America CCA 2 Essay

Submitted By superrunner123
Words: 1341
Pages: 6
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Kellan McEachen
Mr. Wood
Classics of American Literature
May 22, 2015
Fighting Capitalism In America Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources. With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and almost all others are doomed to be poor at some level. That's the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules, we are going to have to change the system (Martin Luther King Jr.). Our society is ridiculously materialistic. Social classes are based on what a person has, not who they are or what they stand for. Chris McCandless realized this with his stubborn, workaholic parents. They constantly preached him about school and work, which made him realize that the capitalistic society that we live in lessens a persons’ quality of life. Into The Wild shows that to be an American, one must conform and suffer under this capitalistic society we live in. Chris demonstrates how America’s capitalistic system is deteriorating the United States; McCandless crosses paths with others that have already fell under America’s economic trap, and how Chris took a stand against this flawed system in America. The book Into The Wild demonstrates that America’s capitalistic society is worsening this great country. Christopher McCandless really brings this issue to light through his journey around North America. He believed that United States citizens are too materialistic, and all they care about is money. There is a top tier of people who are wealthy and not needing to work. However, that leaves the majority of the countries population that needs to work extremely hard just to make ends meet. The reason for all of this hard work is to buy material objects, the pride and joy of most Americans. What gets these people all of this money, which Chris thinks is unnecessary, is their job. Trying to stay away from this capitalistic society we live in, McCandless believed that, “careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one” (Krakauer 46). Chris was trying to stay away from money, the object that makes people who they are in this flawed country. Since having a lot of money is what it means to be an American in capitalist America, then Chris had no desire to be a part of this society. Many individuals follow the American dream like a bible. Americans have been trained to think that the only socially acceptable way to live is to get a college education, a career, to have stability. Chris was not one to allude to the white picket fence lifestyle; he realized that there is more to life than a job. McCandless discovered that when Americans are not happy, they do the opposite of what they should do, they go back to their ordinary life, when what they really need is adventure. It is ridicules that, “So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism” (Chris McCandless). Chris knows that citizens need to branch out, and be original, and make their own path. This needs to happen soon or societies need for money and conformity will define what it means to be an American, an obedient society where money and stability controls people’s happiness, not what really matters. Furthermore, there were many people in Into The Wild that show what it means to be an American; overly conformed to this capitalistic society. The main people who demonstrate this are Chris’s parents. Billie and Walt struggled to make enough money for a long time, but survived perfectly fine. However, out capitalistic society promotes people spending money instead of saving it, so the economy doesn’t collapse. So, because they bought into this way of life unlike their son, when their income increased, they had to keep working instead of sitting back and enjoying life. Their business took off and, “[Walt and Billie] eventually started making bunches of money, but they worked all
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