Jon Krakauer’s novel “Into the Wild” describes the life transformation of Chris McCandless and the challenges along the way. The protagonist of the novel suddenly decides to radically change his life and sets off to hitchhike. However, after two years of his disappearance, he is found dead from hunger. At the end of the narrative, the protagonist becomes the cause of his own death since he is not physically and mentally prepared for wild conditions.
The first unreasonable decision, which led to unfortunate consequences, is McCandless’ physical unpreparedness for his last journey. He did not have enough supplies for such a long life away from civilization. The desire to live without obligations, to unite with nature and to seek personal freedom prompted the young man to commit this rash act. His adventurous nature pushes the character to such a radical step. McCandless was motivated to change his life and free himself from the imposed correctness. His successes during the first years of independent life could give him confidence that he could easily cope with any difficulties. It is especially tragic that it was the failure to fulfill the basic need for food that killed him.
The second mistake that McCandless made is the moral unpreparedness for life in wild conditions. He was not ready for total loneliness and complete isolation. One of the protagonist’s desires for total freedom could be expressed in the absence of the necessity to control needs. However, no matter how much a person can effectively spend time with oneself, communication is a necessity for survival. Despite the fact that McCandless overcame many difficulties along the way, he could not cope with complete loneliness.
In conclusion, the novel is an illustration of the price of true freedom. The author reflects that the desire for freedom is wonderful, but its full achievement is impossible due to human nature. Changes in McCandless’s character during his journey made him more resilient, but they were not enough to overcome the final challenge. The hero could become too arrogant, and he underestimates his needs, which is why the novel has a tragic ending. The protagonist comes to know himself during the time on the road but cannot understand that real happiness is impossible, along with loneliness.