Leaving a Legacy

"I have had a happy life and thank the lord.  Goodbye and may God bless you all" (Krakauer 199).  

Inspiration or Fool?

Many people know about Chris McCandless's adventure into the wild and say how foolish he was.  They think that he was foolish because of the lack of survival needs he packed for his trip.  It was foolish of him to be so unprepared for a trip of that duration, however, it was clear that Chris was at peace with himself during his travels and when he passed away.  Chris had had a hard life growing up and he was always escaping on mini adventures to reevaluate his life.  This big trip he went on allowed him to escape his toxic life in Annandale and see what the rest of the world had to offer him.  Chris died at peace somewhat accomplishing his dreams and meeting amazing people on his way that were forever changed after talking with him. He also left a legacy of himself, inspiring more people to go after their dreams when they can because life is too short, and there should be nothing to fear about accomplishing your dreams.  Chris ended his life exactly where he wanted to be; peaceful in the wild.

Siblings Will Always Stick Together

"He was always really nice to me," Carnie says, "and extremely protective.  He'd hold my hand when we walked down the street. When he was in junior high and I was still in grade school, he got out earlier than me, but he'd hang out a his friend Brian Paskowitz's house so we could walk home together" (Krakauer 110).

The Dynamics of Family

Having a sibling is a privilege, because kids who are an only child miss out on a special bond siblings share.  If you have a brother or sister, you know that there is always someone, other than your parents, who will look out for you and be your best friend for life.  Siblings are somewhat forced to be best friends because they are related by blood, however, the way they treat one another is a choice.  Chris and his little sister Carnie were best friends.  He was very protective of Carnie and never made her feel unwanted, like how he had felt from his parents.  They knew that they needed to have each other's back because of their parent's lack of support and attention.  Chris made sure to always have Carnie's back because he did not want her growing up very independent and isolated, like he had, and made sure that their parent's lack of attention and their arguments did not distract her from having a "normal" life.  I think Chris also acted this way because he did not want Carnie thinking that the way their parents acted was acceptable and that she should model their behavior.  Not only does this show how thoughtful and caring Chris was to his sister and the people he met on his adventure, but how great of a role model he was to Carnie. 

Adopting a New Life

"Driving west out of Atlanta, he intended to invent an utterly new life for himself, one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience.  To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name" (Krakauer 22-23).


Topic: The Dynamics of Family


It is apparent why a person who has experienced the life that Chris McCandless had growing up would want to start fresh.  It is easy to see why people in those situations want to escape, travel, and go on adventures without knowing where they would end up and what/whom they would encounter.  Those kinds of people are wanting to create a new life and see what the world has to offer them, instead of saying in their same little town to be trapped there forever.  Chris McCandless had grown up in a life where no one was around to pay attention to him or if people were around it was for the wrong reasons.  Not having any support from his family made him feel unwanted.  Once he was able to drive, he took his car out on mini trips by himself.  When he would be getting ready to leave, he would alert his parents of his escapes into the wilderness alone, but they never thought about when the last time they would see him would be.  They never paid attention to when he would be leaving.  Feeling uncared for in his life, Chris wanted to start fresh and create a life for himself where he would enjoy the things he would come across with on his travels.  By changing his name, it allowed Chris to never be found by his parents and be sucked back into his "old" miserable life.