Introduction

 Chris McCandless is the name that is still on everyone's lips as are his motivation and the outcome of his journey, which made him famous. While there remains polemical status around his story, Jon Krakauer in the book Into the Wild reconstructs Chris’s journey, presents memories about the traveler. He provides several similar stories and attempts to represent several possible reasons which led Alexander Supertramp to his last adventure. The book is an effort to help the reader in understanding the fate and motivation which drew Chris in his life and serves as a warning for all the admirers of wild adventures. The desire of absolute and filtrated reality filled with freedom from all material impregnates Alex’s story.
   

 Chris, like one of his favorite character from Leo Tolstoy's novel, Pierre Bezukhov, sets his mind on a super-task. He abandons his formal lifestyle and takes a shot to make his dream of an Alaskan Odyssey come true. While Pierre was taken captive and received a second chance to re-think his choices, Chris had no such opportunity. Krakauer suggests several possible reasons that explain Alex’s choice. There were the primary causes of the decision as a desire for real freedom and renunciation of material values; and the minor reasons as want to gain unique experience, disgust of career making in modern society, thirst for trials, and life in the world away from temptations. 
        

 The need to obtain new experiences remained as a part of Chris’s need for freedom. For Alex, it was a way to feel alive again and again. In early April, Ronald A. Franz read the letter from Chris: “I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the beautiful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don’t settle down and sit in a location. Move around, be nomadic, make each day a new horizon” (Krakauer, 1996, p. 40). Jon Krakauer often quotes this concept of Chris's thinking. Simple communication with people and relations with them could not fulfill his heart desires. Time and time again Alex abandoned all the places he settled down on driven by the desire to experience new feelings and unique events. Moreover, antipathy to the concept of career didn’t promote the sedentary life too. Given that he was given all worldly possessions by his parents, he believed that he should explore the nature but finally his stubborn idealism led him to starve to death.   Walt and Billie advised him to further his education and attain a degree but he said that “careers were demeaning”. Twentieth-century inventions,” more of a liability than an asset and that he would do fine without one, thank you” (Krakauer, 1996, p. 79). 

Summing up the memories in this book, the majority of those who knew Alex in the work environment admit that he was a hardworking person and had all the abilities to build a successful career and to gain a lot of money as a result. However, earning was more like a game or a way to purchase the necessary. He was employed and assigned the job of distributing pizza and he could get a high salary. However, despite the fact he was intellectual and hardworking, he did not see the value for money, for him, the task was just a game (Krakauer, 1996, p. 84). As the career making the issues concerning money made Chris sick; This behavior made her son lose value for value for money and he did not see the importance of money in life but rather he described it as shameful and inherently evil (Krakauer, 1996, p. 80). He burned, left, easily gave away his money. Alex often refused to take useful things from his friends and friendly strangers. Such behavior was reckless, but also was a part of his desire to reject the material part of life and fulfill the awk.  At this point, he had suffered a lot his life was about to end. “Near the end of his trip, it turned out; Chris had gotten lost in the Mojave Desert and had nearly succumbed to dehydration” (Krakauer, 1996, p. 83). He was willing to sacrifice everything on his way to absolute freedom. Even in the darkest hours, when he knew, that the end was near, he wrote: “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!” (Krakauer, 1996, p. 136). He accomplished the primary goal.

Chris McCandless’s need to explore the world makes the theme of materialism apparent. First, his manhood destroys his life through making unwise decisions. He believed that wordily possessions will create a value in his life. However, he faces many hardships while trying to find his identity (Krakauer, 1996, p. 94). For him to live a free life, he had to bear the unbearable though he does not succeed.  It is worth saying that Chris’s life destruction is caused by his own fault of denouncing the American norms and decides to live a free life. He says that he does not feel comfortable in the society and his ideas on materialism drive him in the world. Since he is interested with material things, he does not see the allure of danger. Due to his arrogance and ignorance, he suffers from the consequences and starves to death.  In reality, when native Alaskans get the news of death, they say that the death is due to his incompetence and stupidity (Krakauer, 1996, p. 98).   The important point is that his decision to be isolated with the society ruins his life.

 

 Chris McCandless needs an ultimate freedom and he does not listen to the advices since he wants to life a free life without rules and regulations. In conversion between him and Gallien,  it is apparent that Chris  want freedom as he states that he hates the rules and hunting license provided by the government (Krakauer, 1996, p. 40). An important point to note is that for him to achieve an ultimate freedom, he believes that total isolation is an important element which will guide him toward achieving the freedom.

 

Conclusion

 

Chris McCandless remains as an example of how pride can throw over the perch talented and gifted people. Characters of his favorite authors often suffered from the same ideas and weaknesses. Creators of these book heroes mostly did not absolutize their thoughts in lifestyle though Alex did not see that. He was a stubborn black-and-white thinker, whose dream of absolute freedom and rash moved away from the essential idea of rationalism. Like Tolstoy’s Father Sergius, Chris’s desire led him to the forest far from the temptations. Unfortunately, his luck could not last forever. The absolute freedom was achieved, but the cost was unreasonably high.

 

 

 

Reference

 Krakauer, J. (1996). Into the wild. New York: Villard Books.