>>2053422I did something similar to what he did, although I hadn't read the book or seen the movie before doing so. Long story short, I realized somewhere along the way I had found myself on the road, and I shouldn't run away from the people who loved me, flawed though they may be. I had the good sense to return home and enroll in college and pursue a meaningful life, and I think Chris realized he too needed to return home, but it was too late for him.
A lot of people harp on him for his Alaska expedition, completely forgetting about the years he spent traveling the country and deeply affecting others who came into contact with him. He was a guy who didn't realize how much people loved him, and he tried to escape from a reality in which he saw himself as an unloved prisoner being directed toward a future he didn't choose. It's clear that Chris was a deeply passionate kid who was emotionally abused and stifled by his father throughout his childhood, and like Peter Pan he wanted to escape to a world where he didn't have to grow up. His story is very archetypal and elements can be seen in certain fairy tales and myths, because Chris's story is one that shows up every now and then across time.
