Intro

Christopher McCandless was born into an upper middle class family, where his father physically abused his mother in front of him and his sister. He grew to hate society and how the people who constantly surrounded him were so cruel and only placed value in material possessions. In pursuit of an escape from this oppressive society and search for self and happiness, after he graduated from Emory University, Christopher cut up and burned his social security card, birth certificate, and any other identifying material. He then donated his entire life savings ($24,000) to charity, drove his car as far as it could go until it got destroyed in a flash flood, and changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, chronicling his journey in a journal. 

The audience finds out that Alexander’s goal is to get to Alaska and live in the wilderness, which is understandable as he grew up reading books such as Jack London’s Call of the Wild describing Alaska as the perfect place for a man to be alone and fully embrace happiness. Along the way, the tragic hero meets some amazing people who change his life, such as: Jan and Raini, a Hippie couple; Wayne, a wheat farmer; Tracy, a young singer; and Ron, a Vietnam war veteran who had lost his family in a car crash. All these people loved Alexander and wished for him to stay with them, one even offering to adopt Alexander before he made the final trek to Alaska. But he left everyone soon after meeting them. 

He ended up arriving at Alaska during the winter months, crossing a river to find an abandoned bus which he makes his home. Life for Alexander becomes harder and he becomes less hopeful of survival. As his supplies begin to run out, he realizes that nature is also harsh and uncaring. In the pain of realization, he seeks to return from the wild to his friends and family. However, he finds that the stream he had crossed during the winter has become wide, deep, and violent due to the thaw, and he is unable to cross. In desperation for food, he accidentally eats a poisonous plant. As he is dying, Alexander realizes that true happiness is only real when shared with others.