"No man ever followed his genius till it misled him. Though the result were bodily weakness, yet perhaps no one can say that the consequences were to be regretted, for these were a life in conformity to higher principles. If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more elastic, more starry, more immortal,-that is your success. All nature is your congratulation, and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself. The greatest gains and values are farthest from being appreciated. We easily come to doubt if they exist. We soon forget them. They are highest reality.... The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment if the rainbow which i have clutched." (Henry David Thoreau, Walden, or Life in the Woods, Passage Highlighted In One Of The Books Found with Chris McCandless's Remains)
Chapter 6. Page 47. Paragraph 1.
McCandless was a genius when it came to school. He graduated at the top of his class and was on his way to law school. He never followed his genius though until he decided to go to Alaska. He thought he would be able to go out into the Alaskan wilderness and live off the land for a few months. This was where his genius misled him. McCandless underestimated how hard it was to live off the land. The book that he used to tell which berries were edible was suppose to be his key to survival. One little mistake from this book is what eventually killed him. He ate a berry that he thought was edible but turned out to be deadly. McCandless read this passage from Walden and highlighted it because it reminded him of himself. He knew that he was a genius but he didn't think that this Alaskan voyage would be misleading. McCandless assumed that everything would go okay, maybe a couple of bumps and bruises hear and there but he wouldn't die. He thought he had the knowledge to do everything right and live off of berries he picked and the animals he killed. This wealth of knowledge is what hurt him the most. Thoreau made it seem like nature was this beautiful thing that should be appreciated and when its finally enjoyed, it will be the ultimate congratulations. Thoreau left the deadly parts out of his romanticism for nature. McCandless took this literal. He didn't realize the dangers and how simple mistakes could be life or death
ReplyDeleteI would agree but grossly disagree that it was his wealth of knowledge that killed him. I would postulate given his age, history of family dysfunction and his age related narcissism ala hubris killed him.
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