The relationships that you have with your family can considerably impact the rest of your life, whether for good or for worse. Unfortunately, in Chris’ case, it affected him for the worse. Although his relationship with his sister Carinne was always sufficient, his relationship with his parents was never of the same quality. Jon Krakauer, the author of the book Into the Wild, depicts the effects of these relationships on Chris very well. However, I don’t believe that Krakauer emphasized these relationships enough throughout the book of Into the Wild.
Although it is unknown as to why Chris made the courageous decision to venture into the wild, I believe that one of the main reasons was because of his relationships with his family at home. With these unhealthy relationships, Chris probably thought that going into the wild would solve this problem. On page 64 it is clear that Chris’ relationship with his parents is flawed when he explains to Carine that their parents’ behavior was “so irrational, so oppressed, disrespectful and insulting… I’ll be through with them once and for all, forever.” On the same page, Krakauer also explains that “Both father and son were stubborn and high strung” and that they both had very different beliefs which ultimately led to disaster.
However, the main reason for the unhealthy relationship between Chris and his father was because of the double life that Walt had kept secret from Chris for many years. On page 121, Krakauer explains that when Chris traveled to El Segundo, he learned about his father’s previous marriage and divorce. When Chris learned about this, he became much more private and disconnected from his parents and spent more time by himself.
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In conclusion, one of the main reasons Chris left his family to go out into the wild was because of his relationships at home and thinking that if he left for some time, the problem would be resolved. Chris’ parents were never there for him because of their busy work schedule, and Chris and his father had very different views on life. Also, after Chris had been lied to about his father’s relationships for years, he didn’t know what to believe. However, I don’t believe that Krakauer emphasized these relationships enough in Into the Wild because these relationships could have been the very reason Chris decided to venture off into the wild.
