Chapter 7: Question 34

In Chapter 7, we learn that Chris McCandless:

1. About seven months before Chris died, He worked hard, doing dirty, tedious jobs in Carthage.
2. When he was working for four weeks in Carthage, Westerberg said that Chris was definitely not mechanically minded.
3. It has also been noted that Chris did not have much common sense.
4. Borah (Westerberg's on-again, off-again girlfriend) says that Chris was a big eater. He never left any food on his plate.
5. Chris was a good cook. He would cook dinner for everybody at Wayne's house.
6. Shortly before he disappeared, Chris wrote a letter to his sister, Carine, in which he complained about his parents.
7. Alex told Westerberg that he wanted to get married and have a family some day. He did not take relationships lighty.
8. Carine recalls one incident where Chris got drunk and tried to bring a girl up to his bedroom and his father walked in and sent the girl home.
9. It has been noted that chastity and moral purity were qualities that McCandless thought about often.
10. Chris was very talented at playing the piano.

Chapter 6 and 7: Question 33

McCandless said "I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice." Thoreau also had this type of attitude in his writings. He is very set on making his own decisions. Chris and Thoreau both do not want people to think that they are being forced to live like this.  Chris wrote this in a letter to Franz, "I'd like to repeat the advice I gave you before, in that I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt." Chris is trying to convince Franz that he should make a dramatic change and live boldly. Thoreau also tries to persuade his readers to make a dramatic transformation to better their lives. I see a lot of resemblence between the writings of Chris and Thoreau because Chris idolizes Thoreau and takes Thoreau's thoughts and makes them a reality!

Chapter 6: Question 32

I believe the Ronald Franz was so connected to Chris McCandless because he felt a bond with Chris as he felt with his family that he lost in 1957 due to a drunk driving automobile accident. Franz loved Chris' company. He even said, "Even when he was sleeping, I was happy just knowing he was there." He said to McCandless, "My mother was an only child, so was my father. And I was their only child. Now that my own boys dead, I'm the end of the line. When I'm gone, my family will be finished, gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson." Franz had a big Christian heart and wanted to welcome Chris into his home because he was worried for Chris' safety.

Assignment # 21: Evaluating Images

Picture 3- Chris looks very thin and fragile.  I am guessing that he has been in the wild for quite some time due to  the fact that he looks very skinny compared to his other photos in this collection. Chris looks relaxed. He is just sitting in the woods by himself in the photograph. I am questioning who was taking these photographs of him in the woods on this journey.
Picture 4- Chris looks like he is about to go for a little boat ride. He is standing by himself next to a body of water. He looks like he is having a good time. McCandless looks very relaxed. Again, I am wondering how these pictures are being taken if Chris is by himself.
Picture 5- Chris is by himself in the woods. He has pride in his eyes and excitement on his facial expression. He has a gun in his hands.  It looks like he put that gun to use when he killed that animal next to him on the log. Chris looks very happy.
Picture 7- Chris is posing for a picture. He looks like he is in good shape. There is nothing in the backround and I think he is taking the picture himself. He looks freshly shaved and very nice.  His clothes look clean as well.
Picture 11-Chris is with Wayne Westerberg and a woman in this picture. It does not classify the woman, but i would have to say that she is Wayne's wife.  Wayne is looking at Chris. Chris looks very happy and has his mouth wide open. They all look like they are having a good time together.
Picture 12- Chris is posing with two other men in this picture. It looks like he is with Wayne and i can not specify the other man. They look like they are having a good time.  I can see that Chris and the other man have a cigar their hands. Chris looks healthy and happy!
Picture 14- Chris is standing by himself in the photo.  It is snowing and he looks very happy. He has his hand raised high up in the air. I am not too sure if he he was holding something. He has a very furry jacket on to keep him warm.
Picture 15- Chris is holding up a moose antler in this picture. He is in a swampy area just outside the woods. He looks like he just conquered the world.  He also looks satisfied and very happy. There is a pile of wood behind him and it looks like he was trying to start a fire for himself maybe.
Picture 21- This picture was taken when Chris was a little boy. He seems happy. He is in the woods.  This shows that Chris started enjoying nature and wilderness at a very young age. He has a red backpack on his back insinuating that he may be hiking or camping.
Picture 33- This is a picture of Chris' mother by the bus. This is the bus that they found Chris dead in. She is holding flowers and looks sad. I have pity for her because its so sad that she had to experience her son's death.  I also feel sorry for her because she did not even get the chance to say "good-bye" to her son.

Assignments 11-20: Chapter 4

11. Chris left his old yellow Datson, without license plates in Lake Mead National Recreation Area because a flash flood wet his engine and he tried to start the car, but his engine wouldn't catch.  He drained the battery and the car would not start.  Chris took off his license plate and buried it so that no one could trace it back to his name.  He left his car there and continued his "Odyssey" by foot.

