into the wild #2

Chris McCandless and John Mallan have many similarities, a big one is having issues with parents. John's dad left when he was younger, and it really changed him emotionally. John has certain hobbies, that im almost positive Chris would enjoy, rock climbing and going for walks. John was sort of an outdoorsman kind of guy, much like Chris was, or at least tried to be. Both are in a sense socially awkward, with a sense of humor of course. John and Chris have both attended college, so they are both pretty intelligent guys. I believe John may have influenced Chris just by being himself. John seems like a pretty successful guy, being the third youngest to climb Mt. McKinley, and first to reach the summit of Mt. Hunter. I believe that Chris realized John was at peace when climbing, and Chris wanted to be at peace as well. For Chris, living in the wild was his mountain climbing, his peace.

Into the Wild #1

The book Into the Wild, Chris McCandless decides to "live off the land" in Denali National park located in Alaska. Chris McCandless was a very stubborn man, he had a mission and wasn't going to let anyone stop him. A question people can't seem to answer is, Why did he do this? Seen on page 6, Chapter 1, Chris talks to Gallien about his family. He hasnt seen any of them in two years, which leads to beleive that he may have had family issues in the past. If that's the case, Chris is probably eager to be free of them, be his own man. In page 40, Chapter five, the McDonalds employee explains how Chris never wanted to wear socks. This has a huge psychological connection. Chris was asked by the employees to wear socks, and even shower. Chris clearly does not like to listen to people, so he of course worked at the McDonalds for a while, but later quit, and as soon as he quit he flung his socks off. I beleive this was his way of showing the employees that he was his own man, and that they didnt own him. As seen on page 65, Chapter seven, Chris hadnt had much success with women. A girl named Borah, whom he had danced with at a bar, said he was not very experienced. She said it was easy to tell he had not been with a girl before me. This i think shows that he is a very reserved person, which could and probably does relate back to his problem with his parents. Not having a healthy relationship with them, is affecting his social life. All of these examples show why he went looking for peace. He was not happy, and being alone was the only way he felt at peace.