Dysfunctional Families The novel Into the Wild is a true story about Christopher McCandless narrated by the author Jon Krakauer. Krakauer focuses on revealing the journey taken by Christopher McCandless, but more importantly the development of McCandless’ psychological behavior. After finishing high school, McCandless single-handedly takes a road trip alone, where he discovers that his father has a second family. Keeping this secret away from Chris only angered him as he felt remarkably betrayed from his father. Additionally, Chris’ parents were very authoritative, oppressive, and irrational. At the age of twenty-four McCandless decides to run away and never contact his sister or parents again. Christopher embarks on a new journey, meets …show more content…
Children become aware that their feelings and desires are essential and must be accounted for. Growing up in a supportive environment enables children to form open and trusting relationships with their parents. However, sometimes parents fail to meet emotional or physical needs of their children. Through the failure of meeting the child’s need, eventually, leads to a more dysfunctional relationship. A dysfunctional family is where “the one in which the authority line between the parents and children is blurry,” (Keylon) usually occurring because of failed communication. Authoritarian parents are one of the more common factors for the existence of dysfunctional families. These type of parents “believe that children are, by nature, strong-willed and self-indulgent” (Darling). Authoritarians’ strictly follow their beliefs which can range from political, economic, personal, or religious. Therefore, these children are held to a much higher standard due to their parents’ level of strictness. Nothing less is allowed from the children. These authoritative parents tend to listen to their children’s arguments, but never change their minds. Additionally, the parents dominate and make decisions for the children (Benton). These children are mentally abused because of the lack of communication and emotional support. The emotional needs tend to shift moreover to the parents …show more content…
Authoritarian parents use criticism to enforce their control and minimize their encouragement. Life was not easy for Walter McCandless because his family was economically unstable. During his time in high school, Walt won an academic scholarship to Colorado State University, held part-time jobs, and played in a professional musical band. Eventually, Walter McCandless became an employee at NASA and held a high position for them. Walter became very successful and wanted the same for Chris. Walt criticized Chris in order for him to reach his maximum potential. When the discussion of college came up, Walt said: “Go to college, get a law degree, and then you’ll be able to have a real impact” (Krakauer 79). Giving constructive criticism, Walter displays how important it is to achieve a college and the symbolism it holds for the family. Eventually, Chris would arrive home with higher grades. The criticism allowed Chris to become an overachiever and gave him admissions to Emory college. The criticism plays an effective role because it pushed Chris to be the best version of himself academically. Without this method of parenting, Chris would continue to be a lackadaisical student and carried a lot of miss opportunities. However, Chris being the perfectionist he was, found that his father started to become frustrating and could not take it anymore. To counter the level of stress bestowed upon Chris, this
The non-fiction book, Into the Wild, by author Jon Krakauer, is the story of Christopher McCandless, a young Emory Graduate from a rather wealthy family, who is mysteriously found dead in the Alaskan wilderness in September 1992 at the age of 24. Krakauer retells significant events of McCandless leading up to his death. In Into the Wild, Krakauer uses many rhetorical devices in order to support his argument. Krakauer effectively manipulated the rhetorical devices of characterization, comparison, logos, and anecdotes to convince the audience that Chris was not particularly unusual and as insane that people perceived him to be.
The father and son conflict is a crucial theme in the nonfiction book Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. In Jon Krakauer’s book, the main character, Chris McCandless exhibits a lifelong conflict with his father, Walt McCandless. Chris is an erudite, talented, yet stubborn young man. He yearns to leave the typical lifestyle of the upper middle class American family, and after graduating college at Emory, he mysteriously disappears. Walt is a controlling man with a morally unstable past, and his career and money is of more value to him than his family. The theme often appears in the background of the book, representing one of the major motivations for Chris McCandless’ absence. This theme is evident
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, is the story of a young man, Chris Mccandless who was going in the right direction. He had finished college and had a family who loved him, somehow he took a major detour that landed him dead in Alaska. Chris Mccandless shaped his identity through his actions, interests, values and beliefs.
Relationships between people can change lives forever. For instance, the relationship between a parent and a child is one of the most important ones because that is where our consciousness about love, trust, and assurance comes from. Depending on the relationship, it can either benefit or negatively affect the child’s future, since little children always look up to their parents as role models. In the novel, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless is negatively affected by his relationship with his parents. Chris McCandless’ parent, on the outside, appear to want Chris to be a successful student. Meanwhile, in the inside appearance, especially Walter, was an abusive father. This reflected a double life and could cause a devastating
In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless takes a wild journey. Although some believe that his journey and thought process was noble and courageous, he was actually extremely fatuous throughout his journey. Many people that Chris met along the way made remarkable attempts at making him aware of the dangers that he would surely face in Alaska. Chris McCandless knowingly stepped into the treacherous wild without being prepared for what reality would throw his way.
