Isolation from The Society: Heroism Or Foolishness

In 1990, a young man named Chris McCandless decided to isolate himself from his family and begin his journey to Alaska. He arrived at his final destination; The Stampede Trail, in April of 1992, now 24 years old. He lasted 112 days before dying of starvation. His story was retold through Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Some people view McCandless as a hero for showing people that you can be independent from society. However, I say that Chris McCandless is a fool for throwing his life that was heading to good places away.

Chris McCandless was a stubborn but smart young man. He got very good grades and could have gone to a nice graduate school, but didn’t pursue that opportunity. He was also an athlete so he had the opportunity to make friends, but chose not to. He also had a savings of $25,000 and he gave it away. He could’ve use the money to live a regular life. Instead of living living life like a normal person he decided to disappear without telling his family and hike into Alaska. Even the way he traveled was foolish. When he started his hike, his odds for surviving were already low because it’s almost impossible to hike through Alaska alone. His foolishness continues through his lack of supplies and food. He only brought a bag of rice to eat. The rifle he brought wasn’t powerful enough to take on a grizzly bear or any bear if he saw one, so he was not able to protect himself.

Chris can be known as a fool because he underestimated the value of education, family, and and prepare for properly surviving in the wilderness of al when he started his hike alone.Chris foolishly went out into the wild without any experience or plan to survive. He should not be labeled as hero or role model. However, attempting to hike in Alaska to prove to people that they can do what they want with their lives, be independent, and make their decisions without the influence of others. Through his determination to fulfill his own dreams despite the criticism he was met with by his peers, he inspires people to take control of their own lives. Chris tells Ron, a retired army veteran who he meets in his travels, “Look Mr. Franz, you don’t need to worry about me. I am not destitute, I am living like this by choice” (Into the Wild, Pg. 51).

McCandless shows how being independent and not relying on others is something everyone can do. In some people’s eyes, Chris is a hero and in others, Chris is a fool. Chris is saying that, “It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, is your God-given right to have it” (Jon Krakauer, Into the Wild). He had good intentions, but pursued them foolishly.