Does Jon Krakauer make an effective case in the justification of Chris McCandless’ behavior and shortcomings? Has he given good enough evidence that it can explain away his visions of self grandeur, being insufficiently prepared , and his out right hypocrisy? To starry eyed ignorant youth and people trying to give off the appearance of being an intellectual, they would say yes, he indeed did. However, more practical and logical people would say he was just another ill prepared rich kid that overestimated himself and underestimated the wilderness. This undertaking Chris thrust himself into would result in his demise due to the fact being that his first mistake was his last. His early death is a result of not being prepared well enough with proper gear due to his hippocratic …show more content…
“people , nearly always young men, come to Alaska to challenge themselves against an unforgiving landscape” It is no secret that Chris isn’t the first of his kind and isn’t the last. Yet despite how unoriginal his ideals are he has a very high view of himself. He renames himself “Alexander supertramp.” This alone shows how highly he thinks of himself . His entire set of ideals are ripped off straight from other Alaskan explorers like him yet he feels that he is so unique to others that he renames himself. Chris overestimates his capabilities because up until Alaska he had an easy going track. The only hardship he faced was having to get a job because he had turned his back on the monetary system due to his unoriginal transcendentalist views and bumming rides from people. The only reason he got as far as he did was because of the kindness of others yet he had a feeling of accomplishment. The only time he tried to truly be self sufficient and be on his own he died of poisoning from an unknown threat. This bring up another point against Chris, his lacking of being prepared and common