How Romanticism Makes A Realist, By Chris Mccandless

Great Essays
1: I think that romanticism is when a person or someone makes a situation seem better than it is. Romanticism would be taking a situation for what it is not and thinking that it is romantic, exciting, fun, or something that everyone should do. Romanticism is unlike realism in almost every way. Realism is when you take a situation true to life or for what it actually is. We are not always able to tell the difference between them. It seems like we would always be able to tell the difference but we can not. Chris Mccandless was not able to tell the difference between them because of works of fiction that he read. Some people may be able to or in certain situations people may be able to. Most of the time people are unable to and will chase …show more content…
We as humans have the ability to write. Without the ability to write we would not be as advanced as what we are today. Writing is a part of living and if you write then you live and if you live then you write. Krakauer had to piece together Chris’ entire life story, if Chris would not have written postcards, letters, notes, and in his journal then his life would not be recorded and no one would know of his story or of his journey. Since Chris wrote then he existed and since Krakauer wrote his autobiography and his story then he exists. When Chris was traveling around the country and making his way to Alaska he gave himself the name Alexander Supertramp. He thought way to highly of himself and became a little cocky by giving himself this name. Krakauer wrote, ”No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny” (23). One reason I believe that he gave himself the name Alex is so his parents could not find him and people would not know his true identity. Krakauer wrote, “The hitchhiker swung his pack into the bed of the Ford and introduced himself as Alex” (4). This quote is an example of when he introduced himself as Alex instead of his real name Chris. Since he wrote as Alexander Supertramp and basically became Alex for a big part of his life, then Alex could be considered as existing. Chris and Alex both exist even though they are the same …show more content…
He read a lot of literature and this gave him unrealistic expectations about what the wild was like. He did not take a map and when he was in trouble it cost him his life. He was able to find food, he found shelter, and he was living just like he expected but when he got sick and was in trouble he was not prepared and could not find or get help in any way. Krakauer wrote “Everett was born in Oakland, California, in 1914 the younger of two sons raised by Christofer and Stella Ruess” (89). He was a lot like Chris in many ways. They both seemed to have very similar personalities and had somewhat similar stories. In some of Chris’ letters he seemed to sound a lot like Ruess. Krakauer wrote, “A half century later McCandless sounds eerily like Ruess” (92). They both wrote letters to people when they were on their journeys and they both died on their journeys as

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    One such times was when Jon was recounting how he climbed Devil’s Thumb he often compares himself to McCandless, and most commonly to how he too took risks, yet still survived, “...like Chris McCandless, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted accordingly to an obscure, gap-ridden logic” (155). During this time Jon directly analyzed their akin personalities, clearly revealing how Jon thought of himself as a relatable character to Chris McCandless. Krakauer openly admits that he had been comparably as headstrong as McCandless and the main difference between the two is that one survived and the other did not. By the way of this statement, Jon reveal just how much of connection he feels with McCandless. Not only did he feel a connection to Chris through their adventures, Jon often had a similar mindset as…

    • 602 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris Mccandless Essay

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Compare/Contrast Essay Christopher McCandless had a story that has now been shared with more people than what he would’ve imagined! Along with McCandless’s story having an impact on many, Adam Shepard’s story has also made an impact and has proved those who thought the American Dream was unattainable wrong. Though both of these individuals are unique in their own ways, McCandless’s story was more admirable and impactful. Adam Shepard was an educated young man who wanted to prove Barbara Ehrenreich wrong for her claiming that the American Dream was unattainable now in days.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “McCandless was something else--although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps” (85). Even with the multiple comparisons Chris is different and the reader is left to decide whether he is unique or if he is “just another case of underprepared, overconfident men bumbling around out there”…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris Mccandless Selfish

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Chris McCandless was both intelligent, but he was also lacking common sense, he also enjoyed people but wanted to be alone. Although there are many other traits that Chis/Alex holds that also have an opposite to it. Krakauer created Chris as a very paradoxical character, making it confusing why he made the decision to go to Alaska.…

    • 428 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I agree with Krakauer that Christopher McCandless wasn’t a crazy person, a sociopath, or an outcast because he got along with people easily, but he did seem some-what incompetent, even though he managed to survive for over one hundred days in the wild. McCandless was the type of person that anyone could relate to. The author, Jon Krakauer describes the final years of the boy. Krakauer reveals the untold truth about McCandless. Several decisions, conversations, logical thinking, and thrill of excitement prove the sincere down to earth person people know as Christopher McCandless.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He wanted to be free from the mundane circumstances of his current life, so he cut off all ties with his family and friends to minimize association with mainstream civilization. McCandless is quoted saying, “ ‘I think I’m going to disappear for a while’ ” (Krakauer 21.) After saying this, he sent a brief letter to his parents which “was the last anyone in Chris’s family would ever hear from him” (Krakauer 22.) By doing this, McCandless began his streak of self-reliance.…

