I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highways, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities.
This is from the last letter that was received from Everett Ruess. It was addressed to his brother, Waldo, November 11, 1934.
Page 87
This practically screams Chris McCandless. Chris loved nature; infact, Chris was dead set on going to Alaska, one of brutalist environments within the United States. Chris did enjoy cities to some degree. He shows this when he lived in Bullhead City and worked in a resteraunt in L.A,. He doesn't mind some civilization, but he truely admires nature. He doesn't get tired of the wilderness throughout his journey. His dream was to explore nature until the point of death.
Another great quote is by Boris Pasternak, who wrote Doctor Zhivago. Page 103
Another great quote is by Boris Pasternak, who wrote Doctor Zhivago. Page 103
There was no one around, neither family nor people whose judgement you respected. At such time you felt the need of committing yourself to something absolute-life or truth or beauty-of being ruled by it in place of the man-made rules that had been discarded.
In this quote, the author is saying that when there is nothing that a person can control or respect, they create something worth respecting. In Chris's case, he didn't have quality time with his parents because they were so concerned with financial success. He also had no respect for his father because he had cheated on his second wife with his first wife and tore both families apart. After Chris realized this, he tried to look for something to hold on to and that was nature, pure and beautiful; justice, something to fix all of the problems of the people in the world. Chris relied on helping everyone around him and immersing himself in the beauty of nature.
Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth. I sat at a table where were rich food and wine in abundance, an obsequious attendance, but sincerity and truth were not; and I went away hungry from the inhospitable board. The hospitality was as cold as the ices.
Henry David Thoreau
Walden, or Life in the Woods
Page 117
The above quote is a further expansion on the one that precedes it. Chris's family had tons of wealth and he had many brothers and sisters. Yet, he did not find peace in the money and any siblings, spare his sister, Carine. Chris was offered a new car and money to go to school from his parents. Despite these offers, Chris didn't feel like his parents cared about what he really wanted to do in life or about what they had done to their family. He found conditional love.
My favorite quote is from The Holy Bible :1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
My favorite quote is from The Holy Bible :1 Corinthians 13:4-8.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
This is my favorite quote because it the rubric: the ultimate high bar set in order to reach a perfect relationship. I don't think that Chris would understand this quote. I believe that Chris was very close to many people and loved them, but I don't think he could hold his relationships to these standards. In the novel, Krakauer says that Chris runs from relationships before they go to deep. He has a nomadic heart that never settles and this quote is describing more of a heart that will hold onto those that the persons encountered, Sure, Chris enjoyed the people he met, but not to the point that he would forgive their every wrong. He showed this was true by the realationship he had with his father.
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