Friday, April 2, 2010
ignorance is (not so) bliss
Although McCandless wanted to be secluded from society in a place he believed to be uncharted, he should have at least been prepared to change his mind. I think he could have achieved the same exact adventure by bringing the necessary tools for survival even if he did not acknowledge that he had them until he needed them. In case of an emergency, in which he did get himself into, a map would have saved his life. If only he knew that he could have crossed the river or found shelter if he had walked 6 miles from the bus. Even in the condition he was in, the trip would have been possible. Krakauer's method of informing the reader about the possibilities of Chris surviving argues for the people that say that he was an ignorant kid that got himself in over his head. I am still on the side arguing for Chris but these chapters made my position seem weaker. Something as simple as a map would have saved McCandless, and he would have been able to tell his story in person, rather than journal entries.
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This is very similar to how I felt as I was reading the chapter at first. I was a little confused as to what Krakauer was doing with continuously pointing out Chris's lack of a topographical map. He seemed to be so emphatic about this point and I felt defenseless in my view against it being a big deal. I am of the mind that Chris lived, and tragically died, with his dream and that should be commended. With Krakauer saying all this I was a little confused with that point. It was reassuring however that he points out that Chris did not want to have a map, and even intended on mapping out the area himself. Plus, as Krakauer's friend who he is with also points out, Chris survived for something like 16 weeks alone in Alaska and that is a very difficult thing to do. So for all his unpreparedness he definitely knew enough to keep himself alive and in relatively good condition throughout that time.
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