Into the Wild #2

After reading chapter one of “Into the Wild”, I do not get the impression that McCandless went off on his journey to never be seen from again. For that to be true, it seems like you would be talking about someone who was despondent and depressed. He does not seem that way to me. I think he naively thought he could survive with his own ingenuity, which is not only arrogant it definitely borders inappropriate.
    Maybe he felt that he had finished his degree at Emory, and he wanted to take a break. I do not mean, he just wanted a vacation. I think that maybe he wanted to break away from society.  There was an author, philosopher, and nature enthusiast Henry David Thoreau; who went off into woods and lived alone. He had an appreciation for nature, but also did not like government. He was a little “anti-establishment”; he went against the grain. Maybe McCandless arrogantly considered himself like a “Modern day Thoreau” . The only problem was McCandless, tried to survive in a very rough terrain and climate, and lacking tools and supplies.
    I think Krakauer wrote the book this way, because he did not want it to give the impression of a “suspense” novel. It is not, we know Chris did not succeed in his endeavor, well, maybe I should say he did not survive it. He may have gotten something out of it, but we will never know that. The entire time you are reading the book , it makes you more inquisitive into his mind. It makes you want to ask, “What would make someone do this/think it is possible?”
By the time I read the S.O.S, I became confused. Whom did he think he would find this? If he was “near death”, what condition was he in, to think he could go out for berries. Maybe by this point, he was losing it mentally. Whether from sensory deprivation from being alone, or having changes in his mental state from lack of food or dehydration. The note did not make much sense to me.

Into the Wild # 1

      

 

 

After reading the first three chapters of Into the Wild; I was filled with many thought about Chris McCandless.  I must say, my thoughts were not the most complimentary. I mean, what would provoke someone to behave this way? I have thought of a few reasons, although I’m sure the book will continue to elaborate on “the why”, of it all.

            My initial reaction was; that he was trying to prove some kind of point. I mean, it just seemed like too sudden of a decision. Therefore, it seemed like it was ultimately “attention seeking”. I could not help but think that there must have been something going on within his family. It seemed like they knew he was intelligent, and had expectations of him, and for some reason he stubbornly did not want to fulfill them. He was expected to possibly go on to law school; however, maybe he wanted to show his independence and exert his own decision in his future. Even though, I would have thought by twenty-four years old, and living in his own apartment, he would have been over that. I suppose some people can take longer to mature. Then there is the fact he gave thousands of dollars to a charity, it did not mention that he had a job at the time. So why would you give all your money to a charity, and leave yourself with nothing. It may have been something he believed in, but it just made no sense, for the position he was in. Especially since that money had been given to him, by I believe a family friend; as a investment in his education. This fact made his “contribution” seem rude, not charitable.  Lastly, there is the fact that he refused a car for his graduation gift. I thought, “Hello? What is wrong with you?” It did not seem like providing him with a car would have been a financial burden, and even if you were proud of the car you bought yourself in high school, there is the practicality factor. I am sure they felt he would need a newer model.

            Then I took it to the far end of the spectrum, and thought that maybe he had some sort of narcissistic personality disorder. Maybe he was becoming a schizophrenic. It just does not make sense to me. From what I recall, he graduated from Emory University with some sort of Anthropology degree. Therefore, maybe this made him focus on culture. Maybe he truly felt his college fund, would better serve others less fortunate. Maybe he became obsessed with the notion of “leaving the rat-race”, going off on some journey of self discovery. All I can say is; even educated people can get nonsense ideas. I would not have the arrogance to think I could survive for weeks, at Beech Fork Lake. He did not seem to do necessary preparation for a idea like this. He did not pack equipment or supplies that someone would need for survival. That alone, is completely ridiculous.