Supertramp
Into the wild is more morbidly fascinating than
anything else. It is a journey
into the psyche of a young man who, with
seemingly all of the advantages that
late Twentieth Century America can arm
one with, decides to disappear into the
flotsam of the country playing the
part of an enlightened hobo (he takes the
moniker 'Supertramp' as a way to
christen his new identity). When I read I this
book I was infuriated with
Chris McCandless. It is normal to want to create a
reality where it is you
versus them. Who wants to work forty plus hours a week
for a boss who would
just as soon fire you so that he or she could keep their
indoor pool heated
during the winter? Who would want that really? No one. But
that is where
discipline comes in. This is what Chris lacked..." I went on
and on this
tangent. And for the most part I believed it. I honestly felt that
Chris
was a coward and an egotist. Chris McClandiss is thought by some to be
an
idealistic reckless youth. First off all, Why, I asked, would Chris take
photos
of himself if he planned to rough it for the sake of roughing it? Are
photos not
for the benefit of others to shuffle through while nodding in
amazement?
"You really killed a moose and ate it? Wow!" I saw Chris as a
poseur.
Chris' death is tragic and there is considerable talk of the
waste of potential
due to a 'lack of respect for the power of mother nature.'
Perhaps this is true
(McNamee). Perhaps if Chris emerged from those woods,
gaunt, weakened, and wise,
he would write a great American novel that would
touch the masses and remind us
all of our connection to the land. Most likely
Chris would leave the woods and
write a book, as his expressed an intent to
do, that would be published by a
small press and read only by his close
friends and family. Chris would continue
his pattern of a few months in
society followed by an exodus into the unknown.
His amazing tales would
be told over beers and a dishful of nuts but the rest of
us would never know
of Alex Supertramp. Chris died and that is what gives his
story the emotion
that makes a bestseller. And being a bestseller, we are here
talking about
it. And because we talk, some of us will learn. And that is the
point, isn't
it? Yes, it is safer to live by the rules our fathers and mothers
laid down
(a reader). Yes, it is wiser to wait until your body and mind are
strong
enough for a challenge until you drop yourself into it. But for some
people,
people like Chris; to live by the rules is a slow and painful
death.
Chris lived the life he loved and died for it. Second of all,
McClandiss is
thought by some to be an idealistic reckless youth. He seems to
be searching for
the truth and reality of his humanity, "to kill the false
beast
within." McClandiss's decisions are based on his revolt against
the
excessiveness of American Society. Others fulminated that he was a
reckless
idiots, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and
stupidity- and
was undeserving of the considerable media attention he
received (Krakauer 3). He
is a later version of what the Hippies attempted
when they left middle class
society to live off the land. McClandiss said
that he hoped to, "fix all
that was wrong with my life." When he is found
frozen to death in an old
bus no one is certain if his death was intentional
or a mistake (Smith). A
person like Chris McCandless who has everything in
the world is still
unsatisfied on what is around him. He has family, money
and a great education
that will soon be his great future but he thinks that
everything related to
wealth is sinful. Chris made a journey to search for
the true meaning of life
and escaped it pressures. He also tried to travel by
using his instincts in life
by living naturally without other's aide. Whereas
he helped people suffering of
hunger by donating all of his college money, he
forgot to help himself. Chris
called himself "Supertramp" which is ironic to
the fact that he didn't
survive nature's forces. Even though he died in his
final destination, he
finally realized that he fulfilled something, to have
freedom from everything.
Chris’ attitude can be seen in the teens
searching for the meaning of life,
taking risks, rebelling to authority and
not thinking of what lies ahead. In
conclusion, I felt terrible for the
family he neglected for his own selfish
reasons, as there was no apparent
need for him to totally divorce himself from
those that loved him.
McCandless' wish to be one with nature and to "rough
it" isn't a lifestyle
that necessarily precluded calling home every once
and a while, especially
since he'd occasionally return to civilization to work.
His adventure was
more foolish and dangerous than brave (he perished only a few
miles from
civilization), and his journals accounts are scant and don't have
much to
say. The author was obviously very interested in Chris McCandless'
story, and
seems to have done his homework, but there just isn't much there for
an
interesting read. In fact, because there was so little by way of
journal
entries, the best the author can come up with instead is relating
passages of
books McCandless was reading that he underlined or highlighted
(!). Sorry folks-
this guy just wasn't as deep as everyone wants to believe
he was. In my opinion,
the history of McCandless tells only one think. He was
a basket case and
completely lost. I don’t care about what were his ideas,
his dreams. You just
don’t throw your life away, like he did, with no reason
at all. It’s not
right!