Alexander Tingley
Mr. Reynolds
English 11
7 June 2023
Admiration for Christopher McCandless
The protagonist of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless, known as "Alexander Supertramp," embarks on a journey that warrants admiration. In this essay, we will delve into how Chris's character, actions, idealism, and various opinions on his life and death make him an admirable figure.
Firstly, Chris's character exhibits determination and self-reliance, as he strives for genuine happiness within this book. Despite being a brilliant graduate of Emory University with numerous career paths, he refuses to let the 'American Dream' dictate his life. His trek to Alaska showcases his bravery and courage in facing an uncertain future and forging his path. This is shown by this quote, “We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living,” (Krakauer). This journey is not only a departure from his comfort zone, but it also makes him self-sufficient, using the knowledge he acquired to create a home in Alaska and subsist off the land.
…show more content…
This quote portrays his rule for his belongings, "that you should own nothing except what you can carry on your back at a dead run,” (Penn). He views the wilderness as a place of self-discovery, seeking the beauty and serenity of nature. Chris sees materialism and capitalism as the root causes of societal decay, and though there are opposing views on his idealism, his belief that life is about pursuing experiences rather than commodities is a principle worth
Kyle Yin Ms. Everett ERWC, 2, 10 3 February 2023 Chris McCandless: Idealism and Imperfection In April of 1992, a young man named Chris McCandless walked into the Alaskan wilderness alone and attempted to survive off the land. 113 days later, his body was found by hunters, dead of starvation. Four years later, the author Jon Krakauer picked up on his story and published the book, Into The Wild, detailing McCandless’ story and eventual death. McCandless went into the wild to follow his very specific ideals:
In Krakauer’s non-fiction novel Into The Wild, he tells the story of a young man named Chris McCandless and his crazy adventures all over North America. Chirs McCandless was a 22-year-old, who had just graduated from Emory University and decided to go off on this journey. Throughout the novel, Krakauer follows the trail that took, he meets with many different people who had interacted with McCandless and they tell him their stories. Krakauer also tells the stories of four other men who set out on similar adventures. The men who stuck out to me were Gene Rosellini and Evertt Ruess, two men with similar plans to those of McCandless.
Gabi Cruz Mrs. Root IB English HL 6 March 2023 The Superiority of Into the Wild The non-fiction novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer narrates and discusses the journey of a young adventurer by the name of Chris McCandles, commonly known as Alexander Supertramp, who was found dead in the Alaskan wilderness of 1992. By utilizing the memories and experiences of those who knew McCandless, Krakauer leads the reader through over a year of detailed research that pieces together the truest version of Chris’s life and the cause of his death. Alternatively, “The Beatification of Chris McCandless: From thieving poacher into saint”, an article by Craig Medred, focuses directly on all negative aspects of McCandless’s story and criticizes Krakauer’s apparent
Into The Wild Semester 1 Final Wouldn’t you like to understand exactly why someone would want to leave everything for a chance to find some freedom away from their family and all they have ever known. Into The Wild is a book, written by Jon Krakauer, about a boy who leaves his home and his future behind to go on an adventure across the West Coast, Mexico, Canada, and eventually ends in Alaska. One question this book is asking is: is it really worth is to leave your family behind in your search for true happiness in solitude? Chris McCandless left his family in his search for happiness and peace, but one mistake he made may have been leaving his family behind. (prompt and question)
Into the Wild In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild , he depicts the story of Chris McCandless and his journey as “Alex Supertramp” across the United States, starting in Georgia and ending with the his death in Alaska. Jon states his argument that Chris wasn’t “stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate” and he tell the story of a young man with a profound moral compass and wants to seek higher truth. In the novel, Chris left to go into the wilderness right after he graduated from college. He did not let his parents know he was leaving for many reasons.
To conclude, Krakauer uses three valuable techniques to capture the meaning behind Into the Wild and McCandless’s journey itself: narrative structure, epigraphs, and tone. Chris McCandless was an intelligent young man who sought adventure far from his dull stable life. He essentially went off the grid to capture what he wished for the most, which was ultimate freedom and happiness. It was like a tag on a shirt that keeps bothering the tenderness of one’s skin. It was the reason why the tag was ripped off.
