Who Is Chris Mccandless's Identity In Into The Wild

Into the Wild
Chris McCandless ventured on a grand journey that would change everything and transform his life. He grew up in a hostile environment where his choices were not his own. His parent's violence toward each other began to affect his world views at a very young age. This lead to Chris having high standards for himself and to embark on a journey to find peace and serenity in the wilderness. Radical adventurer seeking enlightenment through traveling motivated by the authors he admired and government corruption.
Chris did what was expected of him and went to college. During his time in college Chris was haunted by his parent's past, caused him to lose his identity. Everything he knew became false. He no longer
fits in society. His world view and hatred for society became his drive for the ultimate test to find freedom. After he graduated with honors he had a determination to go off grid for an extended amount of time. He cleverly disappeared from his family without a trace. Leaving behind possessions, burning money and throwing away societies identification, he embarked with a new identity. Alexander Supertramp.
On his hiatus, he meets people along the way that cared for him. They offered him jobs, money, a place to stay and their belongings. Chris believed in taking only what he needed and nothing more. So often when people would offer a helping hand to Chris he would decline because he simply could do without, this puzzled them greatly.
During his time as a leather tramp he started to train his body for the grand adventure in Alaska. A challenge that would be so difficult, after it was accomplished his life would be alright. Achieving core survival, and core independence, he would finally be able to know what he is capable of. Chris writes a declaration of independence,
TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH. NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES. ULTIMATE FREEDOM. AN EXTREMIST. AN AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS THE ROAD. ESCAPED FROM ATLANTA. THOU SHALT NOT RETURN, 'CAUSE "THE WEST IS THE BEST." AND NOW AFTER TWO RAMBLING YEARS COMES THE FINAL AND GREATEST ADVENTURE. THE CLIMACTIC BATTLE TO KILL THE FALSE BEING WITHIN AND VICTORIOUSLY CONCLUDE THE SPIRITUAL REVOLUTION. TEN DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FREIGHT TRAINS AND HITCHHIKING BRING HIM TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH. NO LONGER TO BE POISONED BY CIVILIZATION HE FLEES, AND WALKS UPON THE LAND TO BECOME LOST IN THE WILD.
-Alexander Supertramp(Into the Wild)
Running from the false in order to find the truth. He achieved total isolation from society that would no longer infringe on who he would become.
Chris walked into the bush of Alaska with a 10 pound bag of rice, no map, no watch and an intense wanderlust. Krakauer writes,
McCandless came into the country with insufficient provisions, and he lacked certain pieces of equipment deemed essentials by many Alaskans: a map and compass, an ax.
This has been regarded as evidence not just of stupidity but of the even greater sin of arrogance. (Into the Wild, 180)
He did not want to know what time it was or what day it was. He was extremely unprepared to survive in the bush, but managed for a few months. He lived off the land by shooting small animals and hunting wild game. I believe he did not want the influence of society to follow him into the wild. He did not want to be told that he needed an overabundance of supplies, he wanted to go to the extreme and be minimalist.
During his time of hunting, he managed to kill a moose. The moose had to have weighed about 600 pounds. He was filled with joy and excitement and soon was on a frantic race to prepare the meat. He knew that an animal so large offering him an abundance of meat none of it could go to waste. He was unprepared to with the supplies on hand to butcher and smoke the meat, and soon flies took over destroying everything he worked for. Chris remarks that this is one of the greatest tragedies of his life. I believe he felt so guilty for killing the moose because it was insignificant and
unnecessary.
The moose kill changed Chris greatly. Something in his spirit began to change his mindset. Almost as if the false being inside was dead. He started preparations to journey home and share his happiness with others. This is where a greater tragedy took place and he was trapped in the wilderness. I find this ironic that he was once trapped in society and now he was trapped in nature.
Chris was young man with a troubled past wanting to find his own way in the world. Jessica Robbins writes,
In my opinion, people today are petrified of everything that surrounds them, as well as the thoughts that veer us away from society’s standards. We as people are told what is good for us, what is bad for us, what smart decisions are, what awful decisions are, and what we should do with our lives. Generally, we conform ourselves to what society wants and expects us to be. (Robbins)
Chris broke free from the influences of society, and even the influences of the people he meets along his journey. Chris was a stubborn young man that was on a journey to find freedom from society. He did not want any influence other than the influential authors and what he deemed fit for his life. Often Chris is portrayed of not getting attached to others and leaving selfishly without a trace. I believe because he wanted his journey to be just about him, and the great discovery that was going to take place. Something he could tell his children about in later years. I don't believe he would have been a leather tramp for very long. It is a sad reality that he was trapped in the wild and his life was ended too soon.