...INTO THE WILD STUDY GUIDE How would you describe Krakauer’s tone in this first chapter? Does he seem sympathetic toward Chris McCandless? | Why do you think Chris would have lied about his name and age to Jim Gallien? Why would someone who was raised in a privileged manner want to hitchhike and live in the wilderness out West? How would you describe Chris McCandless after reading this section? For someone who claimed to be a loner, why did Chris befriend so many people? Do you believe the stories the people in this chapter tell Krakauer are true? How effective is Krakauer’s exploration of these other adventurers? Do you think Chris shared similarities with them? Krakauer is not a psychologist; do you think he is overstating the effects of a strained father-son relationship on the actions of these men? Is it possible that many men have strained relations with their fathers during their early adulthoods as they attempt to establish their own manhood and Krakauer plays on this commonality to make Chris McCandless seem tied to these other men? Do you think these men are foolish or brave, or can they be both? How does the McCandless family’s description of Chris differ from the others we have heard? Do you think Chris’s anger towards his father was deserved? Do you think Chris’s relationship with his father mirrors the relationships the men in the last section had with their fathers? Having learned that Chris was an entrepreneur and considered law...
Words: 378 - Pages: 2
...Chris Clarke on how Disney's treatment of animals has altered our sense of the wild and cleared the way for environmental decline. As the close of the twentieth century approaches and our world becomes more and more urban our knowledge of nature is increasingly second-hand. Those of us in cities, whose non-human neighbors tend toward rats, pigeons and dandelions, are dependent on the media for our understanding of the natural world – or at least that part of it not adapted to urban life. It is from movies, television and packaged tourism that we derive our sense of nature. For the last half century, it has been Walt Disney and his corporate estate that have provided that sense. In doing so Disney has instilled an appreciation of nature in generations of media consumers. Many environmentalists and animal-rights activists credit Disney with awaking their concern for the environment. But this appreciation has not been delivered in a value-free package. From the outset Disney’s nature films have supported the notion that the natural world’s chief value lies in the profit that industrial society can extract from it. At first this support took the form of simple paeans to the righteousness of logging, mining and urban development. Now, amidst the increasing commodification of everything from tribal myth to basmati rice, the value extracted from nature is the right to define nature. Disney covets that right and will gain it at our peril. Not much besides hindsight distinguishes...
Words: 2410 - Pages: 10
...Christopher McCandless was a young man who gave up everything when he decided to embark on a treacherous journey to Alaska. After a year of hitchhiking across the country, he finally arrived at his destination. Due to poor decisions, he eventually succumbed to his death. Many people, such as the Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer, believe that “McCandless wasn’t some feckless slacker, adrift and confused, racked by existential despair. To the contrary: His life hummed with meaning and purpose. But the meaning he wrested from existence lay beyond the comfortable path: McCandless distrusted the value of things that came easily” (184). Even though I do not agree with the methods he used while on this spiritual journey, I do agree with Krakauer’s assertion that he kept hope alive even while close to death, and that his life “hummed with meaning and purpose”. McCandless came from a comfortable upper middle class family. Many people would say that Christopher McCandless had a relatively good life. His parents worked hard to provide him with all the necessary tools to ensure that he had a secure future. When he graduated, his parents were under the impression that he was going to attend law school. Chris had different plans which became evident when he donated all his money to OXFAM, and he disappeared into the wild. He didn’t want to be tied down by the stresses of today’s society; he didn’t want an ordinary life. He felt “emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers...
Words: 1227 - Pages: 5
...Lucy Character Lucy is a young girl whose wealthy parents send her to camp every summer. She is adventurous and free thinker, not caring what others think about her, unlike her friend Lois. She becomes unhappy with her life in Chicago because of problems with her parents. We never know why or how she disappears when the campers go on the canoe trip. The similarities Lucy and Mrs. Das share with each other is that they are both female who lives in US. As the story begins to grow more intense we find out that these two females aren’t honest. For example, Mrs. Das lied about her affair that happened eight years ago that she cheated on her husband with his friend. Mrs. Das became pregnant with a child and hide this secret from her husband. Setting Araby Setting and story are closely integrated in "Araby." The alleyway, the busy commercial street, the open door of Mangan’s house, the room in back where the priest died, the way to school—all are parts of the locations which shape the life and consciousness of the narrator. Before the narrator goes to Araby, it is his thoughts about this exotic, mysterious location that crystallize for him his adoration of Mangan’s sister, who is somehow locked into his "Eastern enchantment" (paragraph 12) of devotion and unfulfilled love. At the end the lights are out, the place is closing down for the night, and the narrator recognizes Araby as a symbol of his own lack of reality and unreachable hopes. Seemingly, all his aims are dashed by his...
Words: 1760 - Pages: 8
...Chris McCandless, the subject of Jon Krakauer in Into the Wild, was not ignorant or unprepared, but he was going out into the wilderness to find the true meaning of life and to see what it was like to live out in the wild on his own. Chris was a great role model for kids all across the country; because he was trying to live out his dream and do what he thought was right in the wild and would not listen to what anyone told him to do. Chris McCandless was a loving and caring person who cherished for all creation and wanted to get away from the society and live free to find the meaning of life. I feel that Chris McCandless was a person in the world who didn’t like society and wanted to get away from people to become free in the wild. Chris never liked being in society with people and wanted to get away from them as much as he could. When the book opens, we see Chris hitchhiking into the wilderness trying to get away from society when he gets a lift from Jim Gallien. Chris was going to hitchhike to Denali National Park and get away from society and be free. Jim Gallien picked him up and drove him there. When he dropped him off, Chris did not bring much and his only food was a ten pound bag of rice because he wanted to experience the wild and be a part of it. In college at the Emory University, he never had a good social life with people and Krakauer states when people tried to talk to him at parties, “It was hard to get him to open up.” His studies were the only thing he was interested...
