John Mazzoleni, Luke Larson, Taylor Thelemann

Miss Boeser

College Writing P2

26 January 2010

Chris McCandless: Someone to Admire or Someone to Hate?

            “Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity – and was undeserving or the considerable media attention he received” (Krakauer NP). Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, is the true story of Chris McCandless, a young man who just graduated college and was looking for something real.  McCandless followed his dream to live off the land in the Alaskan wilderness.  He died because of starvation due to his inability to correctly identify edible foods, which leaves some to believe he died in vain because he was unprepared to live in the wild. Now there is also controversy that his story is inspiring others to follow in his footsteps without any regard for their own safety.  Others say he was a hero because he followed his dream and got to live it out, and ended up touching many people’s lives as a result.  Some agree with both sides, saying that while it’s hard to agree with what McCandless did, they can’t help but admire his adventurous spirit.  When reading the novel, it is clear that McCandless is a hero and did not die in vain: he got to live out his dream and was happy when he died.

            Neal Karlinsky, like many readers, was captivated by Chris McCandless’ adventure.  Unlike most people, however, Karlinsky thinks that McCandless’ adventure was costly.  He doesn’t like McCandless because he believes others will be inspired to carry out his deadly and ill-prepared mission.  He “worries the story has made a romantic tale of something that isn’t childs-play” (Karlinsky).  Karlinsky even went on the path with a guide, but notes how treacherous it was: “…the journey in wasn’t easy.  We got stuck in deep muddy bogs, the temperature was in the 30’s and we were all wet and dirty” (Karlinsky).  Karlinsky doesn’t bash McCandless for what he did, but he does not like the sort of “saintlike status” (Karlinsky) that is given to him.  Karlinsky even followed one man’s journey to the bus and offered him help, but the man, like so many others, followed McCandless’ footsteps and denied it.

            Other critics view McCandless as a purely selfish man.  McCandless left no clues to his parents about where he was going, and had the post office return all the mail they sent him over the summer back to them on August 1^st (Krakauer).  One author, only named Will, wrote about how he could never completely separate himself from his family.  He even said, “In this regard, McCandless strikes me as simply childish, arrogant, self-righteous and selfish” (Will).  In regards to the way he treats his family, many people find McCandless to be self-centered.  McCandless may have left his family in the dark about his journey, but he did it out of love.  He knew they would get worried and look for him, so he made sure they would find out he was gone after he left.  His journey required him to cut off all ties with the people he previously knew.  McCandless figured he would come back and when he did, he was going to share his adventures with his family, hoping that they would be proud of him for accomplishing his dream.

            There are readers who see McCandless as both brave and a bit arrogant.  One person writes “At times I found myself admiring his willingness to get up and actually walk away from a life that seemed to him to be filled with hypocrisy and lies, but at other points in the narrative, McCandless was absolutely infuriating” (Will).  Will finds him to be so infuriating because McCandless comes off cocky and pretentious in his writing.  In Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer included excerpts from his journal he keeps.  McCandless started referring to himself as Alexander Supertramp during his journey, and narrates his own life in third person. “He screams and beats canoe with oar.  The oar breaks.  Alex has one spear oar.  He calms himself.  If loses second oar is dead.  Finally through extreme effort and much cursing he manages to beach canoe…” (Krakauer 36).  After this incident, McCandless felt as though he could accomplish anything and was suited for a more dangerous existence.  However, it is hard to deny McCandless’ raw spirit and determination.  There were many times when he had no food or money, but he kept trekking onward because he was living his dream and he was happy with himself.  In the end, his fierce desire to accomplish his mission forced him to survive at any cost, even if that meant having to be cocky in the face of the impossible. This was a survival instinct and shouldn't be thought of as a negative trait.

