Chris Mccandless Compare And Contrast Essay

Chris McCandless and Adam Shepard were both young men searching for something greater, although their purpose for adventure was much different. McCandless left behind his family in order to find happiness and to fulfill his need for self-reliance. On the other hand, Shepard took this journey in order to prove that the American Dream is very much so alive. Chris McCandless led a life full of adventure and created a more admirable journey rather than Shepard, due to his motivation for self reliance, his personable skills, and his drive to find pure happiness. From the start Chris McCandless’s motivation was his need for self reliance. He made it a point to never take handouts from anyone, which to him proved that he was able to accomplish things on his own. McCandless was offered a plane ticket from Franz to get where he was going faster and his response was, “ No, I want to hitch North. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip.” McCandless didn’t just embark on this journey to prove he could do it, it was to prove that being self reliant is a lifestyle in which requires skill, so accepting things others offered him, made him feel less of a person. Those who met McCandless quickly …show more content…
Shepard wanted to prove that the American Dream is still alive, and although he did have to become self reliant, he did take advantage of all the opportunities people, or the government offered. When arriving to Charleston, Adam had nothing more than twenty five dollars, and a bag packed with little to no clothes. Although moving into a new city, knowing no one, and building a life for yourself can be self reliant, Shepard took many handouts from various programs the city offered. For example, “... I was awarded $80 dollars a month in food stamps.” Shepard didn’t mind taking the handouts as long as he could at the end of his project prove the American Dream is still