Emotional Reaction

At the onset of the memoir I was under the impression that Chris McCandless had a more open-minded outlook on life.  I believed he was merely a voyager who was eager for excitement, and rather overestimated his abilities to live in the wild.  As if his quest was to enlarge his experience in life; something he found boring: “I simply felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life” (15). Yet as I read on it become clear that his stubborn ways drove him to begin this new life for himself; his inability to be a part of society. He was not searching outward for a new reality; instead he was running away from his current reality.

Within the book, there exists a great tension between Chris McCandless and his parents; their rigid relationship caused Chris McCandless to flee:"I'm going to divorce them as my parents once and for all and never speak to either of those idiots again as long as I live" (pg). Krakauer reveals a prevalent cause which drove Chris McCandless out into the vast wilderness. Chris McCandless’s animosity towards the conventional middle class way of living is evident: “NO LONGER TO BE POISENED BY THE CIVILIZATION HE FLEES, AND WALKS ALONE UPON THE LAND TO BECOME LOST IN THE WILD” (163). Chris McCandless rejection of family values makes this book that much more disturbing while also being intriguing.  The way he misled his parents into thinking he was receiving their letters, allowing him time to flee and not be discovered exhibited a strong sense of disregard for his parents. The desire to cause pain to his parents is not something I can understand nor do I condone his actions.