There have been many people who wish to believe that nature has accepted them as one of her own. Two of these people are more similar than the others though. Timothy Treadwell was a drug addict turned self-proclaimed nature expert. Chris McCandless was a lost youth starving for self-realization. Both of their stories end in tragedy. But they do not just have tragedy in common. They both posses a similar rebellious streak. Chris McCandless and Timothy Treadwell are the epitome of what not to do in the wild. Their stories provide guidelines for modern society, showing people what they should absolutely avoid doing. Timothy Treadwell, a bear enthusiast, was born on Long Island, New York in 1957. He died in Alaska when he and his girlfriend,
McCandless fell back on his routine of hunting and gathering. “He read tolstoy’s “the death of ivan ilych” and Michael Crichton’s “the terminal man. Crichton would entertain chris when he has nothing to do. Crichton would entertain McCandless. McCandless was influenced to to protect the forest and not destroy it. “It’s just “institution,” explains, but i get the feeling he was the kind of guy who might want to set the wilderness free.” Chris wants nature to be free and what Crichton influenced him to do. Crichton and McCandless are both alike because they both found a way to inspire people during their
Everett Ruess and Chris McCandless were two very different men, with two very different backgrounds. However, these two had the same dream; they wanted to tramp around in Alaska. When looking at Everett Ruess’s story and Chris McCandless’s story, many similarities and differences are present. But no matter what their stories are presented as the main point is that they always followed their own desires. Everett Ruess and Chris McCandless were similar in a number of ways.
Christopher Johnson McCandless is a respectable man in so many ways but, yet such a foolish man in many others. Chris McCandless possessed a seemingly ever-lasting bravery that constantly shined through his unique and matchless character. He was very righteous in himself to the point in which he kept himself from any sin or evil, committing his life to what seemed like an idea of celibacy, not just in refraining from any desire of flesh but also in all lusts of life with his diligent power of will that constantly shined through his exterior. Onto the contrary of his good characteristics, McCandless remained to be very foolish in his decisions and under takings, whether it be by his arrogance of sheer narrow mindedness.
In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless and Jack London both appreciated the beauty of nature. London said in a biography once, “ ‘When I first came here, tired of cities and people, I settled down on a little farm…130 acres of the most beautiful, primitive land to be found in California.’ ” Just like London, Chris had a great appreciation for the beauty of nature, and wanted to experience it himself. In Chris’s letter to Wayne he said, “If this adventure proves fatal, and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know that you’re a great man. I know walk into the wild.” London and Chris both left their normal lives and escaped reality to go live among the wild. They both had a great appreciation for nature and wanted to experience it themselves. Chris decides to go into the wild to escape reality. In the authors note in Into the Wild Jon tells Chris’s reason for leaving, “And then he invented a new life for himself, taking up residence at the ragged margin of our society,
Christopher McCandless the newly graduated college student was more admirable to me because the way he made people so happy effortlessly. He left his mark on people he came in contact with and one person they’ll never forget. Before he disappeared he gave all of his money to a charity called Oxfam America. He could have burned that money with the rest or just left it in the account but he he was generous enough to write a check to the charity for $24,000. He was the type of person who didn’t want to take anything from anyone at all even his parents. His whole life he’d been living for his parents to make them happy. He knew what he had wanted for himself wasn’t what they wanted for him so it wouldn’t have left them happy and satisfied. Alexs sense of humor made him stand out the most to
Chris McCandless was a young adventurer who went to extreme lengths to finish what he
Change make us feel alive because it is the essence of every living thing. Chris MacCandless and Timothy Treadwell desperately needed a change in their lives in order to escape from their past unpleasant experiences and problems and they found their solution in the wilderness. Leaving the human word of comfortable excesses and surrendering their fates to nature empowered them to gain back a feeling of control over their lives. When your life is under a constant threat and you push yourself to your limits trying to survive in the wild, you start looking at many things differently than in normal circumstances. Wilderness can be a perfect place to find a peace in your mind and help you find your answers, but it is also a dangerous place that you
Many individuals decide to live their life in solitary; though, only a few choose to live in the wild. The book, Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer vividly paints the adventurous trek Chris McCandless went on. From the friends he made, to the hardships he went through, McCandless is portrayed as a friendly, sociable person despite the fact that he was a vagabond. Other than McCandless, there are even more individuals that have taken the risks to live in the wilderness such as, Jon Krakauer and Everett Ruess. All three of them had both similarities and differences between their own qualities as a person and their journey.
