Into the Wild: Notice the Contradictions?

Contradiction is a part of everyday life. We say we'll do one thing, then do something else. We'll promise to post on the blog, then spend four hours doing absolutely nothing, or in some other cases, on the internet, because updating your status on myspace is much more important than a grade in a class. But some of the contradictions we see in the book just don't make sense to me.

Lets start with Chris McCandless. He wanted to go out into the wild if I'm not mistaken. Well that's all well and good young man, I wish you luck in that venture. What's that you say? You're going out into the wild, but you're going to live in an abandoned bus in the middle of nowhere? Sure, if you want to, go ahead. But while you're at it why not just stay in a Motel 6? Why not just eat out at McDonald's every night. It just doesn't make sense to me. It's like putting a third wheel on a segway, it totally defeats the purpose of the idea of a segway, or in this case, living out in the wild.

While we're on the topic of Chris McCandless, I should mention that he totally rejected the whole capitalist system prominent in society today. Nothing wrong with that. Communists reject the whole capitalist system. Okay, maybe that's a bad example because no one really likes commies. But McCandless turned out to be quite the businessman. He started a door to door business, selling vegetables grown from a garden in backyard. He made quite a profit, selling cart's full of vegetables and returning with a fistfull of green.

That's only one example. At the age of twelve Chris started a copy service. He printed up fliers advertising his business. He offered free pick up and delivery with his service. He used his parent's copy machine. Chris would charge two cents less than the corner store, then give his parents a few cents for the use of the copier. In this venture he made a profit as well. Then Chris took a job from a local building contractor, canvassing neighborhoods, and doing general all around handiwork. He was so successful that the owner of the building contractor offered to pay for Chris's college education if he stayed behind and kept working for him.

In each of these business ventures, Chris was largely successful. Not exactly a model anti-capitalism spokesman then, but maybe Chris thought that his participating in the capitalist system was okay, whereas for others he raised hell. Do as I say, not as I do indeed. In the Canvassing job, he eventually had half a dozen other students working under him. With the money he made from that job, he paid for that sweet Yellow Datsun he tramped around the US in. Though I have to wonder why he never sprung for some sick rims, or a banging sound system.