Into the Wild Reflection

Synthesis Paper Chris McCandless was not happy with his life and didn’t know the truth about his own being. He decided to abandon his family and society to find his genuine self. Chris thought that he was not the person that he was supposed to be so he went on a long journey that ended in Alaska. After living alone for 112 days, he died due to starvation. Life is a precious gift. In life, we all have some responsibilities to fulfill. There’s no question that Chris abandoned those responsibilities, his family, severed all ties with the people he loved, and died selfishly. But do we really know the whole story? Do we really know Chris McCandless? (Seidgul) At first glance, you may think of Chris McCandless’s story as a call for death; you may even think of him as a fool, but that’s only on the surface. The public’s response to his story is based on what they’ve heard rather than the facts. The rare few, who look into Chris’s life, discover that he is an example of heroic idealism. This is because he had a dream and he went out and fulfilled it. How many of us have something in the back of our minds, but never go and do it? It’s not easy to chase the dreams in our hearts and in many cases, this may be difficult or even impossible; but not for McCandless. The dictionary’s definition of a hero is a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. Chris McCandless fits this definition perfectly. He did not lack in ability to succeed and he had a great amount of courage with anything he tried in life. Chris was extraordinarily talented; he excelled in most areas, letting nothing stand in his way. During Chris’s year and a half adventure around the Western United States he showed all the qualities of a hero. He dropped everything he owned and took away the barriers that society had subconsciously imposed on him, to discover who he really was. A bold and stubborn risk it was, but more importantly Chris took that risk,