Busy Bees

"I was always on Mom and Dad's case because they worked all the time and were never around... and now look at me: I'm doing the same thing"(Krakauer 129).

Topic: The Dynamics of Family

          In today's society, it is easy to become distracted from the things that you hold dear to. Such as what has happened in the McCandless family. The mother and father became so caught up in work that they forgot the importance of spending time with their own kids. Many parents today regret later on about never spending enough time with their children after they grow up. Although it is never specifically mentioned in the book, I would assume the mother and father of Chris discovered this regret as well. However, Carine points out that becoming distracted can also point in the opposite direction. When the children enter the busy world to make something of themselves, they also forget to spend time with their parents. Sometimes it can be harder on the children because their parents pass away and feel the regret of knowing they will never spend time with their parents ever again.

Knowing The Truth

"But I knew right away. There was no doubt. It was Chris. I went home, picked up Michele, my wife, and drove out to Maryland to tell Dad and Billie. I didn't know what I was going to say. How do you tell someone that their child is dead?"(Krakauer 102).

The Dynamics of Family.

           No parent should ever have to bury their child. Though in some parts of the world it happens all too often. Chris's older brother, Sam, here has to hear first about his brother's death. He knew it was his responsibility of telling everyone else of the grim news, though that can be a great burden to bear. Sam here realizes that burden, the difficulty of telling such news to his loved ones. It can be argued that maybe Chris would have wanted it this way. His letters do hint at having doubt returning alive after the trip. So maybe not only would he die doing what he loved, but hurt his parents he hated one last time. Where Chris knew the last crushing blow would be dying in the wilderness in his own terms. Then having his parents feel regret for not taking better care of him.

Couch Potato Syndrome

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give once peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future"(Krakauer 57).

Topic: Inspiration or Fool?

        While Chris may not be agreeable in some of his ideas, the advice he gives to Ron Franz really is not only an inspiration for others, but a wake up call to society as well. Chris has grown up in an abusive home where he saw his mother beaten almost daily. Yet she never tried to change her situation, rather, accepted her unhappiness until she died. Chris must have not only seen this within his family, but also as he traveled from place to place. Meeting people who lived in regret because they never took the initiative to change for the better. So Chris learned that the only way to have true peace is to find it yourself. If you are unhappy now, you will never be happy unless you change. Society now is afraid of change however, where we find it easier to accept what is than alter what can be. We rather take what we know can have rather than risking to have something even greater. That greatness is our innate spirit to push towards true peace and happiness, something McCandless already figured out.