Mentally Challenged Case

Mentally Challenged

"The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time" (Jack London). Jack London is one of Chris McCandless' favorite authors and has to do with using your life to do something useful and not just being a spectator in life, but being spectated, which fits Chris' situation. It relates to Chris because Chris goes into the wild and attempts to live off the land in the Alaskan wild. He is not changing others' lives out there; he is not being a productive member of society; he is simply where nobody can find him; "He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to live for others" (Krakauer 169). Chris wrote in his journal after finishing Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy. He had failed to even exist on this earth. Chris is absolutely arrogant, a reckless idiot, and last but most definitely not least, just flat out stupid.

Chris McCandless is possibly the most arrogant person to exist on earth. He came from a very wealthy family in Atlanta, Georgia which gave him not only all the opportunities in the world, but anything could have wanted, from a new car, to a new computer system, his parents would go out of their way to buy it for him. He had come to the conclusion that they were simply trying to buy his love for them which is evident when Chris say "I don't want it." (48) But he thought he would rebel and not fall into their trap and would not take anything from anyone anymore, especially his parents. After he graduated college, his parents wanted to get rid of his old clunker car and get him and a brand new car that he could call his own, but he rejected their offer because he said that his ran fine and that he loved his old car. Any kid in his right mind would take a new car from their parents. Plus, he just left his parents who seemed very loving and would do anything for Chris, but one day he got up and left without telling them.

When Chris made up his mind that he was going to go into the wild of Alaska, there was nothing in his way that was going to stop him, that became very evident when he donated a check for twenty-four thousand dollars to charity, and when he burnt all of the cash in his wallet. He truly wanted to live off the land and despite what people would say about him, he would have done the same thing to this day. When he abandoned his car after it was damaged by a flash flood, he set off on foot and continued to embark on his journey which happens to be another example Chris being reckless.

Chris McCandless is one of those who kids who excels at school, but he cannot put his knowledge into the world and make use of it. Granted he was smart to get a book on what to eat, and get a gun, but probably the most basic tool he needed was a map! That is one thing that almost anyone would bring, and to burn all the money in his wallet? That is just ridiculous! What if one of the drivers