even forgetting to bring the right amount of water. Walking into the alaskan burrows with only a few items, not even a map, can be thought out as being extremely reckless. “Chris’s rifle, a pair of binoculars, the fishing rod Ronald Franz had given him, one of the Swiss Army knives Jan Burres had given him, the book of plant lore in which his journal was written, a Minolta camera, and five rolls of film—not much else. The coroner passed some papers across her desk; Sam signed them and passed them back” (Krakauer 90). Rushing his trip, not preparing himself, mentally, and physically, can be seen as reckless stepping foot in the territory. Some might say, he was just running away from his problems in reality. Not facing his family, or even calling them, are
little clues to a bigger story.
Bottom line Chris is an avid enthusiast, was fully aware with what he was getting into when he walked into the wilderness of Alaska. He knew that if he was to fail this journey, that he lived his life to the fullest, and would want people to know this was not out of hate, but dedication. He went into the wilderness with one objective, which he accomplished. He was not mad, nor sad about his future fate, being trapped on Bus 142. He did what he came to do, being prepared in his head, if he acted in a reckless manner, he wouldn't have spent months learning, and leeching off other people, to guide him in the right direction. He never once came out of having a transcendental lifestyle, which in my book, demonstrates character and commitment.