Chris believed that life with everyone slaving away wasn’t a good thing. He even tried to get others to follow this way of thinking. In a letter to Ron, Chris tried convincing him to do what he did and live a full life of adventure. “The joy of life comes from our encounters and new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day having a different sun” (56). Chris believed no one should just waste their lives and should live to the fullest.
He traveled across the United States to the west coast to pursue a physical and mental journey that many would be too scared to do. Chris’s father, Walt, would have this to mention about him, “Chris was fearless even when he was little” (109). Chris believed that adventure was an answer to being lost in life and an essential activity for people to fulfill. Chris would say this in a postcard to Ron Franz remarking, “the joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon” (57). People should interpret this quote as a call to travel and to see and experience the joy and beauty of the world, not to get caught up in
Chris McCandless from the book “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a character who is extremely well liked by all. His smarts give him the ability to hold conversations with a variety of different people. Chris does not use his knowledge in a negative way that causes people to think that he is arrogant, it just comes out of him naturally, leaving many people impressed by the young boy. Through his character, I learned how much intelligence can truly add to one's personality. Chris is subconsciously phenomenal at speaking with new people due to his wide range of knowledge.
That makes it so when he finally left, he could respect all of the wishes that were taken away from him.. They say that variety is the spice of life. I slightly disagree, but Chris McCandless really disagrees. He wants to enjoy the simplicity of life, and he wants to enjoy the raw beauty that nature is offering him. Chris has always had a fondness for the wilderness, almost as if it’s calling to him.
Into The Wild portrays a man who went on a fatal unforgettable journey through the alaska wilderness. Chris McCandless was a man with great courage and the ability to live on his own made him more of a hero going on his fatal journey. Many would say he was foolish or not thinking right, but that is not the case. The case here is simply a man with courage wanting to fulfill is beliefs through his journey. One may ask what is courage.
Ariana Neumann IB English HL Mrs Root 3/6/23 Credibility of Krakauer John Krakauer: the author of Into The Wild uses the strategic placement of pathos, logos and ethos to himself as a stronger writer than Craig Medred: author of the article, Beatification of Chris McCandless. Both authors write about a tramper named Chris McCandlless. He is a free spirit with no desire to conform to society. McCandlless travels to Alaska seeking the truth of life and that ultimately leads to his death. Krakauer has an extensive background on Chris, he finds himself relating to Chris more than Medred.
Christopher McCandless, the protagonist of the novel and film Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, is not your average guy. Driven by his minimalist ideals and hate for society, he challenged the status quo and embarked on a journey that eventually lead to his unforeseen demise. A tragic hero, defined by esteemed writer, Arthur Miller, is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on tragedy. Christopher McCandless fulfills the role of Miller’s tragic hero due to the fact that his tragic flaw of minimalism and aversion towards society had lead him to his death.
Chris McCandless was a college student with a need for adventure. On April 28, 1992, he left on a journey which would lead to the end of his life. After news of his death had reached public ear, most people came to the same conclusion: Chris McCandless was an uneducated, arrogant boy who went on a journey seeking death. However, in the novel Into the Wild, Jon Krakaur portrays Chris McCandless’ transcendental quest as a journey full of wonder. Throughout the novel, Krakaur defines McCandless as an intelligent, hard working, determined young man.
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a biography that follows Chris McCandless and his journey through the wilderness while finding himself along the way. Chris McCandless died in the August of 1992 after a four month journey through places like Mexico and Alaska. Krakauer investigates his actions and analyzes his identity after his death, trying to find meaning within his seemingly unnecessary expedition. Chris McCandless constructs his personal identity as a man who wanted to be challenged and inspired by his actions and interests with people he met on the road, and his beliefs and values as a stubborn person. Chris McCandless’s actions are unusual in many ways; for one, he graduates college with honors, but instead of pursuing a career,