`Into the Wild` by Jon Krakauer

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Those who have been left behind , by the death of Chris McCandless , are left to wonder why he went into the wild , seemingly unprepared to survive , and almost willing to die for the journey . McCandless was fearless as he traveled toward his destination , even though he had been warned of the conditions . Galien , the last person to have seen McCandless alive , forewarned him of the dangers he would be facing

br tried to offer him assistance , but McCandless refused his help . Was this his last stand ? Was it a selfish journey , leaving those to grieve in his absence ? Or was McCandless just trying to live his life to the fullest , as an adventurer , helping people along the way . McCandless had already achieved milestones in his life , by completing college . The life that he had at home , had been scorned by the lies of his father The wealth that his parents had achieved , clearly meant nothing to him unless it was used to assist others who were less fortunate . His family life had really only given him one view of the world , and perhaps his journeys provided him with an education that he didn 't get in college and a way to gain perspective , particularly of those people he would not have met otherwise . McCandless did not judge those who were less fortunate than himself , but regarded them as individuals , worthy of his time and his effort . McCandless was a generous thoughtful soul who cared more about others than he cared about himself

Merit can be found in the beliefs of those who found McCandless to be a selfish

individual and possibly even mentally unstable . He had already taken travels that nearly ended

his life , as in the Mojave Desert . Why would he leave , yet again without informing his family

where he was going ? Why would he take risks that were unnecessary ? His journey through life

seemed scattered , with no direction . He often kept to himself , not sharing with others

information about his past . He even went by a different name , trying to keep his past a mystery

His family described him as conflicted . He must have known that his family would try to stop

him . The media described him as arrogant and ignorant . Certainly , his actions do not

present him as someone who was organized or had planned adequately for his survival . Merit

could even be attributed to the belief that it was McCandless ' ignorance and arrogance that led to

his demise

Prior to leaving on his journey , McCandless had parted with his savings , donating 20 ,000 , all to charity . He had kept but 123 , which he burned , perhaps as a symbolic gesture

and his detest for material things . Jim Gallien , the last person to see McCandless alive , was not

the typical person that McCandless met on his travels . Gallien was a level-headed individual

who worried about McCandless ' venture into the wild , trying...