Gung Ho For The Wilds

"'He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited. He couldn't wait to head out there and get started.'" (Krakauer 6)

Inspiration or Fool?

In this statement by the last person to see Chris McCandless alive, Jim Gallien, McCandless' determination to finish something that he wanted to accomplish is clearly visible. He was well underprepared for the place he was planning on living, the Alaskan frontier, miles away from the closest settlement. The fact that he was nowhere close to prepared would have turned away most people, but Chris instead chose to push forwards with his plan. His determination can be considered an inspiration, as even though other people have told him to stop and reconsider his choices, he still stuck to his own decision to live in the wilderness of Alaska, a dangerous place for the unprepared. He overcame other people’s doubts to work towards achieving his goal. However, the determination he exhibited also makes him a fool. By not following Gallien’s advice, McCandless sentenced himself to death due to starvation. He had packed a woefully low amount of food, a whole ten pounds of rice in his bag. In order to gather a foodsource for himself in the wild, he packed a .22 caliber semiauto rifle, way too weak to take down the larger game or defend himself from the larger predators.