‘Into the Wild’ Chris McCandless’ Sister Says He Was Determined to Cut Ties with Parents – ABC News.

This is one book on my reading list.  I remember watching the movie and distinctly feeling there was more to the story than what the movie showed.  Unfortunately I have not read the complete book,  Into the Wild, only excerpts.  Even those excerpts hinted at something more.  Something I just couldn’t put my finger on.

“Alexander Supertramp” was someone many young people admired for being able to genuinely “get away from it all” and “reconnect with nature.”  The truth is, he was searching for something, perhaps himself.  Perhaps it was answers to questions we have no clue about.  Now there are allegations of abuse by his father.

Sadly, this possibility of abuse fits well with the young man’s reaction of getting away from it all, and even his own ideas of integrity and his determination of living life on is own terms and no one else’s fits with what I’ve since learned about abuse.  It is sad, but this information feels right and honest.  It feels like the underlying reason for the sudden vanishing of the young man from all the familial circles.

Having this piece of information raises questions for me, however:  Was Chris McCandless planning on returning at some point for his sister, the one he protected?  What was his final plan after he had gone into the wilderness of the soul?  Many Eastern Orthodox saints have gone out into the desert, led by and dependent on God and the Holy Spirit for deeper spiritual understanding.  Was this what young McCandless had in mind?  Did he think he could spend one more day in solitude before heading out for civilization and food and he just stayed too long?

There are still so many questions surrounding Chris McCandless/Alexander Supertramp.  His journey and the possible reasons for going on it are wonderful inspirations for fiction.  If there is any fiction written with this young man as the inspiration, my hope is the ending of the fictional account ends happier than it did.