Into the Wild

Into the Wild

After graduating college, McCandless begins “an epic journey that would change everything” (22). He saw his time in college as “an absurd and onerous duty” (22). In heading west he felt freed “from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess” (22). Using examples from the reading explain what he meant by this. Do you agree with his motivation for leaving?

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Last updated by jill d #170087
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This question calls for your opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. In my opinion, Chris was fortunate to be born into a financially secure household. He didn't have to worry about money. He had a nice car, his parents paid his bills, and he was able to attend a good college. Chris' rebellion, however, is out of the ordinary because in making a statement about greed, materialism, and personal identity, he put himself in danger. I do not agree with his motivation for leaving, and I believe that he could have asserted himself and made his statement in numerous other ways. This is, of course, my opinion. Note, I find Chris' willingness to live by his ideals admirable, and I only wish he would have survived to tell his own tale.

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Into the Wild