Many people ponder over the meaning of life, with most believing that happiness and personal gratification are the sources. Exemplified in literature, a particular figure who took action in order to find the meaning of life is characterized in the novel, Into the Wild, written by Jon Krakauer. Chris McCandless was a brave man who abandoned his family and friends to achieve his goals--to discover the true meaning of life and happiness within the process of entering into the Alaskan wilderness. In the process, McCandless displayed hubris through his decisions in his adventure to Alaska.
McCandless did not think thoroughly while he was packing for his trip to Alaska. As the book states, “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound …show more content…
When Gallien was driving McCandless to the Denali National Park, he “offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go” (Krakauer 6). The people that he met were more than willing to help him whether it was giving him a ride or providing him with the necessities. Unfortunately, McCandless denied their assistance and said that he will be fine with what he had. By mid-April, Westerberg was very busy and “offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip” (Krakauer 67). McCandless refused his help because he was depended only on his wit and considered people’s help as an insult. Overall, the outcome of McCandless’s tragic adventure could have been completely different if he simply accepted help from those who wanted to help him.
In the end, despite the speculation and criticisms of McCandless’s life choices, it is no doubt that his fearlessness is a pure example of how living on the edge and taking new opportunities is what people need to do in order to live life to the fullest and find themselves. Due to McCandless’s extremely independence on nature and the refusal to accept the easier route in any circumstance, his Alaskan adventure ends fatally. In contrast, Chris McCandless was able to experience a new life filled with adventures and gain new perspective through finding out who he was and his personal meaning in
McCandless did not think thoroughly while he was packing for his trip to Alaska. As the book states, “Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound …show more content…
When Gallien was driving McCandless to the Denali National Park, he “offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go” (Krakauer 6). The people that he met were more than willing to help him whether it was giving him a ride or providing him with the necessities. Unfortunately, McCandless denied their assistance and said that he will be fine with what he had. By mid-April, Westerberg was very busy and “offered to buy him a plane ticket to Fairbanks, which would have let him work an extra ten days and still get to Alaska by the end of April, but he said, ‘No, I want to hitch north. Flying would be cheating. It would wreck the whole trip” (Krakauer 67). McCandless refused his help because he was depended only on his wit and considered people’s help as an insult. Overall, the outcome of McCandless’s tragic adventure could have been completely different if he simply accepted help from those who wanted to help him.
In the end, despite the speculation and criticisms of McCandless’s life choices, it is no doubt that his fearlessness is a pure example of how living on the edge and taking new opportunities is what people need to do in order to live life to the fullest and find themselves. Due to McCandless’s extremely independence on nature and the refusal to accept the easier route in any circumstance, his Alaskan adventure ends fatally. In contrast, Chris McCandless was able to experience a new life filled with adventures and gain new perspective through finding out who he was and his personal meaning in