Into the Wild
... Happiness is everything that Christopher McCandless is after in "Into the Wild". "Into the Wild" definitely has a connection with the myth source I chose in that, the mother of Christopher McCandless is like the mother of Persephone. They are both losing their very own child, don't know when they're ever going to see them again, if ever, and are in a very dangerous situation. Along with having empathy for many characters in the book other than McCandless, you must feel some sort of emotion of empathy towards the young man. He risks his life, God knows how many times, and for the means of soul-searching and escaping the madness that is society and the craziness of the world today. Although "Alexander Supertramp", a new person, a fresh start faces many endeavors and accomplishes many feat, you're left wondering if it is all worth it to not be able to share it with anybody in the end, or if it was worth it at all since he died. One could argue that he died doing what he wanted and what he loved; however, another could argue that he did all that searching of identity, a lot of things he disagreed with like killing the moose, and all of the people he met along the way when he would simply just die alone, unnoticed, and left to rot in a bus. Where people choose to draw the line of empathy for McCandless and what he faced versus the other side of the line of thinking that he was purely stupid, is a very controversial matter. In my opinion, McCandless was doing what he loved, dreamed about and he put his dreams into actions, so it can't possibly be stupidity. Regardless of the fact that he died living out his dream because of something so small as overlooking one plant that could easily be mistaken for another very poisonous one, he still lived out his dream. I believe that people empathize for McCandless because they see themselves in him. What I mean by that is that, we see ourselves in him, but we aren't as strong, or as brave as him to live out our dreams because people might view us as crazy, or as stupid. When we see a part of ourselves in somebody else, and can't bring our actual selves to take that risk, we really are empathizing for ourselves and how instead of actually taking that leap of faith, and taking those risks that could potentially cost us our life, we're really hiding from them and letting fear stand in the way of our dreams. This story has taught me that empathy doesn't only exist on the surface for another being, but we often overlook it and are truly empathizing for ourselves. The quote that I have chosen below, I believe represents what I am talking about clearly. Not many people can just walk away from their lives, their blackberrys, their luxuries, their loved ones, and their bad habits to be alone in the wilderness, free to do whatever they please. At the same time, a lot of people are jealous that they can't do the same as McCandless did. Why? Because we see a little bit of ourselves within him and envy him for being one of very few people in the world who did what they believed in and didn't look back and have regrets... [Your appreciation of McCandless' story is quite evident, and I would agree. He didn't seek heroism; indeed, he was simply hearkening back to the Romantic ideal of finding Truth through the transcendant experiences of immersion in nature. This is a thoughtful assessment in relation to your topic.]
"Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the West is the best." And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild." - Alexander Supertramp May 1992
