Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Into the Wild Intersects Passion, Class, and Privilege

Into the Wild intersects with passion. The main character, Chris McCandless In class we talked and watched a movie about what gives us motivation to move on with our lives. Passion gives us a reason to pursue what we want to do and how we want to do it. To do the things that strives us, passion is essential to fulfilling our lives with what we long for. Chris McCandless decided to live his life the way he wants to. "I'm living like this by choice." (51). McCandless is doing what he wants to do. That statement means that he is willing to live his life tramping around and having an adventure than work for people in society like the rest of us. I also think that he has too much love for the outdoors. This passion for the outdoors had made him live the life he chose to live. In addition, McCandless has eventually found what he wanted to find in his tramping life. "I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness." (169). In McCandless's journal, he seems passionate about what he has done so far. I think this passion for having this great Alaskan adventure has made him find his goal. He was able to reflect and find what he said was "needed for happiness" and it seems he didn't regret what he has done in order to pursue what he felt passionate about.
Class is another intersecting point. McCandless was in an average household. He had parents that loves him and raised him. He seems like a middle class person with an average family. His parents worked hard to make sure their children get to go to college. McCandless family saved money and tried to think of the future. "We did without when the kids were little, saved what we earned, and invested it for the future." (115). I think this is a normal act in any family. All parents think of the future and want to give their children a good head start in life. This also implies that the McCandless family is not a high class family but an average one. As an average family, they will push McCandless to go to college so he can have a better future than them. "But they got on his case about going to college; and whatever they said to him, it worked." (114). This means that McCandless's parents can afford to send him to college. I think the McCandless obviously saved up their money to send their child to college. This implies that they are a normal family that fits into the middle to upper class system. I think it is good that they intended to send their son to college because that means they really care about him.
Privilege does come into play as well. McCandless is very privileged to get to the Alaskan frontier. He had lots of exploration as a child and gained some experiences in rock climbing. His family could afford to go camping and learn to enjoy the great outdoors. "When Chris was eight, Walt took him on hi first overnight backpacking trip, three-day hike in the Shenandoah to climb Old Rag." (109). I think this is a very privileged thing since not every eight year old gets a chance to camp. I have never been camping all my life and would really want to try it out. He gets to do it at such a young age and that to me is a very privilege thing to experience. It can make very bonding childhood memories with families and friends. "I have a college education. I'm not destitute." (51). It is a privilege to get a college degree or to even go to college in the first place. I think getting a diploma is a very privileged thing because it gives a person some leverage against others out in the world. McCandless had everything in life to put himself in a good start in life which I think is a privileged move done by his parents. This is why I think McCandless is very privileged.

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