12. Chris being described as "riding a giddy Emersonian high"  means that he was ignoring posted warnings that said strictly forbidden area. Chris admired and followed the beliefs of Emerson which included moral enthusiasm and individual freedom. Chris is applying the concepts of Trancendentalism to his style of living by moving away form society and really focusing on individualism.  Chris is also seen to have a great capacity of moral enthusiasm throughout his style of living.

13. Chris valued Thoreau's essay as "Gospel" because he felt highly that government should be more lax and they should let everyone enjoy their individual freedom that they have been given. He believed that there should be no government or at least a better government. A quote describing Chris states "-the first thing he'd do is peel those socks off. I mean the very first thing. Kind of like a statement, to let us know we didn't own him, I guess."  This showed that Chris did not like to be confined or constricted and he definitely had moral enthusiasm and individualism. Moral enthusiasm is the element of Transcendentalism that was seen in the essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience."

14. Krakauer believed that Chris burning his money would have "done Thoreau proud" because that is something that Thoreau would do to prove his independence and individualism. A quote from the Duty of Civil Disobedience states,"Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe — "That government is best which governs not at all"; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which the will have." Chris idols Thoreau and his beliefs about having freedom and no government. Chris' act of burning his money goes to show that Chris feels strongly about providing for himself and not having to rely on the government for support.
15. The significance of Chris' new last name, Supertramp, is that Chris enjoyed tramping around the country and society.  The word "tramp" in the context of this reading, applies to Chris because he described his moving from country to country as "tramping." Also the significance of "super" shows that Chris is of high stature and importance.

16. Krakauer is able to tell us, the readers, about the events which happened during Chris' travels because Chris documented these events in a journal-snapshot album. Chris saved this journal and later left it with Wayne Westerberg for safekeeping before he departed for Alaska.

17. Throughout the course of Chapter 4, Chris was tramping around the West and hiking through mountains to prepare himself for his Alaskan "Odyssey".  Chris used this as a test run to see if he could endure the reality of living like that, before he actually went out to explore nature.

18. In this chapter, we learn that Chris' parents were terribly concerned over the disappearance of their son. Walt, Chris' father, already contacted the Annandale police, who did not help.  Once Chris' parents received the ticket from California, they became frantic. Walt went to a private investigator named Peter Kalitka, who had done work for both the DIA and the CIA. Chris' parents were very worried about their son to say the least and they would try everything possible to find out his whereabouts.

19. October 1990-Bud Walsh was sent into the backcountry of Lake Mead National Recreational Area to tally bear-paw poppies to inform the federal government to know how scarce the plants were.
End of July-Chris accepted a ride from Crazy Ernie and he offered McCandless a job on a ranch in northern California.
October28-Chris caught a ride with a long-haul trucker into Needles, California.
End of November-Chris paddled through Yuma, where he stopped and sent a postcard to Wayne Westerberg.
December 2,1990-Chris reached the Morelos Dam and the Mexican border.
December 14- Chris hauled the canoe far up the beach and set up camp on the edge of a desolate plateau.He stayed there for ten days.
January 11,1991-Chris writes in his journal this day and says it was a "A very fateful day." Chris set the canoe on the sandbar and a violent storm came rushing in.
January 16-McCandless left the metal boat on a dune grass southeast of El Golfo de Santa Clara and started walking north up the deserted beach.
January 18-Chris was back at the United States border. He was caught by immigration authorities trying to slip into the country without any ID, he spent a night in custody before coming up with a story that got him out.
February 3-According to Chris'journal, he went to Los Angeles to get an ID and a job.
February 24-This is seven and a half months after Chris abandoned the Datsun. Chris returned to Detrital Wash.20. Chris' writing style is "written in third person in a stilted, self-consciousness voice-often veers toward melodrama..telling the truth was a credo he took seriously."(pg.29)

Assignment # 10: Chapter 3, Question 4

I believe that someone would take such radical actions within their life if they are truly unhappy with their current life.  I feel that Chris had some unresolved family issues that pushed him to choose a new identtity and life in the wilderness. I believe that Emerson and Thoreau would say that what Chris does is something honorable and a great example to follow. Chris is different from Emerson and Thoreau because Chris completely changes his identity; whereas, Emerson and Thoreau keep their original identitiy and just move away from society.

Assignment # 9: Chapter 3, Question 3

I can see that this note was very vague and there is no emotion behind it.  I was saddened to know that this note was the last time his parents heard from their son, Chris. I can infer that Chris and his family definitely do not have an open, happy relationship.  Chris appears to have kept to himself and really close himself off from any sort of relationship with his parents.  This really worried his parents. I do believe that Chris intended to come back after he completed his journey into the wild.  I do not think that someone like Chris would go out into the wild wanting to remain there until they died.