“In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson Mcandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself.” Into The Wild is a book about a young man who travels across some of the most unforgiving terrain to find his place in life. He travels through the tough Alaskan landscape running from Christopher Johnson Mcandless, and embracing the new life that is slowly coming to him. As Chris runs away from his family, and travels along vast areas of terrain, he makes a
The desire to discover and live in the wilderness is seen in most places and a least a little in many people. In Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, it is clear that Chris McCandless is one of many to have such a desire. Chris McCandless, as portrayed in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, is a selfish, stubborn young man who abandons everything in a childish, and deadly, attempt for a short-lived grasp at freedom and happiness.
In Jon Krakauer's novel, Into The WIld, he writes about a young man named CHris McCandless. He writes about his stories and adventures of leaving a wealthy life to find his true meaning within nature. In into the wild, jon krakauer characterizes Christopher Mccandless as unmaterialistic and independent.
Into the Wild, a book by Jon Krakauer, tells the story of Christopher McCandless. McCandless was a young man who felt the need to live an unorthodox life by living off the land. McCandless developed ideas about philosophy from Jack London. His education is greatly respected, although his perception of the meaning of life and his ideas about how to find true happiness are misunderstood without problem. McCandless felt that the only way for him to be happy was to venture into the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a bag of rice and a measly backpack. A man named Shaun Callarman stated that he did not think Chris’s venture was honorable at all. It was Chris’s poor preparation and big mistakes that costed Chris his life and Callarman thinks
The novel Into the Wild is a nonfiction novel published by Jon Krakauer who investigated the life and death of a free spirited individual named Christopher McCandless. McCandless was a recent Emory University graduate who sought to suck the marrow out of life through an independent experience in nature and purposely sought to this experience in the rawest form of supplies. He was found dead in August of 1992 in an abandoned bus in the Alaskan wilderness. For the sake of his journey, he purposely didn't bring an adequate amount of food or supplies. Consequently, those who read of his actions wonder what evoked him to live the way he
Chris McCandless and I can connect to family frustrations. Chris McCandless frustrations were that his father abused him in many ways, his father had an another family, and his family parents pushed him to the edge. His parents tried to buy his respect back, but Chris McCandless knew that it wasn’t going to work. Chris McCandless didn’t care about the materialism. My frustrations are different, but I understand what it’s like to have problems with my family. My family members fight about every single thing. It truly is an emotionally abusive relationship that we all have. My frustration towards my family is out of this world. There is not a peaceful day in our house. Chris McCandless must of had the urged for days to leave. That is why he
Into the Wild is a documentary film by Sean Penn that follows the life of Christopher Johnson McCandless, a vagabond who tramped across the United States for two years before his journey led him to Alaska, where he lived in the wilderness, sheltered by an abandoned transportation bus, preceding his death. McCandless grew up with all the privileges of being raised in the suburbs by a middle class family, he later went on to graduate from Emory University in Georgia, and seemed to have his whole life stretched out in front of him. However, he did the exact opposite of what was expected, severed all ties with his family, and adopted a life of chosen homelessness, where his travels led him on wild adventures across the country. Many speculate that McCandless was pushed to do this in order to spite his overbearing and abusive parents who verbally and physically assaulted each other in front of their children, demanding they pick a side. Some say it was McCandless’s desire to free himself from all material constraints and the burden of societal pressures. Taking a psychological approach, McCandless
At this point, readers are also aware that father is concerned and worried for Chris, “We’ve got your father at the police station... He’s looking for you” (159). Even with this information, they hope that father does not find Chris considering what Chris makes audiences believe about father’s character and the situation he has put Chris in. Hence, as Chris tells the story, he generates the conflict accordingly to what he believes is the
Into the Wild (Hirsch, Vaughn and McCandless) is a 2007 film based on the true story of Christopher McCandless, a graduate of Emory University, and his search for a pure and natural freedom in Alaska. McCandless was very troubled by his father's young mistress and his mother's apparent acceptance of that situation (Hirsch, Vaughn and
A child's early experience of being nurtured and developing a bond with a caring adult affects all aspects of behavior and development. When parents and children have strong, warm feelings for one another, children develop trust that their parents will provide what they need to thrive, including love, acceptance, positive guidance, and