Into the wild

Essay by alan_duHigh School, 10th gradeA+, November 2004

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Into the wild is more morbidly fascinating than anything else. It is a journey into the psyche of a young man who, with seemingly all of the advantages that late Twentieth Century America can arm one with, decides to disappear into the flotsam of the country playing the part of an enlightened hobo (he takes the moniker 'Supertramp' as a way to christen his new identity). When I read I this book I was infuriated with Chris McCandless. It is normal to want to create a reality where it is you versus them. Who wants to work forty plus hours a week for a boss who would just as soon fire you so that he or she could keep their indoor pool heated during the winter? Who would want that really? No one. But that is where discipline comes in. This is what Chris lacked... I went on and on this tangent.

And for the most part I believed it. I honestly felt that Chris was a coward and an egotist. Chris McClandiss is thought by some to be an idealistic reckless youth. First off all, Why, I asked, would Chris take photos of himself if he planned to rough it for the sake of roughing it? Are photos not for the benefit of others to shuffle through while nodding in amazement? You really killed a moose and ate it? Wow! I saw Chris as a poseur. Chris' death is tragic and there is considerable talk of the waste of potential due to a 'lack of respect for the power of mother nature.' Perhaps this is true (McNamee). Perhaps if Chris emerged from those woods, gaunt, weakened, and wise, he would write a great American novel that would touch the masses and remind us all of our connection to...