Assignment # 8: Chapter 3, Question 2

Understanding Chris

1. His full name is Christopher Johnson McCandless.
2. He grew up in an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C..
3. He was an elite athlete.
4. He was a very intelligent, bright man.
5. He was said to be a very handsome man.
6. He was nearsighted and wore steel-rimmed glasses.
7. He was a very hard, determined worker.
8. He admired the writing of Leo Tolstoy and follows his asceticism.
9. He had a stubborn idealistic viewpoint.
10. He graduated with honors from Emory University in the summer of 1990.
11. He donated his entire balance of twenty-four-thousand-dollar savings account for college to OXFAM America, a charity dedicated to fighting hunger.
12. He burned all of the cash in his wallet before moving away.
13. He hitchhicked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley.
14. The only source of food Chris brought on his hiking trip was a ten-pound bag of rice.
15. He read a lot and used big words when he talked.
16. He had seven brothers and sisters, his mother's name was Billie, and his father's name was Walt.
17. He was really close with his sister, Carine.
18. He was found dead in a bus in the month of August in 1992.
19. He changed his name to Alexander Supertramp.
20. He receieved a job from Westerberg to help him provide for himself.

Assignment # 7: Chapter 3, Question 1

From what I have read thus far of Into the Wild, this quote in many ways applies to Chris' life.  Chris wanted to express himself by moving away from his family and the place where he was raised.  He craved a change. Chris thought that the only way to achieve that excitement and love he thrived for must be to move into the wild and create a whole new personage for himself.  He wanted to sacrifice everything, including his family, friends, a great sum of money, and a fabulous education, for his love. This quote speaks to me in a sense because it states that you have to sacrifice yourself for your love. I have always believed that everyone should follow their dreams no matter what. With this information, Chris McCandless did exactly what that quote procalimed one should do for their love.

Assignment #6: Chapter 2, Question 2

After reading this quote in my book, I felt sorry for Chris McCandless.  I felt as if reality finally hit him and he could not escape his death all by himself.  I am also surprised due to the fact that Chris has always seemed independent and self-reliant and I never would have thought that he would write a letter for someone to help him out.

Assignment #5: Chapter 2, Question 1

In my opinion, I feel that Jon Krakauer's decision to begin the story at the end was a very bold move.  I am not used to a story like this starting out so informative.  In most cases, a story such as this would gradually build suspense and reveal what happened to Chris McCandless, towards the end of the book.  However, I find this interesting because as we are studying Transcendentalism, we are reminded to look at things from a different point of view.  This story is seen from a different point of view which is very coincidental to our recent studies. This does not really affect my liking of the protagonist.  I feel that the story will still unravel for the readers and we will shortly see all of the events that led to Chris McCandless' destruction. If I were writing a story, I am not too sure that I would ever consider doing something similiar because I am so used to the traditional form of writing such as, building up the suspense to result in a dramatic climax.

Assignment 4: Chapter 1, Question 2

After reading this chapter, I believe that Chris McCandless recognized how unprepared he was for this journey because he accepted the boots and sandwiches from Gallien.  At first, Chris was being very persistent with his answers towards Gallien.  Gallien tried to persuade Chris from starting this journey and he also tried to scare Chris with bear stories.  Nevertheless, Chris McCandless could not be stopped!  From what I have read so far, I believe that Chris went into the woods wanting to take an approach similar to Thoreau in existing in total solidarity.  He does not seem like that type of kid that would try to set himself up for failure like this.

Assignment 3: Chapter 1, Question 1

Chris McCandless says,"I don't want to know what time it is. I don't want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters."  There are three quotes that I found from the text that parallel as inspiration for Chris' thinking from Walden, Solitiude and Where I Lived, by Thoreau.  In Solitude, Thoreau states,"I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude."  This shows that all you need in life is to be alone and away from all socitey. Another quote from Where I Lived words,"Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature."  This quote shows that it does not matter what society, time, and money mean to our lives; our lives are meant to be spent in Nature in solidarity and happiness.  The last quote from Where I Lived states, "Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is." I see the parallelism in this quote because it is showing how time is of very little importance.  The important thing is what you do with the time you are given.

Assignment #2: Author's Note, Question 2

From thus I have read so far, I view Christopher McCandless as "admireable" and "noble".  I do not know a single person that would drop everything and give it to charity as McCandless did.  That right there shows that McCandless is a sincere, generous man.  I disaggree with those who see him as a "wacko" because I believe that he set his mind to changing his lifestyle and he stook with it.  McCandless had a dream to live in the solitude of pure nature and really experience life.  Therefore, it is hard for me to understand why such a person could call McCandless a "wacko". McCandless is a strong-willed leader, and I really look up to that type of characteristic in a person.  It shows that they set their mind to something and they do not let anything get in the way of achieveing it.

Assignment #1: Author's Note, Question 1

I believe that an entire book is written about Chris McCandless' story because Jon Krakauer was one of those men who became intrigued by Chris McCandless. Krakauer was not only inspired by the courageous McCandless, but he also pointed out a parallelism between McCandless' experience of life and his own. I feel that Christopher McCandless is a noble man to give up basically everything and start a new life of solitude for himself.  Many portray McCandless as someone who is arrogant, but from the given information thus far, I personally see him as someone to look up to. I am excited to read this book and learn about the fascinating, yet mysterious life of McCandless.  Might I add, the excitement and love of the author towards McCandless provides another reason for my growing curiosity.