Into the Wild

The Drive of Chris McCandless “Am I better off dead, Am I better off a quitter” (The Script). The meanings behind these lyrics are very powerful and explain Chris’s journey almost perfectly. In Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris’s takes on a challenge that is potentially fatal and he has the courage to continue on with it. Chris’s journey is a series of risks he is willing to take to achieve his goal. He has to make life threatening decisions that he could have backed out on at any given time. Some see Chris as a psycho for embarking on this journey alone and burning or abandoning everything of worth, where as others see Chris as a hero for taking risks and having the courage to separate himself from society to make a point. Chris’s parents push him to finish college and live a successful life. He did not want his parents to tell him what to do and run his whole life so he decided to enter into the wild to live off the land for a while. Chris has an unhealthy relationship with his parents because they carry different values. Chris’s theory on any parents is, “I think he would have been unhappy with any parents; he had trouble with the whole idea of parents” (Krakauer 115). Chris disagrees with his parent’s decisions and values. They stand on different sides of the playing field and do not interact well with each other. Chris “Didn’t get along with his parents too good, I guess” (Krakauer 159). Chris made the decision to divorce them as his parents and enter the wilderness without telling anyone where he was going or when we would return. He adopts a new name, Alexander Supertramp, to prevent anyone from tracking him down. Chris’s parents play a large role in Chris’s decisions and indirectly drive him away from them. Therefore, Chris is not a lunatic because his parents play a big part in why he left to go in the wilderness without telling anyone. Chris’s hatred towards technology also plays a large role in why he is so courageous. He wants to separate himself from all society and live off the land and only the land. He burns all his cash, abandons his car and “He would shortly donate all the money in his college fund to OXFAM America” (Krakauer 20). Chris has good intentions when he decides to travel penniless and with no technology. He wants to experience the whole wilderness experience without any means of communication. He is not an idiot because when he eliminates everything of value he has to live with the anticipation of what is going to happen tomorrow. He is not doing this adventure for fame or money; he is doing it for the truth. He wants to be honest with everyone and he wants everyone to be honest with him. If he has something to say he will say it and whether you agree with it or not that is what he will stand for. Chris is not crazy because he has good intentions in getting rid of all distractions so he can focus on his main goal. Chris was not set out on a journey to get killed because he did prepare himself. Chris “Arrived in lake Mead National Recreation Area on July 6, riding a Emersonian high” (Krakauer 27). He took necessary breaks to ensure his safety and health. He would bathe in creeks and rivers and spend the nights in tents on camp grounds. A big precaution he takes is deciding to use the bus as his base camp. Bus 142 becomes his pride and joy because it provides him with heat, nutrition, shelter and a bed to sleep on. Chris did not eat well while on his journey. He would sometime have to shoot squirrels and roast them over the fire for his food. He also has a bag of rice that quickly vanishes into his stomach. Chris is not a narcissist because he does not die because from his own stupidity. He perishes because of malnutrition which he could not control with the limited food sources. A limited supply of food is available to Chris throughout his journey. He has to either mooch off of other people or kill his own food. The other view of Chris is also put into consideration. I understand why some may think Chris is an idiotic crazy man whose death is his fault and his fault only, but Chris’s values are in line and he knows exactly what he was set out for and he goes out to find it. Some may think he is insane for departing into the wilderness alone but that is what Chris’s dream was. He wants to be alone in the wilderness and live without society or technology. Chris’s death was not his own fault. He has a goal in mind and he set out to reach it. He does not allow anyone to stop him or tell him how to live because he knows exactly what he wants. His parents lead into him going into the wilderness because they do not treat him the way he wants to be treated which drives him away. He wants to eliminate all technology from his life which he achieved by abandoning everything of value. Chris takes safety precautions during his journey and his intentions are not do die but to prove a point. Chris’s death was not only his fault because other factors play into the reasoning behind why he departed on this journey.

Works Cited The Script. "Nothing." Rec. 2010. Mark Sheehan, Danny O 'Donoghue, Andrew Frampton, Steve Kipner, 2010. MP3.
Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor, 2007. Print

Cited: The Script. "Nothing." Rec. 2010. Mark Sheehan, Danny O 'Donoghue, Andrew Frampton, Steve Kipner, 2010. MP3. Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor, 2007. Print