Analysis Of Chris Krakauer's Into The Wild, By Chris Mccandless

“What is the purpose of life?” This simple question intimidates many who refuse to confront the reality of life. Living in a fast paced world consumed by technology and materialism, it is difficult for one to examine what is truly important to live life wholly. Because of this struggle, many settle with unhappy lives, wallowing in fear, regret and dissatisfaction. In John Krakauer’s novel Into the Wild, he examines the short life of Christopher McCandless, a courageous man who detached himself from his past life in order to pursue something elusive in the Alaskan bush. Although Chris McCandless withdrew from the company of his family and friends, he journeyed into the wild philosophically free; gaining total independence and personal triumph,

He harbored years of inner turmoil, quietly doubting material excess, injustice, and the values his parents had imparted in him. In an effort to speak of the truth to honor her brother, Carine McCandless reveals that as children, they suffered through their father’s “gin induced rages” and “constant domestic violence and threats” (McCandless). On top of this, it was during one of McCandless’ extended trips when he discovered his father’s past entanglements while with his first wife, a secret that was long kept. Carine’s revelation along with McCandless’ discovery urges one to suspect that the reason behind his animosity against the world he lived in was an early childhood trauma, making him believe that the world was full of deceit and immorality. His father’s actions have had a profound effect on McCandless, to the point that he began to slowly withdraw from the relationships he had with his family and his friends. In order to free himself from a family history of agony and deception, McCandless walked “alone upon the land to become lost in the wild” (Krakauer 163), determined to create a new beginning without the distraction of anything he deemed irrelevant. McCandless was liberated from the opulent environment he despised. Growing up privileged under the wing of a NASA engineer, McCandless

Inspired by Thoreau, McCandless strongly believed that it was essential for man to abandon a world of abstraction and materialism in exchange to experience life in its rawest form. It is only apparent that McCandless chose to thrive in a secluded area in the wild, a place where it is logical to find oneself. Only in the breadth of the Alaskan bush was he able to be and do anything without the burden of judgement from any individual. Throughout his journey, McCandless affirms that “his spirit is soaring” (Krakauer 37), as he embraced the situations when he did not have a bed to sleep, money to spend, and adequate food for nourishment. The thrill he feels for merely surviving portrays his fascination of living life deliberately, shedding the unnecessary things that prohibits one to really live. Although his parents and the people he met along the way empathized with McCandless’ struggles, the undeniable truth is that he reveled in being nomadic, as evidenced by the notes he had written and the quotes he had underlined in his books. Furthermore, McCandless constantly craved for adventure and uncertainty. With the immensity of his country accompanied by strong desires, he found that his purpose in life was to have “an endlessly changing horizon” (Krakauer 57). McCandless strongly believed that the joys in life radiate from