In the novel “Into the Wild” Chris McCandless’s actions are very similar to the message that Emerson described in Emerson’s Self-Reliance speech. I believe that they are similar because in the novel with McCandless, it shows that self reliance is the main character’s point of view of freedom. In the novel Chris/Alex is the perfect example of emerson’s view point from Self Reliance. Chris/Alex believes that civilisation, money, and the government system are things that steer him away from being who he really is, he’s an independent and self-reliant person throughout the novel. He doesn’t depend on anybody but himself, it’s his way of being free in a world run by the government, money and civilisation.
In the passage that Emerson wrote he quoted, “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think.” from what I got he means the decisions people make shouldn’t have anything to do with others, people should not have an impact on the way your life is shaped by certain decisions you want to make as a person.
“In truth McCandles had been raised in the comfortable upper-middle-class environs of Annandale,Virginia. It’s interesting because in the novel Chris Mccandles grew up with a dad who works for NASA and an upper-middle class lifestyle. Not only that but he had every opportunity to go to any college because for one he is really intelligent and second, his dad is basically rich so paying for college won’t be a problem. At this point in the novel Chris/Alex is in the forest hitchhiking with no identification or any lifelong supplies. Why would someone with an upper-middle class lifestyle want to burn his identity, burn his money and go hitch hiking for the rest of his life, why wouldn’t he go to college lime a regular graduate student.
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Then it goes back to what Emerson believes when he says “It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is better than you know it.” What this means is that not everyone will agree with your life changing decisions because they believe that they know a better decision to make rather than the one you chose. It will always be that one person to despise your choice due to the fact that they think they know better. And in my eyes, I feel like the decision Chris/Alex made isn’t the smartest, but in Emersons eyes what I think shouldn’t matter to Chris/Alex because it his life and his decision, not mine.
