It is very easy to either idolize Chris McCandless as a hero leaving a capitalist, unpersonal and cold society or to condemn his as a naive and in the end stupid youth with a romantic dream and no knowledge about his dangerous endeavour. I've seen both and, in my head, I have done both. Jon Krakauer manages to do neither but to give us insight into both claims and in the process leaves it up to our own interpretation. This, I think, is just the right way to write about the live of Chris McCandless, to not just tell his story but also make us think about his motives and his actions while maintaining the necessary tact and respect for Chris and his family.