McCandless vs. Thoreau

• "It is the experience, the memories, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found." (Page 43)

These are the words McCandless wrote in his journal before he went to Las Vegas. He had already been on his journey for some time. I believe McCandless felt more alive on the road traveling then staying in one place and going through the motions of life, but he wanted everyone to live their life on the edge and take risks. He thought the more chances you take and memories you make, the more satisfied you will be with it in the end. McCandless lived by this himself and was content with his life and the impact he made with it. Living your life is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel and reflected in the works of Thoreau, who McCandless was fond of. A copy of Walden, by Thoreau, was discovered in the bus where he was found, and it is no surprise they share the same ideology. One Thoreau aphorism is "However mean your life is, meet it and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names." which is very similar to what McCandless wrote and believed.

• "It seems that McCandless was drawn to women but remained largely or entirely celibate, as chaste as a monk. Chastity and moral purity were qualities McCandless mulled over long and often." (Page 71)

Intimacy was a serious topic to McCandless. His innocence is shocking for our society today. Everywhere we look there are sexual connotations. It is in the media, advertisements, and the music we listen to; even our society is stunned by a young man denying temptations of the flesh. His decision is commendable. He went against what is expected, but was he driven by other things? McCandless had a passion for running and being able to be free. This reflects his free, stubborn, and passionate personality. He was just passionate about nature and other issues he thought were important. His chastity is very similar to Thoreau and another way they share the same ideology. Thoreau believed being a genius or hero is correlated with celibacy and remained a virgin his whole life. When McCandless' body was discovered, he had highlighted a quote from Walden saying "Chastity is the flowering of man; and what are called Genius, Heroism, Holiness, and the like, are but various fruits which succeed it." Perhaps, McCandless looked up to this idea and valued it.

• "Chris' seemingly anomalous poltical postions were perhaps best summed up by Thoreau's declaration in "Civil Disobedience": 'I heartily accept the motto- "That government is best which governs least."' (Page 126)

McCandless' actions display this belief. When he ditched his car, he avoided the law by taking his licenses plates and burning his money. When he filled out one of his tax forms, he said it was not any of their business. He thought that privacy in the government was best. This is similar to Thoreau because of his quote "That government is best which governs least." Thoreau believed in privacy too. Thoreau and McCandless shared a lot of the same ideology.

• "The fruits eaten temperately need not ashamed of our appetites, nor interrupt the worthiest pursuits. But put an extra condiment into your dish, and it will poison you." (Page 171)

McCandless hightlighted this passage from Thoreau's Walden. Next to it he wrote "The Moose." McCandless had killed a moose a couple of days earlier, but he did not know how to cure the meat properly so it went to waste. He felt terrible about this. To live off the land, like he was doing, would require him not to waste. He was trying to eat simply. Thoreau's belief was to eat for the sake of staying alive not for entertainment or flavor. McCandless was trying to following the Transcendentalist life style. Krakauer quotes Thoreau throughout the novel to compare the views of McCandless and Thoreau. They shared most of the same views. Perhaps, McCandless wanted to follow Thoreau's lifestyle.

• "McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul." (Page 186)

Other Transcendentalist, such as Thoreau, exculeded themselves from society to reflect about it and connect with nature. McCandless is different because he went into the wild for different reasons. He went on his journey because he was trying to find himself. McCandless was frustrated with his life and the things that had occurred. He was always different and fond of nature. He found happiness in his passion for nature.

Krakauer's attitude toward McCandless

• "Although he was rash, untutored in the ways of the backcountry, and incautious to the point of foolhardiness, he wasn't incompetent- he wouldn't have lasted 113 days if he were. And he wasn't a nutcase, he wasn't a sociopath, he wasn't an outcast. McCandless was something else- although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps." (Page 90)

Krakauer is concluding, from what he knows of McCandless, that he is a sane individual, if not brilliant. After he wrote the article about McCandless he received many letters saying that McCandless had a death wish going in to the Alaskan wilderness without experience. However, Krakauer had an experience very similar and can relate to McCandless and his hunger for adventure. He does not think McCandless was batty but as an explorer.

• "...but Christopher Johnson McCandless came into the world with unusual gifts and a will not easily deflected from its trajectory." (Page 110)

Based on the information Krakauer has collected about McCandless, he concludes he is a unique and stubborn individual. Not many people attempt the journey McCandless did. He took a major risk and it cost him his life. McCandless was not going to change for anyone and was going to do what he wanted. I think Krakauer understood McCandless complex personality.

• "It would be easy to stereotype Christopher McCandless as another boy who felt too much, a loopy young man who read too many books and lacked even a modicum of common sense. But the stereotype isn't a good fit. McCandless wasn't some feckless slacker, adrift, and confused, racked by existential despair. To the contrary: His life hummed with meaning and purpose." (Page 187)

After the article about McCandless was published, many people considered him a foolish boy. Krakauer disagreed with them. He saw McCandless as someone who was finding the meaning of life. Krakauer looked past the stereotypical remarks about him and tried to find what McCandless was looking for. He puts in his opinions throughout the novel and they are consistent in stating he understands McCandless.

• "But i believe we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers. And I suspect we had similar intensity, a similar heedlessness, a similar agitation of the soul." (Page 159)

Krakauer compares himself to McCandless. They both had a strained relationship with their fathers. This influenced both of them deeply. They both had a passion for the wild. Krakauer was a mountain climber and traveled the same path McCandless did in Alaska. I think Krakauer saw some of himself in McCandless. This made it easier for Krakauer to sympathize with McCandless and why he did what he did.

