What Kind of Person was Chris McCandless?

Into The Wild is a novel by John Krakauer, that tells the story of Chris McCandless. Chris McCandless was a hiker and internet traveler from El Segundo, CA who was also known by the name of Alexander Supertramp. He came from a well to do upper-middle class family in Virginia, and was set to live well to do life. But Chris McCandless didn’t want to live a life of materialism and decided to become a nomad and go into the wild.

Chris McCandless was a person who was not an idiot and was actually really smart. He died because he made a mistake that anyone else could have made. If Chris McCandless really was an idiot, he wouldn’t have survived in Alaska for 113 days, especially since he was not well equipped like most others would have been, which goes to show his resourcefulness. He brought with him basic clothes, personal care items, camping supplies, a tent, a small library of his favorite books, ten pounds of rice, and a used rifle. Most people wouldn’t be able to survive as long as Chris McCandless did if they brought the same stuff.

Chris McCandless was not only smart, but he was also a hard worker unlike a lot of people. A character in the book who employed Chris McCandless at his grain elevator sayed, I’ve given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years…Most of them weren’t much good, didn’t really want to work. It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. Didn’t matter what it was…hard physical labor; nucking rotten grain and dead rats out of the bottom of the hole-jobs where you’d get so damn dirty you couldn’t even tell what you looked like at the end of the day. And he’d never quit…If he started a job he’d finish it. It was almost like a moral thing for him. Chris McCandless, unlike a large majority of the population, was not only willing to do hard physical work, but he also wanted to. Chris McCandless reminds me of myself because I too enjoy physical work.

Chris McCandless was also a politically involved person and was concerned with global affairs again, much like myself. Chris McCandless’ mother, Billie said in the book, Chris started complaining about all the rich kids at Emory. More and more of the classes he took addressed such pressing social issues as racism and world hunger and inequities in the distribution of wealth…Chris’ political leanings could not be described as liberal…he delighted ridiculing the policies of the democratic party and was a vocal admirer of Ronald Reagan. Chris’ seemingly anomalous political positions were perhaps best summed up by Thoreau’s declaration in ‘Civil Disobedience’: I heavily accept the motto-‘That government is best that governs the least’ Chris McCandless again, reminds me of myself because he is a conservative and is passionate about politics and world affairs. Chris McCandless and I both believe that the government is better when it governs the least. However, one major difference between Chris McCandless and I is that he likes Ronald Reagan and I don’t.

What type of person was Chris McCandless? Was he an idiot who didn’t know what he was doing? I think he was actually intelligent, despite what other people say. If Chris McCandless was stupid, he wouldn’t have lasted for 113 days in Alaska and inspired so many people. Chris McCandless, at heart was a hard working and self motivated individual, which at the end of the day is something that you can’t really say about most people in this world.

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