The Character of Chris McCandless in Jon Krakauer’s, Into the Wild

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The appeal of being a coward is the opposite of being an adventurous, free-spirited young man; both behaviors contradict each other. Nevertheless, an individual with both characteristics can be identified in Jon Krakauer’s, Into the Wild. Christopher McCandless has a sublime life, until he decides to abandon his standard of living and isolate himself in order to endure a risky life-taking adventure. One may consider McCandless as an adventurer for challenging himself and living off the land, but still others consider him to be a coward for turning his back on his problems. McCandless’ actions cannot be characterized to one specific behavior, due to the fact that throughout his journey he is a well-rounded character.

The relationship between a father and a son is a very important bond that is used to define an individual’s actions; due to an unwavering relationship with his father, personal conflicts will be encountered later in life. In McCandless’ situation, the relationship between himself and his father is not very idealistic, which leads McCandless to isolate himself from the rest of his family. This isolationist behavior is seen when McCandless states, “Once the time is right, with one abrupt, swift action I’m going to completely knock them out of my life. I’m going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live.” (64) Even though he has a good relationship with his sister, he feels as if he is not a part of the McCandless family. His parents provide him with all they can provide, but McCandless cares little for shallow and materialistic showings of affection. He is appreciative, but not a materialistic person. He feels as if his parents are trying to buy his...

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...e. McCandless situation is ironic due to the fact that although he is conservative and tries not to take advantage of nature, nature takes advantage of him and takes his life away.

A young man who is cowardly adventurous and free-spirited, such as McCandless, may have an incomprehensive effect on outsiders. Many individuals have diverse contemplations on his lifestyle and behavioral actions. McCandless may be a simple person; however he is a complex thinker. Although he does not plan ahead, he’s always ready to take on any challenge that he must overcome. Unquestionably, being a coward is the opposite of being an adventurous, free-spirited young man, appallingly, McCandless falls under both behavioral characterizations, making him a well-rounded character.

Works Cited

Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. Anchor Books ed. Villard, NY: Random House, 1997. Print.

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