Arrogance Killed McCandless

Krakauer attempts to conclude that Mr. McCandless’ death was a result of ignorance rather than arrogance. However conclusive this article may be, I am not convinced that ignorance of the natural world was the final nail in the coffin of this twenty four year old young man. Krakauer compiles a summary of extensive research of Chris’s diet and final days on earth. It was originally hypothesized that Chris perished due to a lack of caloric consumption, as he struggled to live off of small animals and plants.

Wild-potato seeds was the majority of his diet. These seeds contain ODAP, which essentially results in irreversible paralysis of the body, beginning with the legs. According to Chris’s diary, these seeds made him too weak to gather food. What can be hypothesized from this new information on wild-potato is that Chris did not die due to a lack of food in the area, but rather his ability to move deteriorated so quickly that he could not gather the food.

I have trouble accepting that Mr. McCandless perished out of ignorance rather than arrogance as Krakauer theorized in his article. Obviously, Chris ignorantly consumed toxic plants which lead to his demise. However, his health was deteriorating prior to him consuming these seeds. To say that his death was simply a result of his lack of knowledge is untrue. He would not have gone hitchhiking to Alaska, also known as the “The Last Frontier”, because he thought he would die. This man was guided by a raging love of the unknown, and the thought of danger inspired him rather than deter him. I believe that based on this article and “Into the Wild”, Mr. McCandless’s mindset was one of complete arrogance and a lack of understanding of the real brutality of nature. He went ill prepared to face the true harshness of nature, because he was too arrogant. Sure, he may have been ignorant of the fact that a .22 caliber rifle may be as effective at killing a bear as politicians are good at coming up with real solutions. He may have been ignorant of many things, but he was aware of the danger, and decided to proceed with his adventure. His arrogance in believing that he could escape a grizzly bear by climbing the closest tree is just one of many examples of how out of touch with reality he appears. If I were to take one thing away from the tragic story of Chris McCandless in light of this new information, it would be that ignorance of arrogance is the real danger to humanity.