I was quite struck by Christopher McCandless (aka Alxander Supertramp) as depicted in the book Into the Wild. I recently read an essay published online regarding Chris which purports him to be arrogant to the point of a fatal flaw. I’m not sure I ever had that impression in reading about him. I saw him as a radically idealistic young man with the guts to act upon his ideals rather than to shuffle them aside as some many of us do.

Anyway the essay has me thinking:

1. Was McCandless “arrogant," the premise of the paper.

2. Was Chris unwilling to accept help from others?

3. Did Chris think that he was the only one intellectually capable to converse on his level thus indicating arrogance?

4. Did Chris hope the Alaska trip would “change him to exist in society,” a supposition of said essay?

5. Did he view the Alaska trip as terminal (my thought) in one way or the other, maybe not ending with death or maybe so, but nonetheless evidenced by his written statements to friends along the lines of “This is the last time you shall hear from me…” and another comment along the lines of an if-I-survive statement.

Anyway, at the outset here I’ll say I felt an immediate affinity to this young man and his beliefs which he had the guts to act upon and in the end for which he paid the ultimate price. He was a seeker and rather than push it aside as many of us do, accepting to stay comfortably plugged into social convention he made a stand for an alternate way.

If you have read the book, you know there is one photograph in it. Within the first few pages of the book is a self-portrait McCandless shot in which he is seated in a chair leaning back against the abandoned bus which served as his final camp and the place of his death. I am not sure exactly at what point that photo was taken, not sure the book says, but in searching “Alexander Supertramp” on the net I came across an Alaskan guide company that has mimicked this photo apparently with their proprietor sitting in the chair, against the bus just like McCandless. This rubs me wrong and while unintentional I’m sure it seems a bit disrespectful. I’m not going to announce the link to the world, I’m sure you can find it and if you want the link I’ll send it to you.