    Many people believed and looked at Chris as a hero and a person to look up to. In a blog written entirely about him, the author, an average man, lived and traveled the same as Chris McCandless throughout his entire life. He graduated high school at the same time and his parents are the same as Chris'. He has all the things in the world that Chris did: a savings account, a new car and all the stuff he got he didn’t really want. "I have a soft spot for Christopher McCandless. Without being too sentimental, I can honestly say he may have saved my life. I was the typical suburban dreamer, longing of living in the mountains, or moving to Tibet, being free and on the road. As Christopher McCandless learned, too late, it is hard. And, in the end, what really matters is not being self-sufficient but being interdependent upon others" (“Into the Wild”). This man lived the same teen years as Chris did, too. He was going through family struggles, and wanting to move on and get away.  The guy traveled with his wife, meeting new people in Colorado, Montana and South Dakota. He loved Chris McCandless and his story and he wanted to live like him in order to also be freed of his previous existence. He gives Chris credit for saving his life, and by following his Chris’ story, he made it through life without failing. "The book is a great read (though it is as much about the author as it is about McCandless) and the movie is stunning. I cried several times during the film, something quite rare, though it had more to do with my process of healing, film as mirror, than it did a concern for the character in the film. It comes highly recommended" (“Into the Wild”).  By reading this book when going through life like Chris did, it helped the author take a risk he had been previously unwilling to take. It helped him get through his negative feelings by relating to what Chris had done. Chris McCandless's story of following his ideals makes him an inspiration because he convinced other people to go pursue the lives that they had always dreamed of.

    To go along with all of his critics, McCandless has many people who admire him. No matter how much people agree or disagree with his decision, it should still be respected. Everyone doubted him, and tried to get him to stay, but in the end it is what he wanted, what made him happy. "There has been a lot of controversy over this kid’s decision to leave his family and never speak to them again and then to make an attempt to live off the land in the brutal conditions of the Alaskan wilderness only to succumb to the elements. But he took a picture of himself just days before his death  and he was smiling and in good spirits it appeared" (Mike 1).  Chris may have not done what was normal or expected, but he did what he wanted. He knew that he had to do this for himself, to find his inner happiness. What Chris did was unusual, but heroic. He did the unthinkable, as everyone doubted him. He had the courage and mental strength of a hero, and deserves to be remembered as one. Chris did not go on his journey so people would remember his name, he did it so he would be happy. He left without hints, and left a mystery for Jon Krakauer to unfold. After Krakauer put the pieces together, it was published. Immediately after, thousands of people began to take notice. Chris McCandless will be remembered for his impact on society, for better or worse. Some may view him as a hero, others may view him as an idiot. Either way, McCandless' journey won't go unnoticed. He was a hero to himself, and everyone else who understands why he had to pursue such a risky dream.

    "It is being seen as something significant, even if we are unsure about what that significance is. When you understand that this novel is a required English text of many high school students, you start to see its broadening influence" (Wearne 1). If nothing else, Into The Wild impacts everyone who reads it.  For some, Chris McCandless is viewed as heroic, and, is sure to fascinate them.  One author calls the novel, "Compelling and tragic, hard to put down" (San Francisco Chronicle). No matter what people have said about it, they are usually inspired in some way.  By gaining people's attention, and persuading them to cheer for his survival, McCandless is a hero. The people who give him bad reviews don't understand him, because it is a very unpredictable situation and he is a complex person. People that can relate to him and have similar experiences look up to him, and take honor in reading about everything he accomplished. Anyone that has found true happiness in life should be able to relate, because that is what Chris found.

Works Cited

“Into the Wild Book Review and Analysis.” spiritualmutt.blogspot.com. 29 May 2009. Web. 12 January 2010. 

Karlinsky, Neal. “’Into the Wild’ Inspires Adventurers, but at What Cost?” ABC News – Nightline. 15 October 2007. Web. 21 January 2010.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. Anchor Books Publishing. 1996.

Mike. “Book Review: ‘Into the Wild’ by Jon Krakauer.” Popcritics.com. 23 December 2003. Web. 24 January 2010.

San Francisco Chronicle. “Book Summary: Into the Wild.” BookBrowse.com. Web. 20 January 2010.

Wearne. “Into the Wild: Book Review and Analysis.” TheChristianWorldReview.com. 8 March 2009. Web. 18 January 2010.

Will. “Into the Wild: Our New Read.” The Librarium. 12 February 2008. Web. 19 January 2010