Post #1 Response

Deep-rooted family conflict drives characters' adventurous motives in both the novel Into the Wild and the film Fantastic Mr. Fox. Both texts have characters that are motivated to act the way they do by their fathers’ behaviors. In Fantastic Mr. Fox, Ash is constantly seeking the approval of his father. This affects his overall disposition towards life, as shown in the scene when Kristofferson arrives and both younger foxes dive into the pool from the tree branch. When Kristofferson is praised for his perfect dive by Mr. Fox, Ash responds by asking his father for equal praise in his own athletic ability. When Ash doesn’t get the affirmation he is looking for, he gets angry. This tension builds throughout the movie, also creating a projected tension between Ash and Kristofferson.

Kristofferson is only a likeable character: he is friendly, balanced, and has many talents. This can be backed up by the fact that most other characters in the film like Kristofferson. Ash only dislikes Kristofferson because he seems superior to Ash in everything he does, and it highlights Ash’s perception of himself that he is somehow inferior to others. This motivates him to “prove” himself to others, his father most importantly, and coerces him to take unnecessary risks, such as going after his father’s tail in Boggis’s kitchen, in order to gain his father’s approval. This mentality is so prevalent in Ash’s mindset, he even goes as far as trying to impress other father-like figures, such as the whack-bat coach, who only reinforces Ash’s sense of inferiority when he indirectly tells Ash he’s still living in his father’s shadow.

Contrastingly, Chris McCandless was motivated to avoid any connection (or approval) from his family, especially his father. His disapproval of his father’s past was one stepping stone in Chris’s increased motivation for avoiding people entirely. “Chris would fixate on his father’s own less than sterling behavior many years earlier and silently denounce him as a sanctimonious hypocrite” (122). His “self-righteous indignation that was impossible to keep bottled up” may have extended to others in the form of a defense mechanism: his ability to distance himself from others emotionally (122).

This mentality, once again, is extended to other father figures in Chris’s life. Chris uses adventure as a means to avoid his relationship with Wayne Westerburg, as described in his last written correspondence to Westerburg: “This is the last you shall hear from me, Wayne … If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man” (69). The way Chris writes, whether he died or not, he had easily set the groundwork for avoiding Westerburg once again. His finality in the first statement shows he may not have returned to Carthage. This same situation also occurs with Ron Franz and Jan Burres.

In many ways, the avoidance of making strong personal connections seems to be one of the main driving forces for Chris’s nomadic ways and adventurous spirit. By avoiding a traditional lifestyle, he is also able to avoid any ties to others, thus avoiding responsibility all together. In Ash’s case, his strong need for approval drives his passion for adventure. In both of these characters, their motivations for seeking adventure stem from family issues that have, over time, become ingrained into their perceptions of and attitudes towards life.