In his text Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer investigates the two-year journey of a young boy who was driven as much by recklessness as he was by passion. The boy, Chris McCandless, had set out in 1990 to pursue a daring dream: survival in the Alaskan bush. During his travels, he encountered many people who were willing to help him with his trek, but he refused most of their offers. On his own, McCandless accomplished many feats of survival in the wild, but, having underestimated the swollen rivers of summer, died in his effort to last beyond his initial expectations. And though he may have displayed some admirable traits throughout his journey, McCandless’ inconsiderateness in his interactions with other people prevents him from being someone to truly admire. One of McCandless’ first acts of inconsideration was his decision to cut contact with his family.
While Chris might have viewed the act as something righteous and empowering, it was also cruel. This cruelty tarnishes the boy’s reputation as someone who could be admirable. Perhaps Chris did not realize the extent to which his disappearance would affect his family, but not caring to consider something so important is not something that is easily pardoned. Krakauer provides some insight into the home life of Chris McCandless, detailing some of the tension between the boy and his father. However, in spite of the unfaithfulness of his dad (121) and the “ignorant” offers of his parents, such as the suggested gift of a new car (2021), it was not fair of Chris to treat his family the way he did.
Chris’ parents only wanted what was best for their child, sometimes forgetting to take into consideration what would actually make him happy. But that is a mistake all parents make at least once. His sister, Carine, especially did not deserve to be abandoned by her brother. Chris and Carine were very close as siblings, and he would often talk with her about his concerns. Dropping a bond as close as theirs without any explanation is truly heartless. His family’s reaction to his death was not documented until the end of the text which may suggest a form of honor owed to Chris McCandlessi However, it cannot be denied that he also brought a great deal of pain to his parents and Carine, pain that could have been avoided had he kept in contact with them In addition to inconsiderate behavior, Chris also revealed a level of thoughtlessness in his reliance on Wayne Westerberg, a granary owner in South Dakota, Krakauer describes Wayne and the granary he owned as a kind of second family to Chris McCandless who frequently worked for the man.
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But Westerberg was merely a convenience to the boy While Wayne viewed Chris like a part of the family, the boy was far less invested in the relationship Chris did not think to consider that his constant presence in Westerberg’s life would affect the man, And although Chris made a point of keeping in contact with Westerberg, he only ever visited the older man when he needed moneyi While keeping someone for only for his advantages may be a good business strategy, such an act is considered heartless when it involves a certain level of intimacy as it did with Chris and Wayne, Chris’ one-track mind was focused only on himself and his trip to Alaska. Despite the boy’s act of burning his remaining money when he ditched his car at the beginning of his journey.
Chris understood that he still needed money in order to get to Alaska, and Westerberg had the means to satisfy that need. As Krakauer notes in the text, when Westerberg was arrested and it was clear that there would be no work for Chris, the boy left town and only returned once Westerberg was released and able to give Chris anotherjob. One could argue that Chris could have gone somewhere else so it was actually nice of him to work with Wayne, but getting a different job would have required more effort on Chris’ pan, Because Wayne thought so highly of Chris, a job at the granary was always guaranteed for the boy, making him more of an asset to Chris than anything else.
Throughout his journey, Chris also revealed some impertinence in his rejection to Ronald Franz’s request to make Chris his grandson. While Chris tried to make up for this behavior in a letter (56-58), there was still a level of inconsideration in that final message to him. It is this kind of carelessness that detracts from Chris’ other praiseworthy traitst Franz was old. He had lived a long life, and yet here was this boy giving him advice to further enjoy the world as if the old man knew nothing about it. Upon meeting Chris, Franz was drawn to the boy. Chris was so absorbed in his own goals, however, that he failed to notice how attached the old man was becoming to him.
It was not until Franz suggested adoption that Chris realized the danger in continuing to socialize with him. He did not give Franz a direct answer, but merely said they would talk about it later, a phrase often used in avoidance of an uncomfortable topic. Perhaps he was trying to spare Franz’s feelings by not saying no, but leaving an indefinite response as Chris did leads one to believe that the subject is still open for discussion, that there is still a chance, no matter how small, that the answer will someday be yes. And in some cases, that small sense of hope incurs a more relentless pain than rejection. Krakauer’s view of Chris McCandless is made clear by the end of the text.
As a mountaineer and a man who had also attempted a feat of survival, Krakauer admired Chris, in spite of the boy’s inconsiderate behavior People often overlook such negative qualities in the deceased, When someone dies, family and friends want him to be remembered not by his mistakes but by his accomplishments There is no penalty for thinking ill of the deceased, but neither is there any advantage in doing so. And so rather than dwell on one’s lesser qualities, people focus on the good in that person and what he has accomplished Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, for example, was ridiculed throughout his career after going through plastic surgery and being convicted of molestation.
But soon after his death, people began to honor him as if he were in his prime. Once again, his music was being played, and he was being praised. Like all people, Chris and MJ have qualities both worthy and unworthy of reverence. While there is a large difference between a hitchhiker and a singer, they had at least one commonality: both of theirjourneys reached out to people, enough to provoke responses from them, Chris has been equally praised and critiqued for Ihe slums he pulled on his two-year Lrek. In this case, his lesser qualities overshadow his good ones, making Chris McCandless someone who is unworthy of true admiration.
