This type of adventure was very beneficial to Chris, as it allowed him to be out on his own, with nobody telling him where to go or what to do, things he could not accomplish in our society. Chris’ journey was both physical and metaphorical. It was physical in the aspect of his hitchhiking and roaming and metaphysical in the aspect of the pain and anger that he was running away from. The trouble with his family is only hinted at in the beginnin... ... middle of paper ... ...se. His conflicting emotions do not allow him to think clearly in the situation, which is ironic, as he is the only one who does not believe the girls’ witchcraft stories.
During his lifetime, Willy’s pride caused him to have an overinflated ego, a bizarre idealistic view on life, and a false value system. These negative traits eventually lead to his downfall in which he sacrifices himself, proving to be a modern tragic hero. Willy Loman is a common man brought down to his demise because of the one tragic flaw of pride that he possesses.
Chris McCandless’s journey into the wild was a very self-centered action that was not well thought out. He put his own feelings into consideration and did not think about his family and those that cared about him. Even though he documented some of his activities in a journal, there are still so many questions that will never be answered. His family has to wonder for the rest of their lives why Chris left, or why he did not at least say good-bye. He went into the wild without any preparation and with very little decency.
Who influenced you the most as a child? For some, maybe it was a parent or a sibling. Others, maybe a friend or a professional athlete. For Chris McCandless, the subject of Jon Krakauer’s popular article ”Death of an Innocent,” Leo Tolstoy and other like-minded writers influenced McCandless to push himself even to the point of death. On the surface, McCandless may have seemed admirable for his search for life’s meaning, but in reality, he was blinded by his own prideful foolishness.
This is the main reason he cut all his connections with this family. McCandless discovers that “Walt continued his relationship with Marcia in secret, dividing his time between ... ... middle of paper ... ... as a consequence.” (192). Due to Supertramp’s lack of knowledge, he didn’t tell the difference between two types of seeds. One kind of seed was okay to eat, while the other was a very poisonous, this resulting into his death. Although Christopher McCandless was intelligent young man, he could’ve been a little more considerate of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild.
Many people thought that Chris had no idea what he was doing and that he was very unprepared. In an article, written by Peter Christian, an Alaska Park Ranger, he talks about how Chris was unprepared for his trip: “First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area. If he had a good map he could have walked out of his predicament using one of several routes that could have been successful. …A bag of rice and a sleeping bag do not constitute adequate gear and provisions for a long stay in the wilderness.” Christian believed that Chris was very unprepared and if he would have had a map, he could have made it out of the wild alive.
Once again, it was the protagonists’ best quality that made him vulnerable to his circumstances. Oedipus never sought to mistreat, much less murder his father, but fate would have it no other way. Both of these protagonists have many difference and similarities. Their differences range from motive to the method, which they reacted to their circumstances. Oedipus doesn’t kill to avenge anyone; he kills… well… because some men were in his way?
For a trip that was going to be much longer then average Chris did not plan out his journey in Alaska wisely. He also unwisely refused to accept advice from locals regarding what he would need to be prepared for Alaskan wilderness. Walt McCandless said "Chris was good at almost everything he ever tried... which made him supremely overconfident". (Krakauer 118) Aron Ralston on the other hand was quite well acquainted with the rugged regions of Utah where his journey took place. Ralston took the ordinary day to day things he thought he would need for a day trip; a gallon sized CamelBak, another gallon of water in a canteen, a muffin, two burritos, and five chocolate bars.
The man in this story is so focussed on reaching "the boys" that he overlooks numerous consequences because he is focussed on the individual actions. The man did not respect mother nature's power, in his arrogance he didn't listen to the "significances of life" nor his instincts so he ended up paying for it with his life. The man "was without imagination" and only understood the facts. He was a newcomer without much experience and thought that he could conquer mother nature. In fact, he thought that any real man could overcome the odds.
When McCandless was found he had no identification on him which made it hard to find out who he was or even what he was doing there without his journals. As a matter of fact, along with not bringing his identification he didn't come along with the right tools. As Krakauer states “ By design McCandless came into the country with insufficient provisions, and he lacked certain pieces of equipment deems essential by many Alaskans…”(180). When McCandless went off to Alaska he only carried with him the things that were essential to his need. He was at a loss when it came to most things when it came to his trip into the wild, especially tools and equipment.