Reasons For Chris Mccandless Walking Into The Wild

The Motives Behind Chris McCandless

Chris McCandless was a young, smart, and courageous man who seemed to have everything he could have ever asked for. Even though everything seemed to be going in the right direction for McCandless, there was always something inside him that was never really quite right. Some people would argue and say that the reason he walked into the wild was because he was just some reckless, young kid looking for attention, but I believe a very different story. I believe the reason Chris McCandless walked into the wild is because of his troubled childhood and disapproval with modern society. I believe this to be true because Chris was always led to believe his whole life that he was the reason his mother was so unhappy,
These are just a few examples of some of the reasons that might have been the motives behind Chris McCandless walking into the wild.
Before Chris McCandless ever thought about leaving society to live in the wild as a free man, he lived what seemed to be a very prosperous childhood. His family was very rich so they were always able to go on all these fancy vacations and travel wherever they wanted without a single worry in the world. Even though they had all these material things, life was just not normal for Chris and his siblings. Chris’s father Walt was living a double life. In the documentary Return to the Wild a sister of Chris states “he would be there for a few weeks, then he would be gone.” Chris’s father would split time between his two families and this would obviously have no good effect on the children. Walt was also a very abusive man towards the two women in his life. According to the Return to the Wild documentary Chris’s father would slap, choke, and kick their mother. All of this would happen while the children were watching. One of his siblings states their mother would say “Kids, kids! Come look at what your father is doing to me!” (Return to the Wild documentary). So, the kids were basically
He had always been a bit different in the way he thought and that was hard for people to understand. For example, his parents tried to give him a new car in college but he simply did not want it. According to his mother Billie she states “We wanted him to have a new car and he didn’t want it” (Return to the Wild documentary). His parents felt quite insulted by this act, but Chris found no need for a new car when he had already bought his own car that he loved. I do not believe this was an act of disrespect towards his parents but a way to show how he wanted to live his life simply. He wanted to show people that he did not need all those extra things most people would consider necessary in today's society. Chris was also able to find a job working at McDonald’s while on his adventure. According to his manager he was very reliable and showed up to work everyday. Even though he was always there she claims “It was like he was off in his own universe” (Krakauer 40). I believe she says this because Chris was never truly interested in living the typical “college student” life working at a fast food restaurant for a couple of bucks so he could pay off school loans he did not really care about. He found more comfort in the thought of living only with what he truly needed to survive. These are just some more reasons on why I know Chris McCandless did not