Final answer:
Samuel "Walt" McCandless in Into the Wild is portrayed as a committed professional who is implied to have experienced change after the loss of his son, Chris McCandless. The comparison of Chris's and Thoreau's quests for freedom highlights their shared desire for a simpler life, despite different motives and outcomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Jon Krakauer's narrative nonfiction, Into the Wild, Samuel "Walt" McCandless is depicted as a highly driven and successful man, with his career reflecting an analytical and disciplined mindset. However, following the disappearance of his son Chris after college, there is an implication that Walt has undergone a period of reflection and possible change.
The book suggests that Walt's perspective on life, his values, and perhaps his sense of control may have been deeply affected by the loss of his son. The manner in which Walt McCandless has changed is not detailed explicitly, but readers can infer that such a profound event would inevitably lead to introspection and transformation in any parent.
Comparing Chris McCandless's quest for freedom and autonomy in the Alaskan wilderness with Thoreau's philosophical and practical experiment at Walden Pond reveals both commonalities and differences. While both sought to simplify life and had a desire to step away from societal norms, their motives, outcomes, and historical contexts differ significantly.
Thoreau's retreat was part of a deliberate experiment in simple living with an underlying protest against societal norms, while McCandless's journey was more of a personal odyssey born out of youthful idealism and a quest for raw, unmediated experience.