Chris McCandless' Search For Truth in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild

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Death is never easy to accept, especially the death of someone young and full of life. In John Krakaur’s bestselling novel, Into the Wild, Chris McCandless is a young man that leaves everything behind to create a new life. Chris is so determined to get his epic journey that he is willing to leave behind everyone he cares about. McCandless’ had a noble goal – to find his true self outside of the constraints of an organized society and return to “nature”. A philosophy espoused by Tolstoy, Muir, Rousseau, Kerouac and Thoreau and others, McCandless believed that person was essentially free only in state of nature, in connection with himself, the earth and exempt from the material needs and wants of modern civilization. McCandless’ cynicism and rejection of material goods, (symbolized in the novel by the burning of his paper money and identification cards) are something that many disillusioned with the ceaseless toil and routines of modern society can certainly relate to. McCandless is charming and idealistic, and truly believes in his search. His wanderings around the country, whether...

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