The appeal of being a coward is the opposite of that of an adventurous, free-spirited young man; the two behaviors contradict each other. However, an individual with both characteristics can be identified in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. Christopher McCandless lives a sublime life, until he decides to abandon his standard of living and isolate himself to endure a risky adventure that will take his life. Some may view McCandless as an adventurer who challenges himself and lives off the land, but still others view him as a coward for turning his back on his problems. McCandless's actions cannot be characterized by specific behavior, because throughout his entire journey he is a complete character. The relationship between a father and a son is a very important bond that is used to define an individual's actions; due to an unshakable relationship with his father, personal conflicts will arise later in life. In McCandless' situation, the relationship between him and his father is not very idealistic, leading McCandless to isolate himself from the rest of his family. This isolationist behavior is seen when McCandless states, "Once the time is right, with one sharp, quick move, I'm going to completely eliminate them from my life." I am going to divorce you once and for all as parents and never speak to any of these idiots again for as long as I live. (64) Although he has a good relationship with his sister, he feels like he is not part of the McCandless family. His parents provide him with everything they can, but McCandless cares little for superficial, materialistic displays of affection. He is grateful, but not materialistic. He feels like his parents are trying to buy his...... middle of paper ......e. McCandless' situation is ironic because although he is conservative and tries not to take advantage of nature, nature takes advantage of him and takes his life. A loose, adventurous, free-spirited young man like McCandless can have a tremendous effect on outsiders. Many people have various thoughts about one's lifestyle and behavioral actions. McCandless may be a simple person; however, he is a complex thinker. Even though he doesn't plan ahead, he is always ready to take on any challenge he has to overcome. Unquestionably, being a coward is the opposite of being an adventurous, free-spirited young man. Unfortunately, McCandless falls into both behavioral characterizations, making him a complete character. Works Cited Krakauer, Jon. In nature. Anchor Books ed. Villard, NY: Random House, 1997. Print.