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Yasmeen Miles

Mrs. Sanchez

ERWC

18 November 2016

The Path Of A Visionary

To find meaning and depth behind ones actions is difficult because no one really knows

what the truth is. Many infamous men throughout time have embarked on a journey in hopes of

unveiling the truth. Many of those men have written pieces of what they believed was revealed to

them. Christopher McCandless, a man from Jon Krakauers Into The Wild, was a sane idealist

who desired the truth and wanted to dwell in a non-materialistic world.

There is a distinct difference between the truth and a truth. The truth is factual and set in

stone. A truth is an opinion from varying perspectives. McCandless ...wished to acquire the

simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life;...and to find amidst the solitude and

grandeur of the western wilds, more correct views of human nature and of the true interests of

man (157). He did not want the complexity that came with a materialistic world. Materialism,

according to Chris McCandless, should not be what defines man or human nature. Throughout

the duration of Krakauers novel, it is often asked why McCandless chose Alaska, of all places,

to escape. It is noted by the author that Alaska has long been a magnet for dreamers and misfits,

people who think the unsullied enormity of the Last Frontier will patch all the holes in their

lives (4). There is emphasis etched in the type of people who go to Alaska, making it safe to

assume Chris McCandless was both a dreamer and a misfit, despite him knowing it or not. There

is a sense of humility in knowing why Chris left, considering his abusive childhood, but many
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see it as an act of idiocy because it was not just him who faced the abusive nature of his father.

McCandless was seen as a recalcitrant squint in his fathers eyes but he had resilience, chutzpah,

and volition. He was adamant about pursuing the truth and being out in the wild was the way

he saw the truth being handed to him because If the day and night are such that you greet them

with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more

starry, more immortal,- that is your success (47). This quote emits self-empowerment. Chris

McCandless extricated himself from the guilt of his family and the materialism society is tainted

with in order to find man's sole purpose in this world. One should not be viewed as having an

unsound mind for merely trying to understand what is given to them.

Materialism was revolting to McCandless. He genuinely wanted to separate himself from

the materialistic society he currently lives in. Thoreau believed that Rather than love, than

money, than fame, give me truth...rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance,

but sincerity and truth were not; (117). This excerpt from Thoreau exemplifies the depth of

what McCandless was looking for. He needed to find himself and what he stood for before he

could find what man stood for. He was the guy who would ...try to convince every snowbird

who walked by that they should read Call of the Wild (44). McCandless was an avid reader who

was adamant about pursuing and preaching the philosophical intent behind every word of these

famous men. Materialistic assets meant nothing to him. He went into The climactic battle to kill

the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution...No longer to be

poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild

(163). This ties into the differentiating versions of the concept truth. Society seems to have

believed a truth that got them to be held captive by the throes of war. Thus, the downfall of
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civilization. Money and fame are acquired assets not required, do not let them define the

individual.

Christopher Mccandless, a sane idealist who desired the truth and wanted to live in a

non-materialistic world, fell into an atavistic lifestyle for the better. An idealist is one who is an

advocate or practices idealism through art or writing. Art is undefinable which allows his actions

to be dignified. He followed concepts, beliefs,and instruction from well-known men like

Thoreau and Jack London to grasp the meaning of man and nature. Nothing is ever truly

definable. Therefore, a truth could simply be the truth.

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