carl mccunn
Carl McCunn was a photographer who spent months in the Alaskan wilderness trying to capture the essence of life. Sadly, his excursion did not last long, as when a pilot was passing by, he gave the pilot the wrong hand signals, making the pilot thinking that he was okay and did not need any assistance. McCunn did not know how to fend for himself in the wild, and when he finally ran out of supplies, he committed suicide. Nonetheless, despite the dark ending of McCunn’s life, he was a great representation of the American Dream, as he left his previous life behind in order to immerse himself in the natural world. He spent months in the wilderness and wanted to capture how immaculately it functioned and how beautifully all of the species in the wilderness lived. He saw that the world did not revolve around material possessions, but rather was most meaningful when spent living as one was supposed to, without excess waste holding them back. McCunn knew the true meaning of life and would have been able to continue living his life this way if not for a bad series of events that led to his demise.
Carl McCunn, during his time living, represented the modern American Dream because he wished to spend time immersed in nature and experiencing the world, and he was luckily able to get a taste of the dream before his demise. The American Dream is something that is accomplished progressively, and Carl McCunn was able to get a foot in and begin his journey to achieving such before he died. Unfortunately, in a situation such as the one he put himself in, one has to be prepared for the worst and educate themselves so that they can be self-sustainable, which is something that McCunn was ignorant towards and did not do. Nonetheless, his mindset going into the beginning of his excursion highlights the mindset that one needs to have today in order to achieve the American Dream. He noticed the immaculateness of the world in its natural state and wanted to immerse himself in that and capture its perfection. He was able to by simply forgetting about his past worries and not worrying much for the future, and found himself in the midst of the Alaskan wilderness, surrounded by the untouched beauty of the world. Human life and civilization was not a concern to him as he was able to seclude himself from the rest of society, and he found himself content with his new life, surrounded by the greatness in the world that people often take for granted. That is why he did not appear to be as worried as one would expect when he wrote about his future suicide. It was a dark subject, but Carl McCunn was able to begin his journey towards pursuing the American Dream, and because he was able to experience the slightest bit of it, he was content.
Many of those who want to experience life find themselves in the Alaskan wilderness, like Carl McCunn, along with others such as Richard Proenneke.
Carl McCunn, during his time living, represented the modern American Dream because he wished to spend time immersed in nature and experiencing the world, and he was luckily able to get a taste of the dream before his demise. The American Dream is something that is accomplished progressively, and Carl McCunn was able to get a foot in and begin his journey to achieving such before he died. Unfortunately, in a situation such as the one he put himself in, one has to be prepared for the worst and educate themselves so that they can be self-sustainable, which is something that McCunn was ignorant towards and did not do. Nonetheless, his mindset going into the beginning of his excursion highlights the mindset that one needs to have today in order to achieve the American Dream. He noticed the immaculateness of the world in its natural state and wanted to immerse himself in that and capture its perfection. He was able to by simply forgetting about his past worries and not worrying much for the future, and found himself in the midst of the Alaskan wilderness, surrounded by the untouched beauty of the world. Human life and civilization was not a concern to him as he was able to seclude himself from the rest of society, and he found himself content with his new life, surrounded by the greatness in the world that people often take for granted. That is why he did not appear to be as worried as one would expect when he wrote about his future suicide. It was a dark subject, but Carl McCunn was able to begin his journey towards pursuing the American Dream, and because he was able to experience the slightest bit of it, he was content.
Many of those who want to experience life find themselves in the Alaskan wilderness, like Carl McCunn, along with others such as Richard Proenneke.