Out of all the people McCandless has met so far on his journey, the one he seems to grow closest with is Ronald Franz. Franz becomes a sort of surrogate father to McCandless, providing him with funds, housing, and travelling with him at certain points. Franz obviously cares about McCandless a lot, and even asks if he can adopt him.
"'My mother was an only child,' he explains. 'So was my father. And I was their only child. Now that my boy's dead, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson.'
McCandless, uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question: 'We'll tyalk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron'" (Krakauer 55).
McCandless, who is "uncomfortable" about this, does not want to be tied down by family. This is the same reason he severs ties with his real family; he does not want anyone looking for him, trying to provide him with things. He does not want to have to worry about staying in touch or anything of the sort.
This is very different from Alanna of Trebond and Sir Myles of Olau from The Woman Who Rides Like a Man by Tamora Pierce. Alanna, who is, for a good part of the novel, a wanderer herself, is currently living with a Bazhir tribe in the desert. Myles, who has been an advisor and friend to Alanna for the greater part of her studies to become a knight, approaches her during their stay with the Bazhir. He has a proposition for her:
"'I've been thinking about you're situation, now that Thom is at Court and you are roaming. [...] I believe you know I have always been very fond of you. [...] I am concerned about you. If you continue to travel, you will need funds, to stay at inns, to give bribes- don't frown. Some nations use the bribe to support the national treasury. Now, consider my problem, I'm unwed and unsociable. It's not likely that I shall marry and have children. You've been like a daughter to me- sometimes even like a son. [...] I want to make you my heir'" (Pierce 117-118).
Alanna, who's father has died and who's brother, Thom, is a rather solitary being, is thrilled with Myles' request. Although Alanna likes to do things on her own, she recognizes that there is a lot of truth to what Myles says, and immediately says yes. She, unlike McCandless, recognizes that sometimes you have to be practical, even if you don't want to be. Alanna loves wandering around the country and having adventures, but she also knows that she "will need funds". Alanna is less stubborn than McCandless, and this ultimately benefits her. She also takes into consideration what Myles wants, rather than McCandless' complete disregard for how Franz feels about the adoption. She knows that it would make Myles happy, and McCandless knows it will make Franz happy, but he chooses to go with how he himself feels.
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Like you said, Chris' decision was not practical and only makes things harder for himself. When I read the section when Franz asks to adopt him, I thought about how that made Alex think of his actuall family. He still had one, and thought that the reason he was hesitant to answer may have had soemthing to do with his relationship with his dad. They didn't have a good relationship, and now Alex is being presented with another father. The reality of it might of scared him, and brought the bad feelings with his actual father rushing back. Ultimately, like you said, he dodges a bullet by disregarding what the other wants so he won't have to do something he doesn't really want to.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Chris McCandless does not want to be tied down to someone, which is the reason he leaves his parents and anywhere he has stayed. It keeps him in the same place and would not let him live the live that he wants to pursue. Staying in the same town with Ron would make him rejoin society which is exactly the opposite from what he wants to do. I think he would, like to have stayed with Ron but he would rather live the way that he wants to than be with him.
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ReplyDeleteIn some ways I think McCandless is hypocritical in the sense that he does express these wishes to not be trapped in by society, and yet he is truly unable to fully escape society and keeps coming back because of his own interactions. He wants to be independant but he keeps returning to society, seemingly unable to keep away from the relationships that suround people.
ReplyDeleteFranz is a great example how Chris comes in and our of Franz's life reapearing and disappearing. He is almost free of society and of these obligations, but buy leaving Franz, he left a gaping hole in his life and in doing so he is still tacked into society by the obligations to preserve the lives he set out of balance. Society is made up of these interactions between people changing each other's lives, and preserved by the rebalance from others. In Franz's case Chris was the only person who could set it back in balance, and thus his obligation remained.
I feel like the whole point of Chris's escape from society is not to get tied down. Becoming someone's child would have more responsibilities than benefits; thus limiting freedom; something Chris has longed for all his life. Thoreau, for example never had any attachments while living at Walden. Sure, Emerson helped him out a lot, but he was only a friend and nothing more. He still gets all the help and things he needs from Emerson, but doesn't need to follow any of Emerson's rules. This is the same with Chris. Friendship is the best place to be, the best compromise that is mutual and benefits both people. It's like the boy-girl situation; whether to stay friends or go out. Dating, or forming a more intimate relationship makes things way more complicated. So therefore, i think that in Chris's situation, its best not to make attachments...and who knows; he might have known he might not ever come back..
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mengli in that if Chris were to accept Ron's request, it would defeat the whole purpose of Chris' adventure. He went on the adventure in order to get away from society, live life with few material possessions, and prove his independence to himself. He wandered around the United States without any attachment to a person or place that couldn't be broken with a whim telling him to move on. I think that if Chris became Ron's son, although they may have gotten along well, Chris would not be able to complete his journey. He would become unhappy, and long for adventure again
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ReplyDeleteI agree that Franz had a significant impact on Chris' life. One thing I thought of when I read this part of the book and your post was the connection to Catcher in the Rye. Holden never really had a father figure and tried to keep most of his life private - hiding it from his family. Holden wanted to lead a very independent lifestyle with the freedom to do whatever he wanted. Holden could have likely died just as Chris did, if not for Phoebe and his strong relationship with her. Chris does the same thing but for different reasons. As has been mentioned, he doesn’t want to become attached to any one person for too long. I think that part of this is because he knows his Alaskan adventure is dangerous and the chances of him not coming back are fairly high. By not staying around long enough for people to become emotionally attached to him, he won't cause them too much pain if/when they hear of his death.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, that McCandless does not want to be tied down by family or friends. It would only slow down his quest to Alaska. Franz's proposal to adopt Chris is another oppurtunity for Chris to return to society, but I think Jan Burres was his biggest temptation. Jan's son had left her to wander the country much like Chris had left his family. Jan thinks of Chris as a son and she probably feels obligated to help Chris, hoping people would give her son similar hospitality. Jan and Chris can also relate because they are both wanderers, vagabonds and free spirits.
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