Into The Wild
Upon first inspection of Into The Wild, I was enthralled by Chris McCandless - His ideals, his gumption, his reckless abandon for exploration. I can see a lot of myself within Chris; we share some of the same opinions, the thought of adventure is overwhelming and general disregard to what other think resonates in us both. I would dare say that even a few years earlier in my life Chris and I shared even more in common. The world was more black and white back then. Individuals fit into one category or another. Right and wrong was easily defined. As I got older those black and white ideals were filled with grey. Shadows lurked in the darkness and rays of light show through the cracks. I dare to say that Chris McCandless would not have made some of the decisions that were made if he had a few more years under his belt.
Or is that what his path was really about? Holding on to the black and white world, not to be influenced by the surrounding grey matter? Living in "Alexander Supertramp's" reality.
I was taken "Into the WIld" with Chris McCandless' tale. Like most adventures the first leg of the journey was filled with admiration, excitement, longing and bewilderment of the courage Chris exhibited to go at it the way he did. As the path grew longer and longer and the scenery started to blend together, I found myself questioning my original fascination with Chris' tale. Growing worrisome of all of the mishaps along the way I found myself growing a strong dislike for the ignorance that McCandless exhibited. His ignorance turned into my distaste for his ideals and the path he chose to take.
Now as I walked out of the woods and have stepped away from the tale, I see Chris in a whole new light. McCandless arrived at where two roads diverged in a wood, and he, chose neither the one with wanted ware or the one less traveled. He made his own path. And to him, that has made all the difference.
