Problems with the fam

"McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family." (Krakauer 55).  

Topic: The Dynamics of Family

Chris McCandless anti-societal habits were most notable in the way he interacted with those close to him.  McCandless view on society was mostly affected by his biological family which seemed to be perfect on the outside but in reality was a total mess.  Chris also did not have a good relationship with his Father.  As stated in Carine McCandless TED talk in TED x Emory Chris wanted to distance himself away from his parents as soon as he could.  Later, he did the same to his sister and other people that he became close to during his 2 year hitch hike around America.  Chris McCandless, otherwise known as Alex Supertramp to the people he met during his journey; has the tendency to walk away from problems rather than trying to fix them.  This is not the best way to handle a problem because it often leads to even bigger consequences.

Making the most of your life

"You are still going to live a long time, Ron, and it would be a shame if
you did not take the opportunity to revolutionize your life and move into an
entirely new realm of experience.
You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human
relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything
we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our
habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.
My point is that you do not need me or anyone else around to bring this new
kind of light in your life. It is simply waiting out
there for you to grasp it, and all you have to do is reach for it. The only
person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new
circumstances." (Krakauer 65).

Topic: Inspiration or fool?

To me, this is the most powerful paragraph that I have read in the novel because it is the one that I can most relate to.  A motto that my family lives by is "life is not about how long it is, but what you make of it". In other words, life is about quality, not quantity.  In this paragraph, Chris McCandless writes to Ron Franz and tells him that he needs to get out there and see the world. Chris feels that Ron is not seizing the opportunity to enjoy life even though he has the potential to.  Chris points out that both he and Franz are very stubborn, but that they are stubborn about different things.  Chris also points out that to engage in this type of lifestyle you have to be out of your comfort zone and turn against our habitual lifestyle.  I still think that McCandless is an inspiration because even though he can be stubborn at times, he also has the ability to impact other lives than his own.

Misconceptions

"When McCandless turned up dead in Alaska and the perplexing circumstances of his demise were reported in the news media, many people concluded that the boy must have been mentally disturbed." (Krakauer 70).

  Inspiration or Fool?
This quote relates to the essential question of Inspiration or fool because it show the initial public opinion addressing the question.  The general public was quick to assume that Chris McCandless had mental issues because they weren't given background on his life and his motives.  As explained by his sister; Carine in her TED talk in TEDxEmory, Chris did not have a good relationship with his parents and slipped out of their life as soon as he could. He also did not want to be confined in the rules of society; in other words, he wanted to live a different life than what society told him to.  With that being said, I would not judge the general public for coming to the conclusion of Chris McCandless being mentally disturbed. The reason being that is his sister did not want the author of "Into the Wild" to include background information on Chris.  She also did not open up about Chris McCandless early life until her TED talk in Emory more than ten years after the book was released.  To me Chris is an inspiration because although his life was cut short he lived it to the fullest.