Into The Wild With Cece

“As she studies the pictures, she breaks down from time to time, weeping as only a mother who has outlived a child can weep, betraying a sense of loss so huge and irreparable that the mind balks at taking its measure. Such bereavement, witnessed at close range, makes even the most eloquent apologia for high-risk activities ring fatuous and hollow.” (Krakauer 132).

The Dynamics of Family

      The quote describes the pain being released by Billie, Chris' mother. When we watched Chris' sister, Carine, give her TedX talk she made it seem as though the actions their parents took when they were growing up were somehow unforgivable. Chris despises his parents and the last thing he wanted was to be anything like them but it seems like in the end he may have ended up more like them than he could ever imagine. While I do understand that Chris left on his wild adventures to find his true self I don't think that was the only reason; I think he wanted to hurt them. Inherintly we do pick up some traits from the ones we see in our parents. What Chris didn't realize was the pain he caused his parents when they found out he was dead was the same unforgivable pain they had caused him when he was younger. Throughout his adventures Chris was trying to prove that he didn't need the structure he was raised in, all he needed was himself. When he was trying so hard to prove his point all he was doing is highlighting what a similar product he was to his parents. Whatever pain his parents caused him when he was growing up was obviously horrible for Chris but the pain he caused his entire family was just as bad if not worse and two wrongs don't make a right. 

Into The Wild With Cece

"...McCandless would wander the seedier quarters or Washington, chatting with prostitues and homeless people, buying them meals, earnestly suggesting ways they might improve their lives" (Krakauer 103).

Inspiration or Fool

When we talk about why Chris felt such a need to go out into the wild with just his raw self we often point to the environment he was raised in. However, what if that is just a fraction of the method behind his madness. Many people who interacted with Chris said he was strange for taking such interest in some of the lowest class citizens in our society. Maybe he wasn't weird; maybe he just saw the world for what it is in each person's own life rather than the stigma that surrounds them. Chris was always searching for a deeper meaning rather than just accepting things for their face value. That is something that we can all take away from this and apply to our lives. In order to make a difference in something that is important to us we must stop taking everything for face value. Dig deeper, find out what makes a situation the way it is, dig to the root of the problem, and then change it. My idea of making a difference isn't pulling a Chris and defying all structure and abandoning my life in the wild but it sure does involve his thought process. He looked at the bigger picture and realized that life is so much more than just the life he lived and perceived. I was most definitely inspired by the way he deconstructed stigmas to discover the real truth of different people and lives.

Into The Wild With Cece

"He was so enthralled by these tales, however, that he seemed to forget they were works of fiction, constructions of the imagination that had more to do with London's romantic sensibilities than with the actualities of life in the subtract wilderness" (Krakuer 44).

Inspiration or Fool

      Inspiration is essentially the driving force of creativity and innovation; innovation and creativity can be said to be the driving force of our society. With that being said, should we not want to send out positive inspiration to our communities? When I came across this quote I began to wonder about the true intentions of Chris and his adventures. As the quote clearly says  I do support that taking adventures or following a dream can be a great healer of some wounds but I do not support being reckless in a time of healing. To me it seems that Chris' adventure to the wilderness of Alaska was more of a suicide mission than anything. He seemed to not have really much concern for how and if he would survive but instead was more caught up in the illusion of his healing. Trying to pass this book onto young adults as a piece of inspiration is somewhat dangerous to me. We should encourage adventure but we should also encourage self worth and the priority of protecting your life. I would have to rule in favor of Chris being a fool more than an inspiration in this case. I am inspired by the fact that he took his healing process into his own hands but very saddened that he let the fate of his life (a gift) slip through his fingers.