Blog #29: Nature Writing

1. Do you feel, as one letter writer did, that there is “nothing positive at all about Chris McCandless’ lifestyle or wilderness doctrine …surviving a near death experience does not make you a better human it makes you damn lucky” (116); or do you see something admirable or noble in his struggles and adventures?


In Into the Wild the main character Chris McCandless's struggles to live another life. In some sorts the life he wanted to live was indeed admirable because he attempted to fulfill his dreams by wanting to live the life he wanted not the one that someone picked out for him. Although I think that his actions of leaving home and starting a new life and identity were admirable and understandable some of the actions and decisions he made were either out of stupidity or foolishness because he probably didn't realize or consider the people that he could be hurting.

I do not think that his decisions on going into the wild unprepared was the greatest idea, it was understandable but unneccessary. And the fact that he denied help for some people was an act of stupidity but again understandable in the sense that he wanted to prove that he can live and make it in this world on his own. Paragraph 2 of pg 6 states, "Galien offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go. 'no thanks anyway,' Alex replied, 'ill be fine with what I've got." This statement shows that he was determined to do what he wanted and live how he wanted and do it by himself without anyone's help.In my opinion Chris McCandless did many things that were admirable, he set out on a journey to pursue a dream of his.

I disagree with the statement that there was “nothing positive at all” about McCandless’ decision to brave the wilderness alone, because the experience that he went through just like many near death experiences are there to teach the person how to be better or live life a better way and appreciate things that they have or don't have, which is exactly the experience that Chris learned. He accomplished many things and it required much more than just good luck to survive a near death experience.It is possible to take a near death experience as a way to understand that you would need to get life back on track and feel better about your life. It's sort of like people who go through near death experience are realize to do things because they don't know when their next "near death experience" could be reality and not be a near death but a death experience. The same way for Chris in chapter sixteen,"Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections; maybe he was even prepared to forgive some of his own." He wanted to go back home and make ammends with his family because the near death experience he went through had opened his eyes to the reality that "I could not be there tomorrow and I could die without making ammends with the people I love and care about."

So although McCandless did not make smart choices he still gained something very important for his experience in the wild. McCandless gained the knowledge of how to find happiness and he had lived the adventure that he had always dreamed of. The fact that he lived out his dream and did what he wanted to do is what ispires not only me but others as well to go after your dreams and don't give up until you've accomplished them.