A true adventure of a lifetime

A true Adventure of a lifetime 

“Two years he walks the earth, no phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the roads. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, ‘cause “the West is the best.” And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure, the climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the great white North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. – Alexander Supertramp, May 1992"(Krakauer 163).

Inspiration or fool?

This part from the book show exactly how McCandless feels about his life journey so far. From the context he is, proud and content from living with no luxuries. He is also excited for his Alaskan adventure. Maybe he intends to die in the wilderness, he constantly writes his "final" adventure and "Thou shalt not return" this could imply that he is walking into the wilderness to die. This part also shows that he flees to the American west for independence and freedom. He also like that he is alone far from society in a which is his ultimate freedom. He also feels as if this final journey can be his chance to not only live freely for the first time in his life, but to also experience living completely, even if he dies young.

An inspiration at a cost?

An inspiration, at a cost?

“Seven weeks after the body of his son turned up in Alaska wrapped in a blue sleeping bag that Billie had sewn for Chris from a kit, Walt studies a sailboat scudding beneath the window of his waterfront townhouse. ‘How is it,’ he wonders aloud as he gazes blankly across Chesapeake Bay, ‘that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?’" (Krakauer 103-104).

Prompt: Inspiration or Fool?

Everyone is destined to do something great in life, in doing that they also inspire others to do something great. McCandless was a very compassionate person, he embarked on a two year quest to get away from his belief that the American society was greedy, selfish and unjust. He was an inspiration because of this, but it came at the cost. McCandless cut himself off from his family. Krakauer continuously thorough out the book try to figure out why he did it? Why did such a caring, compassionate person be so selfish and completely cut all ties off from his family and leave them?

A lifetime of adventure: Solace or Sucicide?

Solace or Sucicide? 

"Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” (Krakauer 69) 

Prompt: Inspiration or fool?

So far from reading part of McCandless's life story I can't help but think, was he really adventuring into the wilderness to find solace or to commit Sucicide? Well, many can acknowledge the danger of hitchhiking across the United States, some can also interpret that it is his arrogance that keeps him going. He feels as if this journey can be his chance to not only live freely for the first time in his life, but to also experience living completely and independently by himself. At this moment he feels that this is worth it. However, living completely  and independently come with a cost of support but sometimes being alone and away can lead to what he is looking for, amity with God and tranquility, hopefully in time he will find it.