Question 48: Chapter 17

From this journey, Krakauer uncovered that
1. Chris lacked a good map.(p.174) If Chris has a good accurate map he could navigate himself around the Teklanika river safely.
2. Chris came into the country with "insufficient provisions and lacked certain pieces of equipment deemed essential by many Alaskans:a large-caliber rifle, map and compass, an ax."(p.180)
3. Chris did not bother to master the crucial skills you need to survive in the wilderness for an extended period of time.(p.182) If he practiced what he needed to learn to live by himself before his went on his journey, maybe he would walk out alive.
4. Chris was quick to engage in "risky behavior" and took it to a "logical extreme"(p.182). If Chris was more cautious and planned out his journey in more detail he may have survived.
5. "McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily. He demanded much of himself-more, in the end, than he could deliver"(p.184). If Chris was not so hard on himself, I think he could have survived.

Similarities between Sir John Franklin and McCandless
1. They both starved.(p.181)
2. They both were perceived to have lacked a requisite humility.(p.181)

Differences between Sir John Franklin and McCandless
1. "McCandless's arrogance was not of the same strain as Franklin's. Franklin regarded nature as an antagonist. Chris went too far in the opposite direction"(p.181). Chris embraced nature and lived entirely off the country.
2. John Franklin had people with him on his journey into Alaska. McCandless was alone.

Question 47: Chapter 13

Compare and Contrast Chris and his sister, Carine. Include how their lives evolved in reaction to their parents' situation. List 3-4 for each

Comparisons between Chris and Carine
1. They were about the same height and they looked a lot alike.(some asked if they were twins).(p.128)
2. They are both energetic and self-assured.(p.129)
3. They are both high achievers and quick to state an opinion.(p.129)
4. They both clashed fiercely with Walt and Billie as teenagers.(p.129)

Differences between Chris and Carine
1. Carine made peace with her parents shortly after Chris disappeared and Chris never made up with them.(p.129)
2. Carine is much more diligent than Chris and would never off into the wilderness alone.(p.129)
3. Carine has no objection to wealth. Whereas Chris, liked to live without wealth enjoying his life by living simply.

Question 46: Chapter 16

To prepare for his journey, Chris is taken by Stuckey to the grocery store to buy a big bag a rice for his food. Then he goes to the University of Alaska campus where he finds a field guide to edible plants, and he also bought a used gun for the trip.

Personal Philosophies Chris learned
1. That butchering is extremely difficult.(uncovered when he killed the moose.)
2. Do not cross the Teklanika river at during rough currents because you can die.(Chris learned the hard way when he nearly drowned.)
3. Chris declares, "Deliberate Living: Conscious attention to the basics of life, a constant attention to your immediate environment and its concerns"(p.168)
4. Chris learns the meaning of life as he states, "The Great Holiness of FOOD, the Vital Heat., Positivism, the Insurpassable Joy of the Life Aesthetic., Absolute Truth and Honesty., Reality., Independence., Finality-Stability-Consistency"(p.168).
5. After the remorse Chris felt about not being able to preserve some of the remains of the moose, he states, "Henceforth will learn to accept my errors, however great they be"(p.167).

Question 45: Chapter 16

I believe that Stuckey should have gotten Chris's parents phone numbers. I think that it would be a good idea to have their numbers in case Chris informed Stuckey about his whereabouts. If Stuckey had called Chris's parents things would not change much. Chris's parents would definitely become worried for their son and drive over to try and find him. They might have even called a search in that area. I believe that if they got a hold of Chris that he would refuse to go home and it would make everything even worse.

Question 44: Chapter 15

1. In comparison, Chris and Krakauer both traveled to Alaska to perform their experimental journeys.(p.136)

2. In contrast, Chris never informed anyone about exactly what he was planning on doing in his journey. On the contrary, Krakauer told his friends and family about his journey to climb the Devil's Thumb and they all doubted him.

3. Chris and Krakauer had very similar motives for their journeys. Krakauer writes, "When I decided to go to Alaska that April, like Chris McCandless, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic. I thought climbing the Devil's Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life. In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing."(p.155)

Question 43: Chapter 14

Krakauer states in his writing, "Like McCandless, figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please. If something captured my undisciplined imagination, I pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession, and from the age of seventeen until my late twenties that something was mountain climbing"(p.134).

Five Similarities
1. They both had a bad relationship with their fathers.
2. They both followed their dreams and journeyed to Alaska.
3. They both went on their journey alone.
4. They both lived simply and without technology.
5. They both climbed mountains at one point in their journey.

Five Differences
1. I feel that Krakauer planned out his journey more that Chris did.(p.140)
2. Krakauer realizes that his father was only strict to look out for him and prepare his son to become successful. Chris never realizes that about his father.
3. Krakauer informed many people about his plan to climb the Devil's Thumb. Chris didn't really inform people about his plan.
4. The obvious fact that Krakauer makes it out of his journey alive. Unfortunately, Chris does not make it out of the wild alive.
5. Krakauer paid someone to fly him supplies on his journey. Chris did not rely on anyone for anything on his journey.

Question 42: Chapter 12

From what I have read thus far, I believe that Chris took those kind of chances because he wa overconfident. He believed that he could do anything without getting hurt.I think that he left behind his family because of the mistake his father made when he secretly balanced his two loves, Marcia and Billie. I believe that Chris knew that Carine would understand why he left. He trusted her to believe in him and the way he wanted to live his life.

I would definitely not be able to understand the situation if I was part of Chris' family. I would be drastically hurt and emotional.

If I were Carine before Chris left for his trip, I would urge him to use precaution and insist that I knew he didn't like to take advise or orders from anyone. But, I would tell him that I believe in him and that I love him dearly. I would also tell him to try his best to keep in contact with me.