An Eye for An Eye?

"How is it that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain?" (Krakauer 104).

Topic: The Dynamics of Family

          Samuel Walter McCandless asks this about Chris regarding his complete and unexpected loss of contact with his parents prior to his unfortunate death on his journey in Alaska. This question is a good one; in that it makes you think about what may have driven such a kind soul to do such a hurtful thing. McCandless is a thoughtful individual who shows great care for the feelings of those he is acquainted to and proves this through his actions. However, it is seemingly out of character for him to commit such a seemingly ruthless act, until one looks at the dynamics within the McCandless family. Many who hear Chris's story are unaware of the fact that his parents have been verbally and physically abusive to him as well as his sister from a young age. Once this is taken into consideration, one can begin to understand why Chris McCandless would do something as distressing as this to his parents. It does, however, bring up an interesting question. Is it fair of Chris to do to his parents what they have done to him, even though he knows the pain of mental abuse?