Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Comparison

How many kids would go to the extreme to live a comfortable life? Chris McCandless, the focus of Jon Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild” and Sean Penn’s main character in the film adaptation, went through and saw a lot of abuse directed at his mother. In addition, Chris not only experienced abuse at his father’s hands, he was traumatized by what he observed when the father abused the mother. As a male, I am surprised that he took it harder than his sister because females usually have a stronger emotional reaction to abuse and tend to hold onto things more. McCandless grows up in the wealthy Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., and is a very gifted athlete and a scholar. After graduating from high school, McCandless spends the summer alone on a road trip across the country.When Chris McCandless discovered that his father secretly had a second family, he took a lot of despair with him. Chris was hypersensitive and was unable to handle what he had to go through. His way of dealing with this was to take part of a long tradition to seek him. To go to such an extent is heroic because McCandless gave up everything to search for value in himself. It takes bravery and courage to leave home to explore one’s purpose and to also find happiness.

Young men like Everett Ruess, Gene Roselline, John Waterman, and Carl McGunn go on these severe searches only to perish in the wilderness. The moment death faces them do they realize their purpose for life -- by then it is too late. It is valiant of these young men to go on such an adventurous journey only to perish in the end. People have this idea that the American wilderness is a forgiving and there’s this romantic mythology surrounding the portrayal of the wild. That the wild is adventurous and romantic, but people don’t understand the harsh conditions that the wild