Chris Mccandless Narcissist Analysis

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The story of Christopher McCandless is that of an over-ambitious youth trying to find himself. Chris’ story, as told in detail in Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, ended tragically in his death within the Alaskan wilderness many months after running away from home with no contact to his family. In Krakauer’s work, he recounts interactions between Chris during his travels and multiple strangers. In this, one may conclude that Christopher McCandless is simply a reckless narcissist, who is selfish and privileged enough to think he can do and get away with whatever he wants. This is, in an emotional analysis, incorrect. Chris was subject to a severe Icarus complex, his ambitions being more than his body and life can handle. He refuses to contact his …show more content…

As someone who relates heavily with Chris as a person, It is easy for me to understand Chris’ true character. If you strip a man of all his material possessions, what sets him apart from everyone else? That is the question in which Chris’ motives lie behind. As someone who was well educated and, for lack of a better term, privileged, and intelligent, Chris likely began to question his capability as a person. By stripping down to nothing but his character and his ability, Chris was able to experience his full potential in an unguarded state. In this, it was actually better that he died in the wilderness, for had he emerged in defeat, he would have emerged a broken man. While physically, he may have been totally fine, it is in his spirits that would have been broken. A sense of inability and hopelessness is a greater torture than any physical pain, even …show more content…

Had Chris left the wilderness in search for salvation, would he be happy being alive? Do you truly believe that he would have been able to go back to his family and continue where his life left off- or even continue at all? In the end, whether or not one agrees with Christopher McCandless’ actions, there is no doubt that he was trying to forge an identity for himself, something undictated by the actions of others, and an issue that adolescents and young adults around the world throughout history have dealt with. The difference between Chris and the common man is the following: Chris had the courage and the drive to chase his ambitions and dreams without looking

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