In Into the Wild, how does Chris McCandless feel about his family, and how does Chris' family feel about him? Are there any differences?

In the
book, , by American writer , it is shown that Chris McCandless is essentially indifferent to
his family, except possibly for his sister, Carine, one of nine children in the family. His
parents were Walt and Billie McCandless.

What is notable, concerning his
feelings for his family, is that Chris never really spoke of them. In addition, it is an
indication of his thoughts on his family that he concocted a new moniker for himself,
Alexander Supertramp, deciding to no longer go with the family name as he traveled.

As stated in the first answer above, it is revealed in the book that Chris believed his
parents were too controlling. Chris, like his father, had a stubborn streak in him and a
penchant for losing his temper. Quite revealing, regarding his feelings about his family is that
they held to and practiced middle-class traditional values, while Chris became increasingly
antagonistic to these values his family held dear. This is a prime example of a major difference
between him and his family. Chris McCandless began to put away materialism and eventually
virtually dispensed with it altogetherwhen he hitchhiked to Alaska and walked unaccompanied into
its vast wilderness.

Walt and Billie McCandless had high hopes for their son.
They believed he would further his life ambitions through enrolling in law school. They wanted
the best for their son and no doubt were positive about this hope. Eventually, as Chris journey
went on and he was not heard of, or to be found, Walt and Billie did engage the services of a
private investigator to find Chris. They loved him. Chris, deep down, may have loved them, but
did not ascribe to their traditional way of life any longer.

The major
difference between Chris and his family was philosophical and based on different world views of
what one needs to do to be happy in life.