"Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again, I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk into the wild." Into the Wild, 69
In this passage shows growth of the character in the sense that he now realizes that there is chance for failure and fatality. I don't believe that his intent was to die or that this trip was suicidal but he was preparing himself and others for the wilderness and unpredictability of the future. McCandless feels that this trip is worth it and any nomad would say the same thing, his excitement and joy of living completely independently and free is seen in his last letter to Westerberg, a good friend of his that gave him jobs and a ride when he was found hitchhiking. The fact that McCandeless wrote a final post card to this friend shows his kindness and value of friends, although he left his family behind he kept in touch with his new friends that helped him along the way of his journey.
My students and I often talk about Chris' intentions...we all usually agree that his intention was not to die. This is such a good story to reel students into reading.
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