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.