Into the Wild Essay Chris McCandless, the protagonist from Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, was

inspired by Thoreau's Walden and Jack London's White Fang to go into the wild with the minimal things to survive. These writers inspired him to reject the current material society and to seek a new life based on his own belief, which he thought it could only be achieved by entering the wilderness and abandoning human contact. Dreaming of living with the minimum requirement needed to stay alive, McCandless went into the wild to discover that happiness is only real when shared (179?), which he found out too late to share his happiness. McCandless was just different from others that he was able to take into action on what he believed; however, this characteristic of Chris cannot always be honored because it lead to a tragic outcome. Because McCandless had respectful ideas, a lot of people still appreciate his goals. Before going onto his trip, Chris gave all of his savings to Oxfam International because he disgusted the modern societys materialism. While his friends spent their weekend partying, he would go talk and give food to the homeless (114). This example shows his will and effort to make everyone equal under money. He had capabilities to be rich because he was talented since he was a little child, but he chose to stay poor throughout the journey. He set moral standards and continually measures himself and everybody around him to these standards. After figuring out that his father continued having relationships with his ex-wife, he stopped communicating with his parents. His straight convictions help him to make friends during the journey. However, these same beliefs cause him to starve to death because of his overconfidence and unpreparedness. His bravery to let down everything that he had should be admired, but his decision to stop communicating with his family when he abandoned all his possessions, which caused them to worry for months, should be condemned. His parents, Walt and Billie, were terribly concerned over [his] vanishing act, (31) so they reached for help to find him as hard as they can. They reminisce that time to be terrible (125). Worrying over him every single night, Billie even heard Mom! Help me! at midnight on the day when Chris was starving to death (126). This shows how much his parents cared for him, how much they wanted to find him, and how much they loved him, but Chris simply did not care about them. Despite their effort to find him, they could not find him until he was found dead in Alaska. After Sam, Walts first son, heard the news that Chris died, he worries, how do you tell someone that their child is dead? (102). After Chris parents heard this same heartbreaking news, they either stopped eating or started eating compulsively as if they were trying to compensate for what killed their son. Even after ten months after his death, his family members still grieves deeply for her brother and their son (131). If he intended to come back alive from Alaska, he should have remembered the Boy Scout rule number one: Be Prepared (71). Because of his mistake not to bring a map and enough food, he could not find his way out even though he could have walked for half a mile to rescue himself, and eventually starved to death. Chris tried to live up to an expectation of himself that he derived from literary works, however, he became "enthralled by these tales that he seemed to [forgot] they were works of fiction" (44). Even though his intentions should be admired, [w]hy would any son cause his parents and family such permanent and perplexing pain?" (71). He should not have gone into the wild without being prepared, because he gave his family an unforgettable memory for the rest of [their lives] (203). Thus, Chris bravery to try what he believed is truly creditable, but the tragic outcome outweighs his courage. Only if he was prepared, he could have come back, and his family would not have to keep this unfortunate memory. He wanted to discover a life without responsibility, possessions, people, and money, but in doing so, he went to his death because of lack of preparation and supplies. Because he did not live out his life with what he had explored, his action to abandon everything is just a tragic one.