Into The Wild Chris Mccandless Comparison

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In Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is an adventurer who put his whole life on pause to drop everything and venture to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. Does this remind you of anyone else? It may or may not jog your memory of Henry David Thoreau, who also decided to enter a life of solitude at one point in his life. While these two men share many similarities, they do possess multiple differences as well. Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau both share the hatred for materialism, and did not care for the idea of money. Chris even went as far as giving his $25,000 in savings to charity and burning all the cash in his wallet before going on his pursuit into the wilderness. (Krakauer 1). Additionally, these men could both be …show more content…
For example, Henry David Thoreau had much more preparation for his journey in the wilderness. He built a cabin near Walden Pond so he had somewhere safe to be. Thoreau brought things he needed, such as food, clothing, water and fuel where as McCandless didn’t bring much with him. His backpack was filled mostly with books, and for food he decided to try and live off of rice. McCandless didn’t put much thought in to his preparations. Chris didn’t seem to really care about the outcome of his journey while Henry David Thoreau was very cautious. One of the biggest differences between them is that Chris was very secretive about where he was and where he was headed. He didn’t even want let him family know where he was, or if he was even alive while he was on his journey. Henry David Thoreau wasn’t shy about people knowing where he was or what he was doing out in the wilderness. In this sense, I believe Thoreau hoped to accomplish survival on his expedition, while McCandless did not. I also believe that Thoreau found success on his quest, happily living for two years at Walden Pond. On the other hand, Chris’ death does not really make his trip as successful as Thoreau’s. As you can see, Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau hold many similar things about them, but show many differences as well. Their lives before and during their adventures truly are both very similar and