Elena 

Mrs. Zurkowski

Greens

4/11/11

A hero dies alone, in the wild.

A story of living in the wild.

As Krakaeur once stated in his controversial novel Into the Wild “McCandless had tried to disguise the fact that he was a drifter living out of a backpack” (41). Chris never tried to get attention to him by living in the wild; he did what he wanted to do. He never thought about the fame that could come of him or that his story could be so inspirational to so many people.  Chris had it all: a college degree, money, friends and family, but clearly, that’s not what he wanted the most. When Chris went into the wild, he wasn’t just going because of society but he was going because it was always his dream to climb to Alaska and to be away from society.  I strongly believe that Chris McCandless was an inspiration to many people and that he wasn’t crazy for doing what he did.

            Chris McCandless never relied on other people for help. “When he died, McCandless was wearing a blue sweatshirt printed with the logo of a Santa Barbara towing company; when contacted, the wrecking outfit professed to know nothing about him or how he’d acquired the shirt”(99). He always denied the gifts people tried to give him because he wanted to truly live off the wild. He was truly a man of his word because he said that he wouldn’t accept gifts and that he wanted to be by himself to finally live his dream. As soon as he got to the location he wanted to be at, he took all his money and burned it. He then left his car and walked into the wild. “He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigation aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station” (5).

            Chris McCandless never wanted publicity or asked for it. He went out by himself. He did not tell anyone where he was going. However, he hinted to Carine, his sister that he would be leaving. He didn’t want anyone to know but he wanted his family to know that he was safe. He even lied about where he was from. “Because McCandless had told Gallien he was from South Dakota, the troopers immediately shifted their search therefor the hiker’s next of kin” (99). He really didn’t want people to know where he was from or why he was doing what he was doing. When he arrived at Bullhead City he changed his name to “Alexander Supertramp” so people wouldn’t recognize him and he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. This represented him wanting to start over. He didn’t want his true identity to be known to anyone.

            Chris McCandless truly had a passion for being in the wild. “He could be alone without being lonely” (107). He went out into the wild and left his family when he found out his father had another family.  Chris loved being independent and had strong opinions. Just like everyone has dreams, Chris’s dream was to live off the land and to hike to Alaska.

            While Chris appeared like he was unprepared and not there all the way “he wasn’t a total space cadet or anything, don’t get me wrong. But there were gaps in his thinking” (63). I understand how people said that he was unprepared and not fit to go into the wild but I don’t understand how it was any of their concern. It’s not like he went out there and harmed anything or anyone. Even when he was dying, he didn’t start a fire just because he didn’t want to run the risk of burning down the forest. People need to realize that he brought no harm by going into the wild.

            I think Chris McCandless was a true hero. He went into the wild, by himself with no one to rely on, no money, and barely any food and survived for quite some time. He lived and worked with people for the money, but never took anything for free. He never asked anyone for help, besides car rides if they were going in the direction he was. He tried not to get to attached to the people he met because he knew he would have to leave them eventually. I think Chris was truly a tragic hero and his life came to an end to soon. Whoever is reading this, I want you to consider your life and if you would risk it? Will you try and live your dreams like Chris did? Maybe not by climbing to Alaska, but small goals. I think everyone should look up to Chris because he truly is an inspiration. “Chris didn’t think twice about risking his own life” (129).