Conflicts In Into The Wild
Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild traces the real-life journey of Christopher McCandless, a young man who leaves behind his family, possessions, and identity to search for meaning in the wilderness. Throughout the narrative, McCandless encounters several conflicts—internal, interpersonal, and environmental—that shape his path and ultimately contribute to his tragic fate. These conflicts reveal the tension between independence and connection, idealism and reality, and nature and human vulnerability. Analyzing the major conflicts in Into the Wild provides a deeper understanding of McCandless’s motivations and the dangers of pursuing complete isolation.
One of the central conflicts in the book is Chris McCandless’s internal struggle with identity and purpose. After graduating from Emory University, Chris feels suffocated by the expectations placed on him—career success, financial stability, and social conformity. He believes that modern society is corrupt and materialistic, and he longs to escape its influence. This conflict pushes him on a journey toward self-discovery, but it also reveals his uncertainty about who he wants to become. He adopts the name “Alexander Supertramp” in an effort to shed his past, yet this new name cannot erase the emotional wounds and unresolved questions he carries. His desire for clarity clashes with the harsh realities of self-imposed isolation, making his internal conflict one of the driving forces of the narrative.
Another major conflict emerges between Chris and his family, especially his parents. Chris resents their material success and the pressure they impose on him to follow a traditional life path. He is especially disturbed by discovering his father’s secret past—an earlier relationship that overlapped with the beginning of the McCandless family. Feeling betrayed, Chris disconnects emotionally from his parents and refuses contact after leaving for his journey. This interpersonal conflict reveals his deep need for emotional purity and honesty, values he feels his parents betrayed. It also explains why he cuts ties so drastically, burning his money, abandoning his car, and not leaving any forwarding information. However, his refusal to communicate painfully affects his family and adds complexity to the ethical questions surrounding his journey.
Chris also faces conflicts with society at large, rooted in his philosophical beliefs. He admires authors such as Thoreau, Tolstoy, and Jack London, adopting their ideals of simplicity, nonconformity, and spiritual purity. In contrast, he sees mainstream society as shallow and morally compromised. This ideological conflict leads Chris to reject jobs, possessions, and long-term attachments. He believes happiness is found in nature rather than in material comfort. Yet Krakauer subtly critiques this belief, showing how Chris sometimes oversimplifies the complexity of the world he rejects. His conflict with society is both admirable in its purity and troubling in its absolutism.
Another important conflict is man versus nature, which becomes most intense during Chris’s time in the Alaskan wilderness. Although he romanticizes the idea of living off the land, he underestimates the severity of the environment. The challenges he faces—harsh weather, limited food supplies, the swollen Teklanika River—demonstrate how unforgiving nature can be. Despite his intelligence and determination, Chris lacks essential survival skills. He struggles to hunt consistently, fails to properly preserve meat, and is unaware of the dangers posed by certain plants. The conflict between Chris and nature exposes the gap between his idealistic expectations and the harsh realism of wilderness survival.
A related conflict is man versus self in the face of danger, which appears when Chris begins to suffer from starvation and illness. His determination to remain self-reliant prevents him from seeking help, even when his situation becomes life-threatening. His internal conflict—between his pride and his growing fear—underscores how isolation can transform from a source of freedom into a trap. In the final weeks of his life, Chris grapples with the consequences of his choices, revealing a tragic tension between his longing for independence and his realization that complete solitude may not bring the fulfillment he expected.
Another conflict appears in Chris’s interactions with people he meets along the way, such as Jan Burres, Wayne Westerberg, and Ron Franz. These individuals care for Chris and offer him support, companionship, and guidance. Chris forms meaningful connections with them, yet he always leaves before the relationships deepen. His pull between connection and detachment reflects a conflict many young adults face—wanting freedom while also craving emotional warmth. Chris’s inability to reconcile these competing desires adds emotional depth to his story and highlights the cost of his relentless pursuit of solitude.
Finally, Krakauer introduces a philosophical conflict about the meaning of Chris’s journey. Some readers argue that he was reckless and naïve, while others view him as brave and visionary. This tension invites deeper questions: Was Chris seeking enlightenment or running from pain? Was he a heroic nonconformist or an inexperienced idealist? These debates form a major thematic conflict in the book, illustrating the complex legacy Chris leaves behind.
In conclusion, Into the Wild presents a rich tapestry of conflicts—internal crises, family tension, ideological rebellion, and the unforgiving reality of nature. Chris McCandless’s journey is both inspiring and heartbreaking, driven by a desire for authenticity but undermined by his belief that solitude is the path to truth. His conflicts reveal the universal struggle to find meaning while balancing independence and connection. By examining these tensions, Krakauer encourages readers to reflect on their own values and the delicate relationship between dreams and reality.