Chris McCandless as a person was not crazy in his cognition or lifestyle, however, his decision making at times was somewhat incompetent, especially during his time in the wild. After his college graduation, Chris decided to live a vagabond-like lifestyle throughout the country. He did not tell his parents of his plans, and embarked on his journey with the end goal of journeying Alaska. In the wilderness, he was seeking isolation from his family, a sense of self-identity, and the answer to his desire for adventure. By analyzing Chris’s background and his upbringing, we can determine that he was not a crazy person. Growing up, Chris was an academically successful student in school. His intelligence can be seen in the quote, “Chris brought home
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At the end of his journey, Chris was able to live with his parents’ decisions, “He seemed to have moved beyond his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections,” (168). This shows that Chris suddenly had a change of heart towards his parents. Rather than brooding over their mishaps, Chris was considering to forgive them and return to humanity. Chris also satisfied his desire for adventure, which is seen in, “satisfied, apparently, with what he had learned during his two months of solitary life in the wild, McCandless decided to return to civilization: It was time to bring his ‘final and greatest adventure’ to a close,” (168). This shows that Chris was content with his experiences in Alaska and the rest of the wilderness. He began to long to see more of humanity. Lastly, the quote, “ It can be interpreted to mean that he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart…and become a member of the human community,” (189) shows that Chris also found his self-identity and his role in the wild. At the start of his journey, Chris did not understand his place in society and wanted to isolate himself from everyone. However, in the wild, he seemed to have found his identity and thus wanted to be apart of society again. Through his journey in the wilderness, Chris found happiness in his family, a satisfied desire of adventure, and a role in
At the end of his journey, Chris was able to live with his parents’ decisions, “He seemed to have moved beyond his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections,” (168). This shows that Chris suddenly had a change of heart towards his parents. Rather than brooding over their mishaps, Chris was considering to forgive them and return to humanity. Chris also satisfied his desire for adventure, which is seen in, “satisfied, apparently, with what he had learned during his two months of solitary life in the wild, McCandless decided to return to civilization: It was time to bring his ‘final and greatest adventure’ to a close,” (168). This shows that Chris was content with his experiences in Alaska and the rest of the wilderness. He began to long to see more of humanity. Lastly, the quote, “ It can be interpreted to mean that he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart…and become a member of the human community,” (189) shows that Chris also found his self-identity and his role in the wild. At the start of his journey, Chris did not understand his place in society and wanted to isolate himself from everyone. However, in the wild, he seemed to have found his identity and thus wanted to be apart of society again. Through his journey in the wilderness, Chris found happiness in his family, a satisfied desire of adventure, and a role in