“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” Christopher Mccandless's life can be represented throughout this quote. Mccandless’s adventure brings many questions to the surface but conveniently fails to answer many of them. His home life was not perfect, yet it was not horrible. Mccandless was talented with music, and usually kept to himself. He always felt out of place and had different, divergent ideas than everybody else in his family. Chris grew up with a mother and father, who were almost always busy with their own work complications, and a sister named Carine, with whom he grew extremely close. Chis’s loss was a tragedy, especially to his only biological sibling. This dramatically affected his family as well. So why did
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His mother and father worked vigorously on their business, and it truly paid off. He played french horn, and knew a few tunes on the piano. Chris’ parents were very generous, and offered to pay for his schooling, and a new car for him. But alas, he turned them down. Walt, his father, even offered to pay him to stay at home and work, but Chris wouldn’t even consider it. His family life was somewhat normal, and he didn’t necessarily have a bad life. So why did he ditch everything, a perfect life if you will, to explore the last frontier? Was Chris trying to search for himself in the Alaskan void, to return with answers? I think Chris was indeed trying to find himself. During Chris’ whole life, he had many things just given to him. He didn’t necessarily work toward them, for his parents provided him with everything he needed. This might also go to explain why he never offered help from the people he met on his journey. Chris needed a sense of independence, and he thought this adventure would achieve …show more content…
His report cards brought all A’s, and only one did he ever get a grade lower than a B. He was also musically inclined, and played the piano along with the french horn. After high school, he went to start college at a school for liberal arts called Emory State, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated in 1990, with no specific title or honors, claiming that it was useless information. Even Jan Burres and the people he visited at the Slabs claimed he had a good voice, and was very talented and intelligent. What really surprises me, is that he later states that schooling and jobs are a thing of the past. To me, it is bizarre how such a bright young man can make such a ignorant and immature gesture, as to go out into the wild, completely inexperienced, and expect to survive. Chris made very costly mistakes that could have been avoided. In the beginning of the book, Chris leaves his only map in a truck, and purposely leaves it, which was a really risky move. I think that even a professional hiker, who knew the land, would’ve still taken a map. With the map, he could’ve returned home when he was ill, found a way to get food, or at least be able to locate where you were at. Also, he would not claim any materials that people would offer him, like clothing and boots. If Chris would have taken the supplies, he may have survived the wild longer. But Christopher was an independent
His mother and father worked vigorously on their business, and it truly paid off. He played french horn, and knew a few tunes on the piano. Chris’ parents were very generous, and offered to pay for his schooling, and a new car for him. But alas, he turned them down. Walt, his father, even offered to pay him to stay at home and work, but Chris wouldn’t even consider it. His family life was somewhat normal, and he didn’t necessarily have a bad life. So why did he ditch everything, a perfect life if you will, to explore the last frontier? Was Chris trying to search for himself in the Alaskan void, to return with answers? I think Chris was indeed trying to find himself. During Chris’ whole life, he had many things just given to him. He didn’t necessarily work toward them, for his parents provided him with everything he needed. This might also go to explain why he never offered help from the people he met on his journey. Chris needed a sense of independence, and he thought this adventure would achieve …show more content…
His report cards brought all A’s, and only one did he ever get a grade lower than a B. He was also musically inclined, and played the piano along with the french horn. After high school, he went to start college at a school for liberal arts called Emory State, in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated in 1990, with no specific title or honors, claiming that it was useless information. Even Jan Burres and the people he visited at the Slabs claimed he had a good voice, and was very talented and intelligent. What really surprises me, is that he later states that schooling and jobs are a thing of the past. To me, it is bizarre how such a bright young man can make such a ignorant and immature gesture, as to go out into the wild, completely inexperienced, and expect to survive. Chris made very costly mistakes that could have been avoided. In the beginning of the book, Chris leaves his only map in a truck, and purposely leaves it, which was a really risky move. I think that even a professional hiker, who knew the land, would’ve still taken a map. With the map, he could’ve returned home when he was ill, found a way to get food, or at least be able to locate where you were at. Also, he would not claim any materials that people would offer him, like clothing and boots. If Chris would have taken the supplies, he may have survived the wild longer. But Christopher was an independent