• "...like Chris McCandless, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic." (Page 159)

Krakauer saw other similarities between himself and McCandless. They are both passionate people and misunderstood their feelings. They both thought they understood the world when they still had a lot of life ahead of them. Krakauer related his own life to McCandless. He understood the risks McCandless took because he took some life and death risks too.

Society's attitude toward McCandless

• "He was polite, friendly, well-groomed. 'He seemed extremely intelligent,' Franz states..." (Page 56)

McCandless was raised in a privileged house. He had a loving family, was a bright student, and very athletic. He would have had a good future if he lived his life according to his parents. But his charm is what touched so many peoples' lives. He made such an impact on Ronald Franz, after his death Franz followed McCandless' advice. He moved out in his camper and became an atheist. McCandless had a charming personality and many grew fond of him and morned his death. Despite the fact he was a wanderer, he kept up with his personal hygiene.

• "'Chris was good at almost everything he ever tried.' Walt reflects, 'which made him supremely overconfident. If you attempted to talk him out of something, he wouldn't argue. He'd just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted.'" (Page 121)

McCandless was a stubborn and talented individual. His confidence is what made him think he could last in the Alaskan wilderness on his knowledge. While he did last a long time, he did not make it back from his trip. He was stubborn enough not to listen to anyone or accept. This is one of his character traits that makes him strong. It shows he is independent and does not need anyone to help him. This could also be one of his weaknesses because everyone needs assistance every once in awhile. McCandless was also polite enough not to argue when someone told him not to do something. It displays how level his temper was. He was not an angry individual.

• "Chris marches to a different drummer." (Page 110)

McCamdless' uniqueness was recognized by most. Everyone who knew him knew he was not your average boy. He is a driven and stubborn person. This is an allusion to Thoreau. One of Thoreau's most famous quotes was " If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer." McCandless heard another drummer. He admired the works of Thoreau. I found it funny they made an allusion to Thoreau when describing McCandless.

• "He could be generous and caring to a fault, but he had a darker side as well, characterized by monomania, impatience, and unwavering self-absorption, qualities that seemed to intensify through his college years." (Page 123)

McCandless was caring and kind to everyone he met. He would be dependable and helps them as much as he could. But McCandless was obsessed with nature and the injustices in the world. They consumed him. As he grew older, he became more aware of the injustices in the world until he reached his breaking point and left on his trip. McCandless was a good person, but he had his faults just like everyone else.

• "'Personally I see nothing positive at all about Chris  McCandless's lifestyle or wilderness doctrine,' scolded another correspondent. 'Entering the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky.'" (Page 76)

The person who said this did not know McCandless personally, but read the article about him. They did not agree with McCandless' decisions and thought he had a death wish. This is an example of how McCandless was misunderstood by society. McCandless was very different from your typical person. If you cannot relate to McCandless in anyway, chances are you will not understand why he did what he did.

McCandless' attitude toward a flawed society.

• "'Chris didn't understand how people could be possibly be allowed to go hungry, especially in this country,' says Billie. 'He would rave about that kind of thing for hours.'" (Page 117)

McCandless was very passionate about living off the only supplies you need to survive, but here are people who don't even have the means to get what they need. I think he was very frustrated with society because they did not stop and talk with the homeless even though they are people too and would enjoy the company. Our society believes money makes you better than the less fortunate. McCandless saw past this. Even though he came from a privileged family, he had compassion for them and took time to buy them a meal. I think he wanted others to embrace his lifestyle. I found it tragically ironic how passionate he felt about people going hungry in America when starvation played a role in his death.

• "More and more of the classes he took addressed such pressing social issues as racism and world hunger and inequities in the distribution of wealth." (Page 126)

This displays how McCandless believed in social equality that he did not see in the world. The classes he took are more ways he fought in a way for what he believed. When he was a teenager, he would spend his weekends giving food to the homeless and would talk for hours about what he did not think was right. When he was in college, he took classes and educated himself on the subjects he did not agree with. His educated sparked something in him to act on what he believed, and he did by living off the land. The issues he liked to study are issues debated to this day. We still struggle with equality. I think that is what he really wanted to see, everyone receive the same opportunity.

• "Chris was very much of the school that you should own nothing execpt what you can carry on your back at a dead run." (Page 37)

For most people, you could not pack up your house and carry it on your back let alone run with it. To do this it would require simple living which our culture is not familiar with. We have the access to numerous products at a very low cost. Advertisements tell us to buy more and keep up with the changing trends, and we do so desperately because we want to fit in with society. McCandless lived the simple, almost monk lifestyle. This suited his nomadic life, but went against how we all live. He did not value materialistic things but what really was important- living your life.

• "So many peole live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future." (Page 62)

McCandless believed there was an adventurer in all of us and we should take life as it comes at us. From the time we begin our lives, we are planning our futures; what career are we going to have, what we are doing this weekend, where we will attend school, we plan our road trips and vacations, everything we do is planned first. Instead of fretting over our plans, let go and go with the motions. Then you will really be living your life. McCandless' behavior reflects this. He had no clue where he was going to go on his trip; he went where the wind blew. By doing this, he did not worry what tomorrow may hold. If you follow the route McCandless took, he traveled all the way from the east coast to the west coast and as far down as Mexico to as far north as Alaska. He risked his life in all the places he went, but did it for the thrill.

• "During that final year in Atlanta, Chris had lived off campus in a monkish room furnished with little more than a thin mattress on the floor, milk crates, and a table." (Page 29)

This is another way McCandless actions speak louder than his words. He believed in a simple lifestyle and lived by it. The simplicity of his life is conveyed through the novel. When he was living in one place, he did not furnish it with luxury items and conveniences, but rather basic things. He does not keep or buy objects he does not need to survive. This is a sharp contrast with our society today.