No Guts, No Glory?

"In 1992, however, there were no more blank spots on the map - not in Alaska, not anywhere. But Chris, with his idiosyncratic logic, came up with an elegant solution to this dilemma: He simply got rid of the map" (Krakauer 174).

Inspiration or Fool?

    The fact that Chris's death was so avoidable is what really keeps me from seeing Chris as an inspiration. There is a part of me that admires him for his bravery and independence, yet many of his choices make him come off ignorant and arrogant. Chris, despite nearly everyone in this book describing him as smart, seems to be lacking in street smarts and self-preservation. Why would anyone venture into the wilderness that unprepared unless they hadn't bothered doing any research into what they might encounter? Even the greatest explorers prepare for their trips materialistically and have back-up plans. If Chris had more respect for the land and researched, and had just brought one up-to-date map, he wouldn't have died. If he had brought more food and more supplies, he could've held out and possibly survived. Sure, he may have found inner peace, but Chris left behind him a trail of heartbroken family members and friends. This entire book was very interesting, but my opinion hasn't wavered from the beginning of the book. Chris may not necessarily be a complete fool, but he did a very foolish thing. He had a lonely and painful death that was completely avoidable. I'm just saying, that Alaskan odyssey could've been done in a much more intelligent fashion.

To Trust (Or Not to Trust)

"After Chris unearthed the particulars of Walt's divorce, two years passed before his anger began to leak to the surface, but leak it eventually did. The boy could not pardon the mistakes his father had made as a young man, and he was even less willing to pardon the attempt at concealment" (Krakauer 122).

The Dynamics of a Family

     Stephen Covey, author of the book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", once said: "Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient to effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships" (Covey). I think this quote is extremely relevant to this story because it explains just how important trust is in a relationship. Without trust, even a family bond can break apart. Parents have exceptionally hard jobs with a huge amount of responsibilities. Universally, parents are expected to be caretakers, protectors, role models, and teachers. WHen a parents fails to achieve this responsibility, becoming sources of shame and fear instead, it can be traumatizing for their children. For Chris, this loss of trust not only resulted in Chris being embarrassed of his parents, but also made him view his life as a "lie", and drove him away. He couldn't forgive his father outrageous sins behind so many lies. His mother and father's hypocrisy and lies is probably what made Chris angry at society in the first place. His parents failed to be the role models Chris should've had growing up. If Chris had been raised under a caring and wholesome family, there is a real possibility that he wouldn't have taken such drastic measures,

Namaste

"He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget that they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London's romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subarctic wilderness" (Krakauer 44).

Inspiration or Fool?

        Chris McCandless, for all he stood for, was definitely more of a romanticist than a realist. Perhaps he was too sheltered to realize how hard and unforgiving the world truly is, or maybe he was so desperate to have a "true life and identity" that he wasn't thinking clearly, but he was not at all prepared for what he put himself through. Unfortunately, in real life, none of us have the safety of being the main character. We are not guaranteed to survive ridiculous odds and have a happy ending just because we want to. McCandless, while I do admire his bravery, comes off as a fool. A story, even if it's a realistic story, is still just a story. Chris reminds me of those people who travel to India to discover their "inner spirituality" due to books like "Eat, Pray, Love". Sure, it's a nice tale, but you are NOT guaranteed to find peace just because you stayed at a temple in India, nor is India just some mystical and spiritual place there for the purpose of helping foreigners meditate. In the same way, Alaska and other "wild" destinations aren't magical places that will solve all your problems. Chris is a victim of his own fantasies and perhaps, desperation.