and spirituality. Not in the sense of worship of a deity, but in the sense of finding salvation within Mother Nature.
             In the book it is argued that McCandless was incompetent and selfish. We know that he attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for four years and graduated with honors. Initially, he thought a university education was "a waste of time and money" (114). It was his mother, Billie, who talked some sense into him: "If you really want to make a difference in the world, if you really want to help people who are less fortunate... Go to college... then you'll be able to make a real impact" (114). McCandless, who was intensely interested in world affairs and took classes about starvation in Africa and the Apartheid, underestimated the value of an education at the outset. But I think that after attending Emory and having the position as editor of his school paper he gained a new-found, enlightened perspective. He acquired knowledge, a capability whose reward equals freedom, and when
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