Into the Wild: Chris McCandless is a True Hero

954 Words2 Pages

The famous story of Chris McCandless’s journey, Into The Wild, provokes the reader

to ask a certain question at the end of it all: Is Chris McCandless someone people should look

up to? Or is he just another person who bit off a little more than he could chew? With various

accounts from people who met this young man in the novel, it’s hard for someone not to show

bias on this topic. Many viewed him as brave and heroic for his accomplishments; others viewed

him as an unprepared, ignorant child who left a great life to escape his personal endeavors.

Despite the criticism his journey and death have received, he has inspired many as the poster

Chris McCandless chose a step that not many people would have taken after college.

Most graduates choose to go into the workforce to find ways to utilize their degrees and

potential, but McCandless chose to live off of the land. This decision inspired many people after

his death including Marc Paterson who says, “I'm going to test my limits, I guess, to see what

it's like to be hungry. I'm trying to put myself in an environment where nothing's spoon-fed”

(Karlinsky). Marc Paterson and many others, by the hundreds, have claimed that they wanted to

experience life in the wild as Chris McCandless did. They are all looking for a deeper meaning

to life, and Marc Paterson explains that these journeys are merely people “Chasing a dream

written down in the pages of a bestseller and now on screen in a movie called ‘Into the Wild’”

(Karlinsky). Sherry Simpson, the writer of the article “I Want To Ride In The Bus Chris Died

In” wrote about a man who drove her around the Fairbanks in a shuttle van. This man carried the

book Into The Wild...

... middle of paper ...

...d.

Goodbye and May God Bless All” (Krakauer 199). He found happiness, overcame the obstacles

that were thrown at him, and gave everyone who is misunderstood and lost the ultimate gift,

which is hope. Chris McCandless is truly a hero.

Works Cited

Christian, Peter. "Chris McCandless from an Alaska Park Ranger's Perspective." George Mason University, 2006. Web. 12 February 2012.

Karlinsky, Neal. "'Into the Wild' Inspires Adventurers, but at What Cost?" ABCNews.com. ABC News Network, 15 October 2007. Web. 12 February 2012.

Kleinfeld, Judith. "McCandless: Hero or Dumb Jerk?" Adn.com. The Anchorage Daily News, 16 December 2007. Web. 12 February 2012.

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. New York: Anchor, 1996. Print.

Roberts, David. "Jon Krakauer + Sean Penn: Back Into the Wild." National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 2007. Web. 12 February 2012.

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