Truth Hurts

“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it. When I decided to go to Alaska that April, like Chris McCandless, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic. I thought climbing the Devils Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life. In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing. But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams. And I lived to tell my tale" (Krakauer 155).

Topic: Inspiration or fool?

In this passage, Krakauer expresses his feelings towards Alex's voyage into the wild. He parallels his own experiences with that of Alex's and implies that if he had made it out of the wild, he likely would have ended up maturing; learning to be close to people, to forgive flaws in those he loved, to interact with society and the world in less extreme ways. However, this still begs the question. Was Alex an inspiration or a fool? In my opinion, he is a little bit of both. He was a fool for entering the Alaskan wilderness with very little supplies, expecting to make it out alive but the theme that it carried is very inspirational. Alex did not have a materialistic desire, which was shown when he burned and donated all his money. Alex simply wanted to get the most out of life, in his own way. No rules, just man vs wild. I think that this can be an important lesson in today's society because many of us are caught up in materialistic desires like fancy clothes, fast cars, and money. Alex was an inspiration for breaking from this tradition and embarking on a quest to really live life on his own terms.

The Human Desire (Or Lack Thereof)

"McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well" (Krakauer 55).

Topic: Dynamics of Family

Here we learn that Chris never had an interest in creating meaningful relationships and clearly doesn't have a desire for love. This trait particularly interests me because it's one thing to not be materialistic, but to completely negate the idea of having a relationship with another person is almost un-human. Every time Chris seemed to be getting close to someone he would flee and hit the road once more. This lack of intimacy also carried over to his family. He lost all contact with his family, even his sister, despite the fact that they were close. The question that remains is whether Chris realized the impact that disappearing would have to the people that care about him. The roots of his lack of intimacy must stem from his family life. Chris's parents were abusive which shaped Chris into the introverted individual that he was. One of the big themes of the book seems to be aimed at the influence that your family has on you and it is clearly demonstrated in the case of Chris McCandless.

Escaping Your Past

"Despite prodding from Burres, however, McCandless revealed virtually nothing about his family...'-because of what happened to me and my own son. He's out there somewhere, and I'd want someone to look someone him like I tried to look after Alex'" (Krakauer 45).

Topic: The Dynamics of Family

In this quote  Burres tries to dig deeper into Alex's personal life. He realizes that Alex most likely left his family without telling them and this clearly bothers Burres due to his past. Burres says his son is "somewhere out there" suggesting that his son must have disappeared from his life like Alex disappeared from his family. This is an interesting passage because it is one of the few time, so far, that someone has noticed the other side to Alex Supertramp. Throughout all the people that Alex had encountered, most only had positive things to say about him. Things about how happy, helpful, or alive he is. However, Burres is the first to notice the chink in the armor. Essentially, it comes down to how Burres perceives family versus how Alex does. The conflict in the passage is clear when Alex refuses to reveal anything about his family. This is because Alex isn't Chris anymore. Chris belonged to a family that he didn't like and as Alex he attempts to escape his past.