The allure of being a coward is the opposite of being an adventurous, free-spirited young man; both behaviors contradict each other. However, an individual with both characteristics can be identified in Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. Christopher McCandless has a sublime life, until he decides to abandon his standard of living and isolate himself to face a risky and deadly adventure. Some might consider McCandless an adventurer for challenging himself and living off the land, but still others consider him a coward for turning his back on his problems. McCandless's actions cannot be characterized by one specific behavior, as throughout his journey he is a well-rounded character. The relationship between a father and a son is a very important bond that is used to define an individual's actions; due to an unshakable relationship with his father, personal conflicts will be encountered later in life. In McCandless' situation, the relationship between him and his father is not very idealistic, which leads McCandless to isolate himself from the rest of the family. This isolationist behavior is evident when McCandless states, “Once the time is right, with quick and sudden action I will eliminate them completely from my life. I will divorce them as my parents once and for all and will never speak to any of those idiots again as long as I live. (64) Even though he has a good relationship with his sister, he feels like he is not part of the McCandless family. His parents give him everything they can, but McCandless cares little for superficial, materialistic displays of affection. He is grateful, but he is not a materialistic person. He feels like his parents are trying to buy his… middle of paper… and. McCandless' situation is ironic because although he is conservative and tries not to take advantage of nature, nature takes advantage of him and takes his life. A cowardly, adventurous, free-spirited young man like McCandless can have an incomprehensible effect on outsiders. Many people have different opinions about his lifestyle and behavioral actions. McCandless might be a simple person; however he is a complex thinker. Although he does not plan ahead, he is always ready to face any challenge he has to overcome. Undoubtedly, being a coward is the opposite of being an adventurous, free-spirited young man, and surprisingly, McCandless falls into both behavioral characterizations, making him a well-rounded character. Works Cited Krakauer, Jon. In the wild nature. Anchor Books ed. Villard, NY: Random House, 1997. Print.