YOU LOVE THIS
Laura Hagen
Simpson
Honors American Lit.
19 March 2008
The Ignorant Chris McCandless
In the non-fiction novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, the main character, Chris McCandless, abandons his life in Emory University in order to wander the United States. His adventures take him to various places, such as Mexico and along the West Coast. His journey ultimately takes him to Alaska, where, due to his ignorance and intentional unpreparedness, he dies at the young age of 24.
Throughout the story, Chris adheres to many of the ideals of Romanticism. Of these various Romanticism principles, Chris seems to take to heart of placing the individual above society and holding great respect for Nature the most. These ideals are the major factors that attribute to the death of Chris, as they almost created a false sense of being superhuman.
Chris was an extreme nonconformist, holding true to the Romanticism belief. This value of placing the individual over society allowed for Chris to become overconfident in himself. This overconfidence made him think that he could overcome any obstacles that the majority of society would have trouble with. However, this was a main contributor to his death.
Chris’s overwhelming belief in Nature also killed him. He felt that humans and Nature could always coexist and that humans placed too much value in overcoming Nature. This made Chris bring limited supplies so as to live with Nature, rather than conquering Nature. However, as many of the native Alaskans said in the various newspapers, living in the Alaskan wild is different from the other areas Chris had been used to. Chris did not bring enough supplies to coexist with Nature, much less to surmount it.
In the end, the Romanticism ideals that Chris has put so much value in led to his death in Alaska. While perhaps these ideals may not have killed him if he had truly lived by them, he grew overconfident and his ignorance in the amount of supplies to take with him created another being in Chris. This being thought that Chris was superhuman and could take on any challenge, but in the end this being was just arrogant and uninformed.
I am copying and pasting here because I don't feel like going downstairs to get my flash drive so I can print this at school tomorrow.
And I know the essay sucks, but I don't feel like writing a good one for a class that is comprised of mainly busywork.
SPRING BREAK IN ONE WEEK! :DDDD
I have a lot going on. o:
This week I have to do lots of stuff for the Internation Festival for Cultural Diversity Club. If you don't come I'll kick you. Hard.
I also need to read The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Thursday for U.S. History. Plus I need to watch 2 movies for extra credit for in there, take one of the SUPERHARD tests and do a Free Response Essay.
I need to read the remainder of The Catcher in the Rye for H. American Lit. I've read the book before, and I HATE it. But this teacher gives detail quizzes, so I need to reread it to know what color the sign was on the Wednesday that he licked a duck. Because that really helps to understand the plot.
Then for the weekend I need to go to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party, where you need to make your own crazy hat. Last year I won the award for best hat, which is on display outside the media center, if you are interested in seeing. I got the hat done for this year and I think it looks craptastic. xD I have Horny the Unicorn on the top and there are clouds underneath him and in the rim. I also have my name on a little cushion thing that is in the front of the hat in purple and white and is tied around the hat in purple ribbon. To offset the purple, I put dark chocolate Hershey's Kisses in the clouds. I put gold bells on the rim and they jingle when I walk. I think it needs something. I'm going to try and find some purple flowers to wrap around the hat somewhere.
After the party I need to pack because on Sunday I will be driving down to Amelia Island with my mom! :D I am soooo pumped. :D
I get back on Tuesday, and then sometime on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday I am going to Evaline's/Ashley's/India's house for a sleepover. xD We're not exactly sure what is happening or if all of us can even go.
Then on Thursday/Friday (if I don't have a sleepover on Thursday) I go to my Dad's. D: I really don't want to go, but my brother has to go there the whole week and he doesn't even know we're going to Amelia Island. So I am going over there to keep him company. *shrug*
And then once I get back to school...it's going to be STRESSFUL. D: I will be studying like CRAZY for my AP exams and EOCTs. Plus I need to study for the SATs that I am taking at the end of May. D: Then there are finals to worry about and grades and all that crap.
And then I am a senior. D: NOOOOOOOOOOOO.
*sigh* I just depressed myself out thinking about it.
Anyway, I need to go to bed. xD I only got 3 hours of sleep last night. Bleeeeeh.