Was Chris Privileged?

Chris Privileged?

          Before going on his epic journey, was Chris privileged by means of his upbringing?  The McCandless was upper middle class family. They lived in the suburbs.  Both of Chris's parents graduated from a University.  His father worked for NASA and later started a consulting business with his wife Billie.  They worked long hours and less time with the children. Chris's family was able to afford a nice house in Annandale, a Cadillac, a boat, and have a college fund for their children.  He never experienced hunger while living at home.  There was plenty of food provided by his parents.  Both Chris and Carine had the joy of going on family vacations.  

         To illustrate another privilege that Chris had was his college education.  There are a lot of families where they could not afford to send their child/children to college.  Some high school students who qualify to go to an Ivy school or a University but unable to attend because lack of funds to pay for college.  Either their parents don't have the money to send them or they don't have a college fund and then they would have to work, get a grant or a student loan to go to school.  Chris was able to attend Emory University in Atlanta.  "The final two years of his college education had been paid for with a forty-thousand-dollar bequest left by a friend of the family's; more twenty-four-thousand-dollars remained at the time of Chris's graduation (Krakauer, pp.20)."  Chris McCandless was privileged unlike other students, his college was fully paid.  In addition,  if  Chris wanted to continue  his education by going to graduate school at Harvard University,  his parents were willing to pay the difference once the college fund was completely depleted.  Chris McCandless had the privilege of a good upbringing that his parents provided food, shelter and all financial needs were met. 

Passion: Into the Wild

The Passion of Simplicity

          Nature is seen by many as the creation of God.  The beauty of wild flowers growing on the hills or watching the animals scurry through the forest are a few thoughts of how we see nature.  The people around us are privileged to only see the beauty of nature.  There is also another side and it shows no weakness or feels pity for anything around.  It can hide the very essence of death without warning.  Nature is silent and living.  To live, eat and breath nature, one must learn and become experienced.  Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, was about a young man who goes on an epic journey of living off the land by means of survival and in total simplicity.   His passion was to be free from the privileges of society.  To demonstrate his simple life he carried no luxuries, freedom from complexities such as electronic gadgets, and an easy-go-lucky demeanor.  For two long years, Chris journeyed on foot to wherever the road took him.  It was a journey to fit his new lifestyle. "He intended to invent an utterly new life for himself, one in which he would be free to wallow in unfiltered experience (Krakauer, pp. 22)."  It was the rebirth of his new identity, Alexander Supertramp.  Chris did not let others persuade him to do what they wanted him to do.  "If you attempted to talk him out of something, he wouldn't argue.  He'd just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted (Krakauer, pp. 119)." He stayed away from the privileges of society.  Chris pursuit his passion of living simple. 

Intersection of the Passion Project and Into the Wild

Connection: Passion Project & Into the Wild

        

          The connection between the passion project and Into the Wild is that a people should have their choice in what they want to do in life.  As for Into the Wild, Chris did not follow the privilege of society and how it portrays "The new age of living".  The new age of living is a privilege in society to be expected to have the latest technology in cell phones, Bluetooth items, IPOD, I Pad and other electronic equipment.  In addition, today's environment everybody is always in a rush or in a hurry to get somewhere.  Every day we see people driving while talking on the cell phone.  Fast food, fast cars and everything else fast!  With the two combined we have people living in a fast pace lifestyle and being consumed by all the electrical gadgets around them.  People rely on electronic equipment keep them organized or to keep then entertained.  Chris's decision to walk away from materialistic things and opt to live with the freedom from complexities, intricacy and pretentious.  Traveling only on foot with a few supplies, books and his backpack.  "His life hummed with meaning and purpose.  But the meaning he wrested from existence lay beyond the comfortable path: McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily (Krakauer, pp. 184)."  For this reason, he gave up all the luxuries so he could live his life the way he wanted.  Chris's passion was to live in "simplicity".

         In the passion project, it describes how students are undecided in what they want to do as far as careers.  Sometimes their parents want them to do what they feel they should do in a career. These youths should tap into what drives them to have passion.  To have that free will and choice to "Do what they feel passionate about doing in their life or career without the opinion of others.  

There are too many situations where the children were told by their parents to study and become a nurse, lawyer, engineer etc...  As a result, they settle for what their parents wanted them to be instead of doing what they really wanted to do.   "At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence (pp. 22)."