This is my first post and it is a little scattered. Please bear with me…
As I read more and more of this book, I am beginning to realize that I have no harsh feelings toward McCandless, other than him running away without a slight goodbye to his family. That part made me furious. (Even though I hear there is more to the story of his parents, I just haven’t gotten there yet). I actually look at Chris as a hero in a way. Hero, as defined by dictionary.com, is a “man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” It is obvious that he is very courageous and brave. I would never imagine going into the world alone, with or without money. Heroes in the movies are often taking care of other people and solving their problems. I actually think we stereotype heroes. In real life, heroes are not full of superhuman abilities. They do not produce spider webs, drive bat mobiles, or have x-ray vision. So, what is a hero in our world? A hero, in my eyes, is someone who does something to better them and has an impact on other people. Period. Many of us say our parents are our heroes; I think mine are too. Why? I was trying to think of a solid answer and I couldn’t. So these are my reasons. I look up to my parents. They raised four kids and now are a huge part in the lives of their six grandchildren. I love my parents. I respect my parents, which means that they raised me good. They have good morals, which they taught to me. They cherish life and make sure I do the same. All this builds up to make them my hero. They have made a huge impact on my life and everything I am today is a product of them.
Chris did make a lot of friends throughout his journey, and in the end hurt every one of them. A lot of us are saying he was selfish, and I thought that too. I still do. But the fact that he made such a huge impression on people shows a lot about who he was. He made an impact on people. So, he hurt the people when he wound up dead, but would the people he meet wish they never had met him? I doubt it because they have the memories. Chris set out to better himself and he accomplished that. It was his goal. He achieved that goal. Aren’t we taught in school that we should have goals and follow them? Well, Chris did just that. I look at him as a hero for achieving a goal and having an impact on other lives.
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5 comments:
I am glad that you made this post. I have silently been a fan of Chris. I commend him for doing something so unorthodox. I don't understand how people can hate him. He was intelligent and he influenced many people. Ok, sure he hurt people, but everyone hurts someone at some point. So thank you Julia for seeing the other side. Koodos.
Wow Julia,
This was a really good post. It really opened up my eyes to see the other side of Chris. This whole time that I have been reading this book all I could think about is, Why would he leave such a privilaged life? His parents loved him and wanted and tried to give him everthing. It made me so mad that he would just leave his family like that. From this post I can see Chris in a different way and understand him a little bit differently. Thanks Julia!
When i started readig this book, I thought that Chris was a selfish person for hurting countless people in his life, espeically his family. Having a younger brother, i couldn't imagine him taking on the world by himself and trying to survive in the wilderness.
But you're absoluelty right. We DO sterotype what a "hero" is. We believe that a hero is those people we see on t.v. or in movies that save lives. But that's not the only type of hero out there.
Chris is seen as a "hero" to some; while others see him as a selfish person. I am, however, stuck in the middle.
Aw Julia! This made me love you and your parents! Haha. I think Chris was a hero when you put it that way. I keep trying to defend Chris, but I can't find the right words. I know why I like him, regardless of the pain he caused. I just wish I could explain it on the blog. However, I think you did a very good job in explaining Chris in a positive way without excusing him for hurting the people who loved him.
I think that Chris had every intention of keeping in touch with the people he met throughout his journeys. I honestly believe he cared for everyone that crossed his path just as much as they cared for him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have wrote numerous letters and postcards to everyone. We say Chris is selfish because he went and got himself killed, hurting the ones he loved in the process, however, it wasn't entirely his fault. I don't think he went to Alaska knowing he was going to die. I mean it was stupid to be so unprepared, but still. He probably thought he was going to have his whole life to see the people he cared about once again. We shouldn't be so harsh to judge McCandless as a selfish person just because he followed a dream, and lost his life in the process. Nonetheless, I am mad at him for not once trying to contact his sister. It makes me really sad thinking about how close my brother and I are and how devasted I would be if he ever did this to my family and I.
I guess I'm more in the middle like Cybill, rather than one sided like a I thought before...
I agree with you, however, I still get angry that McCandless shut everyone out. He got to know people, and then abandoned them. I find that part so frustrating, I think that someone that can do that so easily shouldn't be put up so high on a pedestal, as McCandless has.
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