In my time reading both Scratch Beginnings ,“Death of an Innocent”,and watching Into the Wild I have observed both Adam Shepard and Chris McCandless journeys. In my opinion Chris McCandless had a greater impact on the world more than Adam Shepard. McCandless had the greater impact because he finished what he set out to do. McCandless finished his journey because he had higher morals ,a stronger motivation ,and everything to lose.
First of all, out of both journeys McCandless was the only one who had technically finished his. They both had set their goals, packed their bags, and set off. In the end on technicalities Chris McCandless even though he perished in the wood he did finish his journey. Unlike Shepard who under certain circumstances …show more content…
While I will admit that he was motivated enough to pack up and leave his whole life for one year he still had money and a family to fall back on if it did not turn out the way he wanted it to. However , McCandless had enough motivation and belief in his philosophies to pack up his whole life and leave. He trusted his skills and his experiences to take him wherever and let the chips fall as they may. This is both his greatest aspect and his greatest weakness. It is his greatest weakness because he was so motivated to reach his goal that it caused his demise. In the movie Into the WIld McCandless states that he “ Flees and walks alone upon the land to become Lost in the Wild ” (Burus). This shows that McCandless was able to complete his spiritual goal and fully immerse himself into the land without needing people or civilization. For some reason that can only be added up to unresolved childhood issues stemming from his parents and this was his unethical way of dealing with his issues. Even though in the end it was all in vain he was never able to tell his parents he loved and missed them and that he forgave them. They would never hear his voice or see his face as he used to be.even though he was an intellectual human being he should have figured there were much healthier ways to deal with his problems rather than going out into the world with only a car ,a backpack ,and a hand full of …show more content…
McCandless had absolutely everything to lose and Shepard did not. They both had finished college, had parents and sibling that they would be leaving behind. McCandless had the most to lose out of the both of them with an unhappy family life, no money ,and no place he had his heart set on. If his journey failed and it did not turn out the way he had planned in his head or if it let down his expectations he would have been crushed. McCandless had no support system like Shepard who had the shelter. Shepard used the shelter as a home and a base for his operations unlike McCandless who like it showed in Into the Wild who could not even last one night in a shelter. This truly showed how detached from society McCandless was. McCandless’s detachment also shows how much he had to lose because imagine living on your own in the wilderness then at the end of your journey realizing how nothing changed and deciding to finally head back. This would have caused such a struggle for any individual to overcome . Now if you add McCandless’s childhood trauma this would have been crippling for him to face his family after all that time and face his problem head on and that is what makes his journey more admirable he was willing to do that but sadly he never got the opportunity to.
In conclusion Chris McCandless was more admirable in his journey
First of all, out of both journeys McCandless was the only one who had technically finished his. They both had set their goals, packed their bags, and set off. In the end on technicalities Chris McCandless even though he perished in the wood he did finish his journey. Unlike Shepard who under certain circumstances …show more content…
While I will admit that he was motivated enough to pack up and leave his whole life for one year he still had money and a family to fall back on if it did not turn out the way he wanted it to. However , McCandless had enough motivation and belief in his philosophies to pack up his whole life and leave. He trusted his skills and his experiences to take him wherever and let the chips fall as they may. This is both his greatest aspect and his greatest weakness. It is his greatest weakness because he was so motivated to reach his goal that it caused his demise. In the movie Into the WIld McCandless states that he “ Flees and walks alone upon the land to become Lost in the Wild ” (Burus). This shows that McCandless was able to complete his spiritual goal and fully immerse himself into the land without needing people or civilization. For some reason that can only be added up to unresolved childhood issues stemming from his parents and this was his unethical way of dealing with his issues. Even though in the end it was all in vain he was never able to tell his parents he loved and missed them and that he forgave them. They would never hear his voice or see his face as he used to be.even though he was an intellectual human being he should have figured there were much healthier ways to deal with his problems rather than going out into the world with only a car ,a backpack ,and a hand full of …show more content…
McCandless had absolutely everything to lose and Shepard did not. They both had finished college, had parents and sibling that they would be leaving behind. McCandless had the most to lose out of the both of them with an unhappy family life, no money ,and no place he had his heart set on. If his journey failed and it did not turn out the way he had planned in his head or if it let down his expectations he would have been crushed. McCandless had no support system like Shepard who had the shelter. Shepard used the shelter as a home and a base for his operations unlike McCandless who like it showed in Into the Wild who could not even last one night in a shelter. This truly showed how detached from society McCandless was. McCandless’s detachment also shows how much he had to lose because imagine living on your own in the wilderness then at the end of your journey realizing how nothing changed and deciding to finally head back. This would have caused such a struggle for any individual to overcome . Now if you add McCandless’s childhood trauma this would have been crippling for him to face his family after all that time and face his problem head on and that is what makes his journey more admirable he was willing to do that but sadly he never got the opportunity to.
In conclusion Chris McCandless was more admirable in his journey