Chris Mccandless Identity

In many ways, Chris McCandless was unlike the average kid. A combination of many different things had

Chris McCandless was not the typically kid. He grew up in a well-to-do family that cared for him very much although they exhibited certain flaws that Chris could never look past. Chris was a simple man. He was very idealistic and had an infatuation with nature and adventure unparallel to the average person. He was said to have snuck out various nights to break into the neighbor’s house to steal candy. His father, Walt, recollects the time when they had gone on a family road trip and how much Chris had loved every aspect of the road and the wild. Chris was a huge fanatic about authors like Henry Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London who wrote about

Prior to abandoning life, Chris had discovered that his father wasn’t as perfect as he once thought he was. Chris had discovered that his father had been living a double life as he had another lover and family elsewhere. In fact, it was Chris’ mother who Walt was having an affair with, making Chris an illegitimate child. Essentially, Chris’ entire perception of reality had shattered before his eyes and his sister, Carine, can attest to a similar feeling when she mentions something to the effect of how she felt that their childhood felt like fiction. Not only that but, Krakauer also adds that, “ Danger has always held a certain allure” (182). It was not entirely uncharacteristic for a young man to partake in dangerous activities and Krakauer goes on to say that Chris, “merely took risk-taking to its logical extreme” (182). This expected recklessness that comes with adolescence paired with the mistakes of his father are what caused Chris to take action and leave on his endeavour. Chris was essentially running away from his past. He was running away from the reality that his childhood was purely