Into The Wild (first)

2. Krakauer observes that it is not “unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders.” Explain whether McCandless would agree with Krakauer.
As many people said repeatedly throughout the book, McCandless was a smart guy. I'm sure he'd be able to agree that what he was doing was sort of involved with this psychology. But it would probably take a lot of convincing, since many people also said he was stubborn. My guess would be that he would argue that he was going on this adventure because his family barred him up for so long, and he finally got to break free, and once he got to that point, and continuously enjoyed it, there was no way he was turning back.

3. 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? Was he justified in the pain he brought to family and friends in choosing his own solitary course in life?
I find McCandless' adventures to be both admirable, and a bit unneccesary at the same time. It is truly admirable to set out and embark on your own adventure, using independence to guide you through nature. At some level, McCandless was achieving a sort of freedom. However, I think it was unneccesary for him to make everything so hard on himself. It was like he was trying to torture his own body--as if there has to be some extreme consequences for freedom. By doing this to himself, I can't help but feel sorry for the family. Especially after finding out how much he apparently loathed them for reasons they couldn't really understand. His letters made it sound like his hate towards his parents is what really made him want to escape the world, which later lead to his death. So, I do find his actons to be admirable to an extent, but at the same time, his reasons for doing so seemed quite immature, and caused many people terrible greiving for somewhat rediculous reasons.