Into the Wild 3

Audrey Jolly

 

 

"HAPPINESS IS ONLY REAL WHEN SHARED" is the last phrase that McCandless etched into the wooden table inside the "Magic Bus" before he died of starvation.  He had mistakenly eaten a wild potato root that is dangerously poisonous and is fatal if not treated.  It prevents the body from absorbing nutrients and calories, therefore, the consumer will ultimately die of starvation, no matter how much food they consume. 

McCandless's final quote suggests that in his weakened, dying condition, perhaps he regretted not forming deeper relationships with people.  He had lived an incredible life and had gone on an amazing journey.  He had seen, heard, touched, experienced and lived many things along his journey, and it has brought him much enjoyment and happiness.  Yet he could not share it with anyone, because he was dying all alone in the wilderness of Alaska.  Did he feel unfulfilled?  Did he think that his journey was really worth it?  He must have felt extremely lonely, even though he embraced being alone before, for example, "McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well—relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it. He had fled the claustrophobic confines of his family. He’d successfully kept Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg at arm’s length, flitting out of their lives before anything was expected of him. And now he’d slipped painlessly out of Ron Franz’s life as well (55)."  He had met the people mentioned in the above quote on his journey, yet did he miss them now?  At the end, he probably longed to share his happiness with someone, and regretted his disdain of intimacy.