“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” This is not only a quote by Charles Spurgeon but a philosophy that I have been trying to live by my entire life. This quote fits perfectly into this prompt because it explains how Chris was a fool. Undeniably, Chris was very knowledgeable, he graduated from one of the top universities in the country maintaining an A grade in his classes. But as the quote reads, many people know a lot and that’s what makes them fools, using knowledge for the right purpose gives someone wisdom. Essentially the quote conveys that the implementation of knowledge separates the fools from the wise. Instead of using his knowledge to help society Chris decided that he had enough of society and wanted to live on his own. Hence, Chris McCandless is a fool because he went into the wild alone and unprepared, he didn’t have knowledge of how to survive in the wilderness alone, and his personality features lead him to his death.
Attending college, beginning a career, starting a family, and ultimately getting trapped in a daily routine are components in life that many see no means of escape. The lure of living off the grid with no responsibilities or connections to adult life are attractive but unattainable to most people. The experiences of Chris McCandless chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, mystify the nation, along with many of the people he meets during his journey. From stories of those who meet McCandless along the way, people were able to put the pieces together and make a few assumptions for the reason he chooses to go into the wild. Individualism, living a minimalistic life, nonconformity, going into nature, and trusting oneself are fundamental Transcendentalist principles that McCandless also exemplifies. Two well-known proponents of the Transcendental movement, writers Henry Thoreau and Ralph Emerson, also have a strong connection to nature, that are also shown in Chris McCandless’s journey. This connection with nature requires someone to go into nature to clear the mind of meaningless things, and to open up their consciousness to what nature has to offer them. In doing so, a bond with their surroundings that has a direct impact on their well being and mental wellness. Chris McCandless, as described by Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, demonstrates becoming one with nature through nature’s impact on his well being and mental health.
This section also helped me to see the connection between nature and the American identity. The American identity is truly defined by being successful in the most independent way an individual possibly can. Many try to achieve the American identity through nature, but McCandless was the only one to truly be successful in this endeavor. He obtained this success through his independent nature, which others lacked. Some, like Carl McCunn, were too dependent on others to survive out in the wild. Others, like John Waterman, had mental illness or other such mental troubles that may have made them excessively reckless with their personal safety. While Chris did depend on others at some times and could be somewhat reckless, he was not as extreme as
Chris McCandless, who we can argue was born in the wrong time, displays all aspects of being an American Romanticist. As a matter of fact, Chris McCandless displays a lot of individualism in his everyday life. Chris says to a man named Gallien who asks him about his hunting license, “how I feed myself is none of the governments business” (7). This is a great display of individualism, because it shows that he is very much independent, and plays by his own rules not the governments. In the same way, the youngster took advantage of his youth and shows a tremendous amount of kinship with nature in the book Into the Wild. “He laid plans to make a solo ascent to the south face of Denali, the mountains steepest aspect… with minimum food” (55). Chris
There’s been a lot of escapade going on these past three years with Tom Robinson’s case and Bob Ewell. You have learned to deal with others criticizing you because of me, but you’ve also learned to look at the world in someone else’s shoes. You’ve experienced injustice and prejudice from the case of Tom Robinson. You both have matured greatly, although this wasn’t the way I hoped you would. Being surrounded by people who make fun of you because I’m defending a negro was hard to adjust to, but you both learned to keep your fumes out and be a lady and gentleman. Unfortunately, not everyone is a true lady or gentleman.
The desire for an authentic life does not mean people should leave everything they have ever known behind. In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless follows his transcendental and minimalistic ideals which leads to his inevitable demise. McCandless had always possessed an intelligent mind, however his perspicacious thoughts were not evident through his ignorant decisions. McCandless reveals this incognizance when he lacks the essentials to survive in the wild. Chris shows characteristics of unmitigated immaturity when he leaves his family behind with virtually no warning.
Chris McCandless and Buck serve as examples of the archetype of the wild through their experiences of leaving where they feel most comfortable and answering the call of the wild. They show that each experience is inimitable because the wild is unique to every individual. For Buck, the wild is a place outside of civilization and his dependence on man, where the external threats of nature exist and he must prove himself as a true animal with instincts for survival. In McCandless' case, the place outside of civilization is actually an escape from his fears because the wild for him is in relationships, where the threat of intimacy exists and he must learn to trust others for happiness. This is because for each of us, the wild is what we