Into the Wild
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In my book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, a true story is told about a man named Chris McCandless who wanted to chose the road not often taken in life. He had a thirst to experience nature in an unharmed form. Chris couldnt understand the materialistic ways of most people in our society today and how they can live a normal life without feeling some kind of regret for not experiencing something else life has to offer. Chris doesnt just feel an inspirational rush that causes him to think this way, rather he gains experiences and develops his opinions about life that cause him to decide the way he wants his life to end up.
“The destiny of man is in his own soul” -Herodotus. As Chris grew up, I believe he strongly believed in something like the quote written before. When reading what he wrote in his diary it was clear he had motivation and confidence and knowledge that represented his strong thirst to experience something that would test his abilities. “The core of mans spirit comes from new experiences” – Chris (Pg. #57). Chris believed it was up to him to decide the way his life would end up. He had to experience something so real to feel alive. While reading, Chris made it clear the relationship between him and his father was not a healthy one which was present throughout most of his childhood. I believe their poor relationship heavily affected Chris, no one wants to be that way with someone like their parent but sometimes it happens. After I pieced together that information I think the relationship with his father was one of the reasons he resented the way mainstream society ran because his father was a perfect example.
After Chris had left on his journey into the wild he had disposed of all of his personal belongings which included his car, social security, money, and some other personal items. To dispose of all those items and just live takes a lot of courage and an open mind. As I mentioned before, Chris made it absolutely clear he did not enjoy the materialistic lifestyle. He thought wealth was evil. Maybe he believed with no money or personal belongings there could be nothing stopping him from experiencing something so natural. “When you want something in life, you just gotta reach out and grab it.” – Chris (Pg. #155). There was nothing stopping him from doing what he believed he needed to do. Some people consider him a fool and say his arrogance killed him. To others he may have been a fool, but as another human, I cant find it okay to judge someone else who shows such passion and dedication to experiencing something that Chris did. It all began with an idea, an idea that would ultimately kill him, but provide him with experiences he wouldve have experienced living the “normal” life.
During the journey Chris met many people. One of the people he became closest with was