"McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well"(Krakauer 55).
Topic: The Dynamics of Family
In the above quote, it was made clear that Chris McCandless had intimacy issues, and was determined to escape from being close to anyone.. For him, to go on this long journey was a way to distance himself from any emotional ties and responsibilities associated with family and friends. His family never gave him the unconditional love and attention which every child needs and as a result, by not having that strong family dynamic, he distanced himself from any type of closeness. . For Chris, he felt at peace in the wilderness. This was his home. He never contacted his family or sister, and all the people that he came in contact never divulging what he was doing, where he was going, if he was happy or sad. By not letting them in, he felt as if he was protecting himself from ever feeling the physical and emotional pain again or as earlier in the book it mentions that he is “undeserving of love”. As he leaves and slips out of these people’s lives, he doesn’t understand the harm and distress that he puts them through. Although he builds this barrier around himself, he still left a mark on every single person he met, changing their lives and their outlook on the world.
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