    • 763 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Krakauer may have been influenced by his own life and the ways he saw it as similar to Chris’s. He even warns the reader that he is biased,…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Into the Wild is a significant example of rhetorical appeals because of how successful Jon Krakauer wrote Chris McCandless’s adventures and relationships to catch the attention of his audience. Krakauer used many rhetorical appeals such as ethos, logos and pathos in order to get this story across to his audience. Krakauer appeals ethically to his audience by using tools to effectively make comparisons of Chris McCandless, as well as being able to show McCandless was not insane. Krakauer saw himself inside of the story that McCandless lead.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Krakauer made the catastrophic error of writing the book from a very biased point of view, therefore clouding the overall message of the novel. Krakauer was very wrong with his opinion of Chris, because of his bias towards outdoorsmen like him. Chris McCandless is much more of an inconsiderate fool because even though he was following his “dreams,” in reality he was just a dumb kid who wanted to escape from a loving and caring family that he wanted nothing to do with. Peter Christian was right in saying that kids like Chris aren’t heroes by any means, but the rescue teams that save these kids are. Chris’ inner drive and stubbornness was his real problem.…

    • 1240 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    All Chris wanted to do was create a meaningful life and venture on to another place and test his knowledge. Chris was full of himself and wanted a challenge going into the wild was exactly that. He was left with his own thoughts and had to realize he wasn’t as smart as he thought. Krakauer writes about how excited he was to hear from Jan Bures, one of the wonderful people Chris met on his was to Alaska, “McCandless was thrilled to hear from Jan. ‘I am so glad to find you both alive and sound,’ he exclaimed in a letter dated December 9, 1991.” Alex met many friend and one man Franz who actually wanted to adopt him.…

    • 1658 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chris McCandless died alone in the Alaskan wild while living completely off of the land. “Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals:” while “: others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity-and was undeserving of the considerable media attention he received” (Krakauer xi). These quotes represent the feelings of many who read Into The Wild, but most people ignore the important aspects of Chris McCandless’ personality and his self imposed purpose. McCandless was a kind, intelligent and free-spirited young man who may not have been completely prepared for his journey, he was able to accept death in the end, knowing that he lived a life that too…

    • 1329 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    You're Missing Something Christopher McCandless is a man who had everything and gave it up because he was annoyed with the world and he wanted to escape. The drastic decision he made captivated many, especially the author Jon Krakauer because he had a similar experience and he could relate to McCandless's disappointments. Jan's review is based on the Outside Magazine article that was written by Krakauer describing McCandless's journey. To some McCandless' story is just a tale of nature's harsh reality, but for others they view him as a heroic figure. Many criticize him for venturing unprepared into the Alaskan wilderness and for inspiring others to do the same.…

    • 1609 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    That is, their relationship, or Chris's rejection of it, is central in prompting Chris's angry behavior in the few years he had between graduating from college and dying in Alaska. Ultimately leading to the notion that his inability to forgive arises from what he perceives as his parents’ greed and materialism. Which, in turn affects his entire life, contributing to his decision to isolate himself. Krakauer’s dedication to the research of McCandless’s journey conveys it was his life to live and no one else’s. Nonetheless, Christopher McCandless’s brave quest portrays an amazing young man with many talents and a gift to live life the way he always dreamed of.…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Identity In Into The Wild

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The purpose of writing Into the Wild is not relate the facts of a true adventure, but to show people that there is an escape from reality. Through McCandless, the wild was initially portrayed as harrowing and unpredictable, but as time went on McCandless learned to adapt to the wild, and bury himself from the flow of civilization. In the middle of McCandless’s travels, he encounters an elderly man named Ronald Franz. Franz, a man who seems to think he has fully lived, his life, sees a new person in McCandless that ultimately caused him to strongly consider spending his last few years surrounding by wilderness and seeking one last adventure. Franz wanted the feeling of experiencing the same mystifying feeling that comes with adventure.…

    • 1104 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jon Krakauer’s “Death of an Innocent” appeared on the Independent’s website on 11 April 1993. Krakauer, an American writer and mountaineer, mainly known for his works about the outdoors, especially mountain climbing has produces yet another amazing news article among numerous others. This specific news article in fact have been the highlight of his writing career as it paved him to write his best-selling non-fiction books—Into the Wild. After reading “Death of an Innocent” by Krakauer, I have found myself left wondering of the perpetual psyche of Chris McCandless throughout his extreme odysseys. During my reading, I sense that Chris was not an ordinary person who lived according to the preprogrammed dogma of the society.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays