Into The Wild – Kierre Henderson

There has been some controversy concerning whether Chris McCandless was a hero who had a dream and wanted to chase it or a reckless idiot who went out to die in the wild. I think that Chris was a noble and admirable man who went out to chase his dreams. Into the Wild and Chris McCandless’ journal with pictures can be used to support this claim.

Chris McCandless let nothing get in the way of what he wanted with his vivacious and overly determined attitude he made it to the Alaska Interior. Chris created an alter ego Alex the super tramp, which showed that he was leaving his old life behind and starting anew. This was the first step of him becoming someone else. In chapter 1 when asked his name by Jim Gallien he replied “just Alex” this shows that he was smart and protective of his life by not giving someone his real name he was able to have leverage in case something happened. Not only does this show his determined attitude but it shows his level of intelligence.

Chris McCandless was also a very independent person. He could leave everything behind and still survive for a good amount of time. He burned all his money and gave away many of his possession to do it all on his own. In chapter 6 It was said by his sister that “even when were little, he was very to himself, he wasn’t antisocial- he always had friends and everyone liked him” This quote shows that Chris was a very personable person but did not rely on interaction. He could make it on his own but wasn’t antisocial and all to himself. He also met people everywhere he went because of his ebullient attitude. According to the pictures on the website Chris was a very happy person even with nothing. He made do with what he had and that is what made him a respectable human being.

Chris McCandless was not only adventurous and independent but he was confident. When asked by Jim Gallian if he wanted extra supplies to enhance his experience in the wild, Chris said “I’ll do just fine with what I’ve got”. Even though he had nothing and owned nothing he was positive that he had the skills and the mindset to survive out in the wild. Some might think that just a .22 caliber gun would not be enough to survive out into the wild with. It could very well be a valid point considering the dangers of the wilderness and the limited resources that he had, but Chris could make a great experience out of nothing. Not only was he confident but he was pragmatic, he knew the dangers of the wilderness and didn’t deny the fact of the possibility of dying in the woods. When sending mail to Wayne Westerberg he writes this “Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” In this quote, he underlines the logical issue as to death in this adventure but he is also pessimistic about his new life that has begun.

Chris McCandless life has inspired many people to indulge in the true meaning of their lives. Through the actions of his life you can learn that if you live your life wondering what you could have done then you will miss out on experiences that could have happened and only trough adventure can you truly live life.

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