You can write novels, poems and short stories about it, but you will never truly understand the beauty of life until you experience it yourself, until you immerse yourself in it. Each person has their own set of wants, needs and desires. But it's only when you go out and do the things you've imagined, that you truly discover what you love. Each person has a unique mind; each person has the ability to share different points of view. If you asked every person in the entire world what they believe the meaning of life is, you would get different answers. Many would differ, but most would say something to the effect of “living a happy, healthy life.” Because we are all so different, our definition of happiness is bound to differ from everyone else's. Christopher McCandless's definition of happiness would have been simple. He wanted to find himself, who he truly was deep down. In Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild (1997), McCandless didn't want to be the person his parents or society expected him to be, instead he wanted the rawness of life itself; and to achieve this goal, he left everything behind and ventured from place to place, finally ending up in Alaska. In chapter 17, McCandless is compared to naval officer Sir John Franklin because some argue that McCandless "lacked the necessary humility" and "possessed insufficient respect for the land." Taking these statements into consideration, McCandless is an arrogant young man because he is reckless and stubborn; however, he is also humble because he is kind and gentle. Chris McCandless is very stubborn. Chris McCandless cannot see reality and this is one of his tragic flaws, this is what ultimately leads to his death. Chris McCandless doesn't accept help or... middle of paper......zy, he wasn't "lost," seeking attention, lacking intelligence, or suicidal. “McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to reflect on nature or the world at large, but rather to explore the inner country of his own soul.” (Krakauer, 183) McCandless was not a transcendent saint, nor was he a clumsy and arrogant disrespect of nature, and to put him into service as an emblem of something is a mistake. If we examine the life of another and do not see him as another, if we do not look at the face of a dead man and do not see our own, we miss something important. Chris McCandless was deeply kind and extremely selfish; tremendously brave and incredibly foolish; extraordinarily competent and incredibly inept; that is, he was cut from the same crooked wood as the rest of us. Work cited Krakauer, Jon. In the wild nature. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.