Reviewing christopher mccandless' state of mind

Bewildered McCandless

In the novel, Into The Wild, Christopher McCandless (Alexander Supertramp), was a boy that was lost in life and wanted to find his inner peace. Throughout the study of Chris, it is apparent to the audience that Chris wanted his personal story to be well known. Why would one go through the trouble of traveling to Alaska and starving to death just for themselves? If he didn’t want his life story to be published then he would have just kept it to himself. Instead he documented every part of his “ adventure” and made it clear that he should get credit in this and be know for the struggles Chis put himself through. There are plenty of people that go off the grid and live off whatever they can scavenge up like nomads. The only difference is these are true bloodborne survivors. Chris McCandless was an attention driven, anti aristocracy man that wanted to get out of life easy way. Chris was rebellious against the modern day cycle of living. He was a spontaneous guy that wanted to feel a change. He was sick of the materialistic version of today’s society. Chris was an outsider he felt what it was like to live. He knew that this life isn’t guaranteed and that making the most out of it is the best decision. He saw through a dark window and made his own life with his own rules. Chris was fed up with the materialistic, money driven society that our school systems, government, parents, and the rest of us all fiend for. We are programmed by nature to go out and explore, but instead the innovation factor with technology has gotten out of hand and only a hand full of people realize it. Chris was one of them. “ You could tell right away that Alex was intelligent,” “ He read a lot. Used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him in trouble was that he did too much thinking. Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world.”(Krakauer 18).

Chris’s parents were part of the choices Chris made in his life. They were constantly pushing him to succeed and get started with a life of wealth and power. Most of society would chose the option of wealth over true happiness because it’s what makes the world work. If there isn’t a monetary system then nothing would get done within a reasonable time frame. wealth is power and that power in chris’s eyes was fake happiness. He saw the way his parents lived their lives and obviously didn’t want to follow in their footsteps. Chris wanted to change not only himself, but people around him. He motivated people to go out and explore and not wait around for something to happen. Chris’s philosophy was that if you didn’t make changes and make things happen, then nothing will happen and your life will be dull (Rewild). Chris was a believer of simplicity and seen the little things as big ones, he made use of what he had to survive and used his natural instincts to survive in the wild. This lack of common survival tips would make a normal civilized person have a hard time surviving, but Chris was different. Chris was an example of how anyone can do anything if they put their mind to it. If a kid that just got out of college and has wealthy parents can survive in alaska for the time he did then anything can happen within those parameters. Chris was good motivation to people and his story can help people realise that even if you are confident in yourself and think you can beat the odds of survival, life isn’t guaranteed. This life that we are living isn’t promised and it can end at any given time. There are so many variables in the survival on earth. Chris’s story is a prime example of what our today’s society has the option to turn to. Not just going out and leaving your past behind, but seeing the true beauty in this life. The reader should take note from Chris, and quit living in a cycle of everyday being the same.

Chris had an anomaly of personalities. From his college life and childhood it was clear that he was nurtured too much by his wealthy parents, and did not know the real values of life. To start off his life of simplicity and natural human connection with nature, Chris refused to get a new car. He drove an old yellow datsun instead of getting one handed to him from his parents. This was something that chris was trying to prove. He didn’t want some fancy car that has more technology than a modern day computer. Chris was anti materialistic, yet still gave us hope for technology and innovation. Chris had to work for his life satisfaction. He worked for Wayne Westerberg on his farm and used his equipment. He also worked at McDonalds in “ Bullhead City” to support himself “ At the time he wrote these words, he was holding down a full time job, flipping quarter pounders at McDonald’s”(Krakauer 39). He showed us that even if you are living out of society, you still have that option (of a job, that is stereotypically an easy job) to turn to. Chris couldn’t have survived without money because when he tried, the basic necessities of life still came at a cost. Even when Chris went down the river into Mexico, He still had to pay for the kayak. The permit for using the waterway was too expensive and in Chris’s eyes, it was reasonable to go down a naturally occuring waterway for free. This is an example of intertwining society and outsiders. They work together in a way that if someone wanted to go explore and find who they are, people can still use tools that society has created to make an adventure easier. All in all, we should consider Chris’s travels and unveil the options we have. Either spend your life indoors, behind a desk like the rest of the rich and powerful people, or you could live as simple as possible and be the happiest person you can be. Chris used writing and books to expand his imagination. If someone was alone in the wild without modern technologies, then books and writing down ideas is a good way to spend time. Chris made a belt that showed hieroglyphics of his life in the wild (Brownell). A creation like this to Chris is way more important than any technology could be. The message here from Chris, was that you should find real and meaningful things, over popular and overrated items that “ kids have nowadays” There is a path ahead to who is reading this, and you have the choice to go down either trails. Choose what would make you the happiest you can be. After all, happiness is what we all want in life. McCandless’s used his life as an example of what society has the option to turn to.