Into the Wild editorial paper

Mrs. Zurkowski

Green

April 11, 2011

Man Meets His Doom in a Run- Down Bus

By: Xavia

               

Imaging walking into the wild… alone. Well, that’s what Chris McCandless did. He said, “I read somewhere... how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong... but to feel strong.” He tried to prove he was strong by living in the wilderness. It turns out he was wrong. He died in Fairbanks, Alaska because he was unprepared. I firmly believe that Chris should not have left his home, abandoned his family, and tried to “live off the land” without taking enough supplies.

He left his family without a trace. After he left, he didn’t say good bye or ever call his parents. Even Gaylord Stuckey asked him if he called home or if his parents knew where he was. He said, “I also begged and pleaded with him to call his parents. I can’t imagine anything worse than having a son out there and not knowing where he’s at for years and years, not knowing whether he’s living or dead.”(Krakauer, 160) Unfortunately, he did not call. His parents did not know where he was until they found out he was dead.

His biggest goal in life was to go to Alaska. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could survive in the wilderness. He did for 112 days until August 18 when his body was found in Fairbanks 142 bus. During his time in Alaska, he hunted squirrels, a moose, ducks, porcupines, and birds and collected berries. The only thing he regretted killing was the moose because he could not preserve it. The berries turned out to be the cause of his death because he ate moldy seeds. If he was more careful where he stored the seeds, he might have lived. “The plant that poisoned him wasn’t toxic, per se; McCandless simply had the misfortune to eat moldy seeds.” (194).

Chris McCandless also wasn’t ready to lead a life in the wild. First, he did not have enough knowledge to survive that long in the wild. He did not know how to preserve the moose meat. He should have known that smoking the meat would not work. He also should not have shot the moose because it turned out to be very small. He said himself, “Maggots already! Smoking appears ineffective. Don’t know, looks like disaster. I now wish I had never shot the moose. One of the greatest tragedies of my life.” (114) Second, he didn’t have a good map of the area. If he had a topographic map, he might have known that a ranger station was very close to the bus.

Some say that Chris McCandless was a hero for following his dreams. They also say it was right to leave his family without a trace because they would hold him back. Well, you should not leave your family. His parents, Walt and Billie McCandless, and his sister, Carine, were very upset and traumatized that he left. Billie always left a note on the door just in case Chris came home. Even Ron Franz, an 81 year old man, was so upset when Chris died that he became an atheist. Chris finally came to his senses at the end of the book when he realized that, “HAPPINESS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED”(189). 

I hope that you realize that Chris McCandless is a nut after you read this article. He only thought about himself and not how it would affect others he knew. I thought he was quite selfish.  His pleasures were the only thing that mattered to him. He should not have left his house, betrayed his family, and attempted to live in the wild without being more prepared.