Connection
By the end of his journey, Christopher has come to the revelation that life is best live in connection with the people he loves. He came to this understanding because he lived in such extreme isolation in the wild. With his realization, he tore down the own walls he built up about what he wants and how to go about getting it.
Rejection of Societal Norms
One major theme of this film is Christopher rejecting having to walk down a path that society dictates for him. Instead, he is determined to find his own way and learn to live from the land which he believes will sustain him, while modern life only would break him down into someone he never wants to be.
Harshness of Understanding Gained from Experience
Christopher dies because he eats a poisonous root that he believed to be safe to eat. But this event came about because he was unable to cross the river that had thawed once he entered the wild. Christopher's journey away from civilization and the corruption of society lead him to an understanding about who he was and what he wanted, not trying to live his life based on what society dictates. However, in his passionate flight he was grossly unprepared for the reality of what he would need to survive and the harshness of nature. While escaping the trappings of city and suburban and even rural life allows for a deeper understanding of self, it also demands a heightened awareness of ones ability to survive and how to do that. Christopher underestimates this in terms of nature and his story sadly ends in tragedy with his death.
