In the novel Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the protagonist, Christopher McCandless, displays isolation and independence almost to the point of narcissism, but it wasn't until he started his journey into the wilderness that those closest to him realized the true height of his individualism. In McCandless's eyes, people in his society have forgotten the value of pursuing personal knowledge, pursuing individual happiness, and existing without materialistic goals. On his journey, McCandless takes drastic measures to discover, find, and discover who he is and what he is capable of, isolating himself physically and mentally, driven by the idea that society pressures men to conform. Turning his back on society, Chris McCandless casts off materialistic comfort and immerses himself in the values ​​he deems important and pursues the ideals he deems worthwhile. He distances himself from family, friends, school and completely abandons his identity as Christopher McCandless and creates a new one as Alexander Supertramp. His actions, often considered selfish and cruel, could have been a necessary and almost noble change for him. By not even communicating with his sister Carine, the only person he was very close to, Chris makes it quite obvious that he doesn't want to be found. Previously, Chris had pushed himself through college, academically and physically as a star student and athlete and later in his journey, he pushed himself to be completely independent because "...it was important for him to see how independent he could be ” (Krakauer 125 ). This quote illustrates the side of Chris who challenges himself simply to challenge himself, not the result of his romantic infatuation with himself… middle of paper… here, McCandless responds: “Hell no… how do I ?" hearing me is none of the government's business” (Krakauer 6). With this statement, Chris demonstrates that he is the nonconformist par excellence, that he is an individualist. “Sometimes he needed solitude, but he was not a hermit. He socialized a lot. Sometimes I think it was as if he was hoarding company for the times when he knew no one would be there” (Krakauer 45). That said, Chris has understood the importance of being himself, with his own ideas, points of view and his own way of thinking so that others cannot manipulate him along the way. He realized that the only way to find his own freedom and peace was to be self-centered and put himself before others without others polluting his sense of existence. Work cited Krakauer, Jon. In the wild nature. New York: Anchor Books, 1997. Print.