Afterword

After reading the Afterword, Krakauer’s newer pieces about what actually caused McCandless’s death, and the foreword he wrote for Carine’s book, I’ve started to see how all over the place people are when it comes to McCandless’s legacy. It honestly feels like every time someone adds a new detail, the whole story changes again. No one can agree on who he “really” was.

Some of what I originally thought still holds up for me mainly that McCandless wasn’t just some clueless kid running off into the woods. “I understand why people would think he was selfish and dumb, but I think those people aren’t understanding what the purpose of life is.” These extra materials back that up. But a lot of my earlier ideas got mixed up too. The updated info about the seeds basically changes the whole narrative about him making some huge mistake, and Carine’s point of view brings in personal stuff I didn’t fully understand before.

Overall, all this new material made me realize that McCandless’s story isn’t wrapped up or simple at all. People are still arguing about him, and honestly, I end up changing my mind a little every time I learn something new.