What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

General discussions relating to the story.
mcmp2000
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:11 am

What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

Postby mcmp2000 » Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:21 am

Hello all,

I'm doing some research on Chris for my College class and would like you to help me understand him better.

What are some major reasons he went to the Wild?
What did he learn?
Do you agree with him?

Thank you all

GoNorth
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:47 pm

Re: What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

Postby GoNorth » Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:02 pm

Hi,

the usual questions about what went on in a person's brain who died many years ago. We only know what he wrote in his letters, journal and notes, as well as some things he said to people he knew or met. So no one will be able to really answer your questions.

mcmp2000 wrote:What are some major reasons he went to the Wild?


He told different people about it and here is what he wrote on wood in the bus:

"Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate
freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from
Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the west is the best. " And now after two rambling
years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Ten days and nights of freight
trains and hitchhiking bring him to the great white north. No longer to be poisoned by
civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild."


So he wanted to get away from everything, find himself, whatever, but he also intended to come back, at least back to civilization, after a few months.
Personally I think that the lecture of "Walden" by H. D. Thoreau, that McCandless also read and apparently liked a lot, could also explain some things. It might be that Chris dreamt about following Thoreau's example in some aspects.

mcmp2000 wrote:What did he learn?


How could we know because he didn't come back to tell, nor did he write a lot about his thoughts during his stay in the bus or the surroundings.
One thing he had to learn was the fact that a river in Alaska does not look the same in July as in April.
What he might have learned about himself, he was probably the only one who knew it.

mcmp2000 wrote:Do you agree with him?


What exactly do you mean? Agree with the whole trip and all the things he did after leaving Atlanta? Or with what he said or wrote?

mcmp2000
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2010 12:11 am

Re: What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

Postby mcmp2000 » Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:36 pm

mcmp2000 wrote:
What did he learn?
I also meant the part at the end that it seems that he realized that hapiness must be shared. I think if he had survived he probably would appreciate more his family and the ones around him, without leaving them without any notice as he did many times, for example. What do you think?




How could we know because he didn't come back to tell, nor did he write a lot about his thoughts during his stay in the bus or the surroundings.
One thing he had to learn was the fact that a river in Alaska does not look the same in July as in April.
What he might have learned about himself, he was probably the only one who knew it.


mcmp2000 wrote:
Do you agree with him?

By asking if you agree, I mean if you agree a person should leave everything behind to go on an adventure like this, risking his/her life....what if every single person decides to go "into the wild" what would the world be like?


What exactly do you mean? Agree with the whole trip and all the things he did after leaving Atlanta? Or with what he said or wrote?

GoNorth
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:47 pm

Re: What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

Postby GoNorth » Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:44 pm

mcmp2000 wrote:I also meant the part at the end that it seems that he realized that hapiness must be shared.


I don't think he realized this at the end, he only wrote this sentence - already several weeks before he died - under the passage of this book where it read "...and that unshared happiness is not happiness…“. So he probably just wanted to confirm that he agreed with the author on that point. Actually there is no evidence that he had thought in a different way before that, as we know that during his journey he had built up true friendships with several people (like Wayne Westerberg or Jan Burres, to whom he sent regular letters or postcards while travelling) and that he had intended to see them again after his trip to Alaska.

mcmp2000 wrote:I think if he had survived he probably would appreciate more his family and the ones around him, without leaving them without any notice as he did many times, for example.


Actually it's only his family he left without leaving any notice. Would he have contacted them again if he had survived? Maybe, maybe not.
But honestly nothing indicates that he had changed his mind regarding his parents, as he didn't write anything about it in his notes.

mcmp2000 wrote:By asking if you agree, I mean if you agree a person should leave everything behind to go on an adventure like this, risking his/her life....


Well, I think that if one feels he or she has to do it, then he or she should probably go for it.

mcmp2000 wrote:what if every single person decides to go "into the wild" what would the world be like?


Very good question. Perhaps there wouldn't be any "wild" areas any more. ;)

barkomatic
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:02 pm

Re: What did learn from this experience? Do you agree with him?

Postby barkomatic » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:40 pm

What did he learn?

I agree with the posters above and would like to add that I think he was also trying to separate himself from what he believed was an overly materialistic culture. From how I interpret his writings, this is one of the reasons he took very few supplies with him or comforts. He even ditched his old car eventually. "Things" tend to be a burden on people's lives. Think about the people you know with house payments, car payments, credit card payments and how that affects them. Perhaps they work at jobs they don't like to make all these payments. When they finally have everything paid off(if ever) people finally experience a degree of freedom -- but unfortunately often one is quite old at that point. Even if you are lucky enough to not owe any money, just maintaining and securing your possessions is a burden. A lot of the things one owns serve only to distract us from our lives or from dealing with our issues. I think Chris was trying to make a point to himself that people need far less than they think they do to survive and even be happy.

Yes, I agree with him on this. It's not practical to have zero possessions as an adult and I'm guessing he would have eventually accumulated things after he rejoined society. However, I don't believe he would have just "slid" into a life of various credit payments and endless purchasing.


Return to “General Discussions”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests