Two different people can find an escape in the same way. Cheryl Strayed and Chris McCandless are two individuals who have never met, gone through different experiences, have different perspectives on life, and who search for a deeper meaning in life where there is nothing. With no civilization within miles, nothing but nature surrounding them, and hardships entailed, divergent Cheryl and Chris share similar stories on their journey. Cheryl Strayed was living what most would call an ideal life. Married to a man who loved her unconditionally and surrounded by family who she maintained a close relationship with, Cheryl was nothing short of happy. In an unfortunate turn of events, Strayed’s mother dies from lung cancer, dragging her into a
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After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, fulfilling his parent’s request to finish college, McCandless sets out on his journey. Chris takes his little yellow Datsun, and drives to Nevada. There, he abandons his car and travels on foot. From there on, McCandless continues on to a crazy adventure across the country. He goes from Needles, California to the border of Mexico, getting in trouble with authorities and spending a night in jail, travels to Houston and then to the Pacific Coast, following Las Vegas, Arizona, and making his way to Slab City in Niland. McCandless meets multiple people who got the opportunity to meet and converse with him along the way, one of which was Ronald Franz. Franz looked to Chris as a son. With this being said, Franz tries giving Chris an offer saying, “My mother was an only child,' he explains. 'So was my father. And I was their only child. Now that my boy's dead, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson.' McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question: 'We'll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron'" (Krakauer 55). Chris wanted to escape anything that could possibly tie him back to anything remotely close to a family. He did not want to worry Franz, didn’t want to rely on others, or …show more content…
Both Chris and Cheryl grew up with an abusive father. Cheryl, although only knowing her father until she was the age of 6, vividly remembers the way her father would treat her, her siblings, and her mother. In her memoir she states, “There was my father smashing our dinner plates full of food against the wall in a rage. There was my father choking my mother while straddling her chest and banging her head against the wall. There was my father scooping my sister and me out of bed in the middle of the night when I was five to ask if we would leave forever with him, while my mother stood by, bloodied and clutching my sleeping baby brother to her chest, begging him to stop. When we cried instead of answered, he collapsed onto his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor and screamed so desperately I was sure we were all going to die right then and there.” (Strayed, 132) Chris’s father lived a double life. Having two families and continually going back and forth between each could have easily contributed to motivating Chris to leave. After watching the constant abuse his father would put upon his mother, in which he was made to watch, Chris mentioned to his sister, Carine McCandless whom he was closest to, that once he was given the opportunity he would divorce them as parents, completely removing them from his life. I believe the connection of Chris and Cheryl
After graduating from Emory University in Atlanta, fulfilling his parent’s request to finish college, McCandless sets out on his journey. Chris takes his little yellow Datsun, and drives to Nevada. There, he abandons his car and travels on foot. From there on, McCandless continues on to a crazy adventure across the country. He goes from Needles, California to the border of Mexico, getting in trouble with authorities and spending a night in jail, travels to Houston and then to the Pacific Coast, following Las Vegas, Arizona, and making his way to Slab City in Niland. McCandless meets multiple people who got the opportunity to meet and converse with him along the way, one of which was Ronald Franz. Franz looked to Chris as a son. With this being said, Franz tries giving Chris an offer saying, “My mother was an only child,' he explains. 'So was my father. And I was their only child. Now that my boy's dead, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson.' McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question: 'We'll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron'" (Krakauer 55). Chris wanted to escape anything that could possibly tie him back to anything remotely close to a family. He did not want to worry Franz, didn’t want to rely on others, or …show more content…
Both Chris and Cheryl grew up with an abusive father. Cheryl, although only knowing her father until she was the age of 6, vividly remembers the way her father would treat her, her siblings, and her mother. In her memoir she states, “There was my father smashing our dinner plates full of food against the wall in a rage. There was my father choking my mother while straddling her chest and banging her head against the wall. There was my father scooping my sister and me out of bed in the middle of the night when I was five to ask if we would leave forever with him, while my mother stood by, bloodied and clutching my sleeping baby brother to her chest, begging him to stop. When we cried instead of answered, he collapsed onto his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor and screamed so desperately I was sure we were all going to die right then and there.” (Strayed, 132) Chris’s father lived a double life. Having two families and continually going back and forth between each could have easily contributed to motivating Chris to leave. After watching the constant abuse his father would put upon his mother, in which he was made to watch, Chris mentioned to his sister, Carine McCandless whom he was closest to, that once he was given the opportunity he would divorce them as parents, completely removing them from his life. I believe the connection of Chris and Cheryl