In the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Christopher McCandless, displays isolation and independence almost to the point of narcissism, but this It was only when he embarked on his journey into nature that those close to him realized the true height of his individualism. In McCandless's eyes, people in his society have forgotten the value of the pursuit of personal knowledge, the quest for individual happiness, and existence without materialistic objects. During his journey, McCandless takes drastic measures to discover who he is and what he is capable of, isolating himself physically and mentally, motivated by the idea that society pressures men to conform. Turning his back on society, Chris McCandless throws away materialistic comforts and immerses himself in the values ​​he believes are important and pursues the ideals he believes are worthwhile. He moves away from his family, his friends, his school and completely abandons his identity as Christopher McCandless to create a new one under the name Alexander Supertramp. His actions, often considered selfish and cruel, could have been a necessary and almost noble change for him. By not even communicating with his sister Carine, the only person he was close enough to, Chris makes it clear that he doesn't want to be found. Previously, Chris had strived to get to college, academically and physically, as a top student and athlete, and later in his journey, he strove to be completely independent because “…it was important to him to see how independent he could be” (Krakauer 125). ). This quote illustrates the side of Chris that challenges himself to simply challenge himself - it's not the result of his romantic infatuation with himself ... middle of paper ... McCandless responds: “Damn no…how I feel like I’m none of the government’s business” (Krakauer 6). With this statement, Chris demonstrates that he is the ultimate non-conformist, that he is an individualist. “He sometimes needed solitude, but he was not a hermit. He did a lot of socializing. Sometimes I think it was as if he was keeping company for the times when he knew no one would be there” (Krakauer 45). That said, Chris understood the importance of being his own person, with his own ideas, views, and way of thinking, so that others couldn't manipulate him along the way. He realized that the only way for him to find his own freedom and peace was to be self-centered and put himself before others without others polluting his sense of existence. Work Cited Krakauer, Jon. In nature. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.