Chris Mccandless Character Analysis in Into the Wild Essay Sample

A popular quote from Ralph Emerson reads, “Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” A common belief is that it is better to make a path rather than conforming to societal constructs. Chris McCandless is a man who takes these beliefs to heart. Into the Wild, a nonfiction, short novel written by Jon Krakauer talks follows the story of McCandless, a young man with a strong longing for adventure in hopes to discover the real purpose of life. McCandless follows the ideals of transcendentalists; those who believe that possessions and conformity lead to extreme unhappiness and that the only goal in life is to be happy. Struggling to get along with his parents, McCandless leaves his home in Virginia without a trace and travels the world wanting nothing more than to one day live in Alaska. Despite his excessive stubbornness, McCandless is not, in any way, prideful in his journey and does not leave believing that he can survive no matter what nature throws at him. McCandless takes the initiative to change what he is unhappy about in his life and although he is underprepared and expects to have a chance of surviving in the wild, his journey is done to give himself a meaning for life and prove that he can survive without help.

During the course of Into the Wild, McCandless illustrates that his beliefs are the foundation of who he is as shown with his desire to travel independently through natural means. On his way to Alaska, McCandless gets a ride from a man named Stuckly and talks about what he hopes to accomplish while in Alaska. From this conversation, Stuckly describes him as a man living out his beliefs saying, “He didn’t want to see a single person, no airplanes, no sign of civilization. He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, without anybody else’s help” (Krakauer 159). For a man McCandless spends little time with to be able to pick up on his obligation for traveling without assistance, it hints that McCandless is not trying to hide his goals as well as how extreme he is when presenting them. McCandless himself tells Stuckly that he wants to get the most out of his travels and that the only way to do so is to complete his journey by himself, leaving behind his family and possessions that would make the trip easier. Before going away to Alaska, McCandless spends time working with Wayne Westerberg in Carthage. McCandless is dedicated to his work and Westerberg says that, “Unlike most of us, he was the sort of person who insisted on living out his beliefs” (Krakauer 67). Once again, one of McCandless’ acquaintances picks up on his stubbornness towards following his ideals. It was already established that McCandless believes that the worst enemy to man is a materialistic and easy life and Wayne states that these are ideas McCandless follows to his own grave. So, he is not acting pridefully, he is just a man following what he believes is right. In the same way that desires independence, McCandless also shows that he does not feel like he has a place in society.

Additionally, McCandless believes that living naturally will prove to be the better choice as he reckons he does not fit into society. After the stories from other modern transcendentalists, Krakauer writes about McCandless’ early and family life as well as how his family describes his personality. Walter, McCandless’ father, states that, “Chris has so much natural talent but if you tried to coach him…a wall went up” (Krakauer 111). Even as a kid, McCandless struggles to develop well in a quote-on-quote normal environment. In this specific scenario, Walt says that McCandless never follows directions and when he is given a command, he does not follow through. Not only that, McCandless becomes more independent, causing set-backs in his early development. McCandless has always been attracted to nature and believes that living in the wild is what is best for him. Krakauer uses stories from others like McCandless to help develop his character throughout chapter eight. He writes that, “The prevailing Alaska wisdom held that McCandless was simply one more dreamy, half-cocked greenhorn who went into the country expecting to find the answers to all his problems” (Krakauer 72). Krakauer says that McCandless is no different than other transcendentalists; that like many of these bold thinkers, he feels that going into the wild in total isolation is the only way to reflect and be able to solve his problems. McCandless feels so rejected by society that he believes that the only way to resolve this is to cut off all human connection entirely and begin a new life as a new person. Adding on to his sense of displacement, McCandless feels like his own family is bringing him down, making him need to prove himself worthy of living.

Most importantly, McCandless thinks that his family is belittling him and so, he feels like he needs to prove that he has purpose. While living in Carthage, before leaving to Alaska, McCandless works with Wayne Westerberg, one of his closest friends. Since Wayne spends a lot of time around McCandless, he is able to point out McCandless’ wishes as says, “He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, without anybody else’s help. It would ruin the whole trip” (Krakauer 67). McCandless’ desire to travel to Alaska without any help suggests that he is trying to feel accomplished. He needs to go to a dangerous place all on his own and survive to show to his parents and anyone else who doubted him that he is capable of achieving something independently. After meeting and spending time with Ron Franz for a while, McCandless departs with a letter to Ron about the importance of living naturally; McCandless writes that nothing is more fulfilling than living with the world as well as everything it has to offer. McCandless writes that, “…once you become accustomed to such a life, you will see its full meaning and it’s incredible beauty” (Krakauer 57). McCandless shows that a leading factor for his travels was the pure beauty nature gives. By living naturally, McCandless is able to see the full meaning of life thus making him more satisfied with himself. Without a doubt, McCandless feels like others do not believe in him and he has no real purpose in life, so he needs to show that he can do even the most dangerous activities on his own to validate himself.

Chris McCandless is in no way prideful. In fact, it is the complete opposite. He feels so displaced, belittled, and unsatisfied that he chooses to travel in order to feel needed. McCandless is a man who takes his beliefs seriously and follows those ideals to the letter; he believes that financial security and modern living is society’s greatest enemy, so of course he is going to leave. Trailing off this thought, McCandless does not develop well the way he lives with his family. Thinking that he is the piece that does not fit, he wants to get away from life in order to find a way of living that fulfills him. There is a difference between stubbornness and pridefulness; Make no mistake, McCandless is stubborn in the sense that once he makes his mind up about traveling, he refuses to back down despite what his family and friends tell him. However, he does not have an excessive self image believing that he can survive without assistance. His purpose is to prove himself and getting help would destroy any chances he can have, so it is not arrogant of him to deny any of the help he is offered. Through his independent journey. McCandless feels the thrill of living and is able to not only feel happy about his life, but also have a sense of fulfillment, and if that is what he wants to do with himself, he has every right to do so.