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Into The Wild Christopher Mccandless Analysis

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Christopher McCandless was living a meaningless life until he decided to leave it all behind to be truly free. In his journey he was hoping to experience a limitless life full of adventure and risk. A life where he would make his own rule and follow his path without societal pressures. He would finally be able to be someone else, someone he would call Alex McCandless.

McCandless has strong believes about money material possessions. When his parents offered to pay for a new car he took this as an attempt to buy his respect. He also made clear that "...on principle, he would no longer give or accept gifts." McCandless negates his rich upbringing and the ultimate proof of the nomadic life he chose for himself. When he decided to leave his former life behind, he was trying to escape a world of "material excess" where people's happiness depended on how much money they made. Despite his upbringing, we continuously see his disregard for material possessions. During his travels he lived with the bare minimal. At one point he was living in an apartment with "Little more than a thin mattress in the floor." …show more content…
He donated all the money in his college account to a charity. He did this not solely because his philanthropic nature, but because that money was insignificant to him. That money did not define who he was and it wouldn't help him be free. We saw how he offered Gallien all his only material possessions in chapter 1. His resentment towards money and society might come from his favorite authors. He admired London, who in his writings, condemned capitalist societies. The same kind of money driven society McCandless was so desperately trying to

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