Words: 988 - Pages: 4
...This document of COM 220 Grammar Exercise 3 shows the solutions to the following questions: Commonly confused words 1. All over the world, people struggle to (ensure/insure) that wild animals do not damage their property. 2. As people move (farther/further) out into former wilderness areas, animals may become a bigger problem. 3. In some cases, wild animals (adapt/adopt) to humans rather easily. 4. In the northeastern United States, for example, many homeowners are searching for a repellent to keep (dear/deer) away. 5. Lion urine, deer blood, wolf hair, and soap have all been used as deer repellents, but the results (vary/very) from place to place and from deer to deer. 6. Bird lovers will try almost anything to protect feeders from rodents, but most repellents have little (affect/effect) on seed-loving squirrels. 7. Farmers in Zimbabwe must deal with wild elephants (who's/whose) raids threaten both villagers and crops. 8. Elephants are smarter (than/then) deer or squirrels. 9. The enormous elephants are also a (grate/great) threat to the safety of both the crops and people who grow them. 10. Farmers in Zimbabwe are now using a hot pepper repellent to (brake/break) elephants of the crop-raiding habit. Commonly confused words 1. Fares on most airlines can be a grate bargain. 2. If you're willing to travel in economy class and buy your ticket in advance, you can fly for very little money. 3. Off course, their is a...
Words: 385 - Pages: 2
...graduating from Emory College on May 12th, 1990. In search of a personal meaning of truth, while avoiding society and more importantly, relationships, Chris McCandless makes his quest for ultimate freedom into the Alaskan wilderness. Chris sets out on a two year journey to find a deeper meaning to life, without the demands of society. Chris adopts the name “Alexander Supertramp” as he makes his way across the western states. After leaving his Datsun in Nevada, Ales begins to hitchhike towards his destination. Along this phase of his journey, Alex meets Wayne Westerberg, Jan Burres and Ronald Franz. These new encounters with Alex, develop lasting impression on each and in the end will change what Chris learns from the entire experience. Wayne Westerberg was a grain operator in South Dakota when he stumbles upon Alex in Cut Bank. Wayne offered Alex more than a ride to his destination in Saco Hot Springs. He also offered him a warm place to stay, along with a job. Wayne states “I’ve given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years, most of them weren’t much good, but it was a different story with Alex.” (pg.17-18) Wayne’s relationship with his own father lead him to a deeper understanding of why Alex was head strong in completing his goal to set off into the wilderness of Alaska with just the things on his back. Along with his employees, Wayne became like a second family to Alex. He would come back to the area to work before setting out on foot to Alaska. Driving along the Pacific...
Words: 656 - Pages: 3
...Labeling Chris McCandless. Hero or Fool .? Can taking too many risks cause a major change in life? Chris McCandless, an adventurous 24 year-old, was found dead in the Alaskan wilderness in September 1992. Chris grew up in Washington D.C with his parents, Walt and Billie, and his sister Carine. McCandless was a very wealthy scholar and a talented athlete. After graduating from high school he spent the summer alone taking a road trip across the country trying to figure himself out, but only to find out more problems with his life. McCandless returns home two-days before his freshman year at Emory starts, works hard to gets good grades, then graduates. Not telling anyone where he was going leaves for another trip to live out the life he wanted. The consequences to living the way he wanted life ended with death due to starvation. Chris McCandless was at fault for his own death because he wasn’t prepared, he rejected society, and he was overconfident....
Words: 865 - Pages: 4
...“I wished to acquire the simplicity, native feelings, and virtues of savage life; to divest myself of the factitious habits, prejudices and imperfections of civilization… and to find, amidst the solitude and grandeur of the western wilds, more correct views of human nature and of the true interests of man”(Krakauer 157). Christopher McCandless is neither a pilgrim nor a suicidal narcissist. A pilgrim is defined as one who journeys for a religious purpose. Although “God” is mentioned multiple times throughout the novel, McCandless never states that his reasoning for traveling to Alaska was because “God put him in the land of righteousness- Alaska”. McCandless also did not journey on his Odyssey to find God or improve his relationship with the Lord. McCandless had faith in God before considering his travel; therefore, his religious wellbeing was not his incentive. Additionally, a suicidal narcissist is defined as one who is manipulative, has power-motives, and vanity-a love of mirrors. Christopher McCandless was very straightforward with his intentions of journeying to Alaska and was not concerned about vanity or his appearance. McCandless recognized his need for change. He did not want power; he wanted to find himself. He wanted the power of nature to have the strength to transform him from within. The author, Jon Krakauer, understood Chris for who he was- not as a pilgrim or a narcissist, but a man who did what he had to do to be at peace with him self. Krakauer...
Words: 852 - Pages: 4
...a) Preservation, promoted by John Muir, values the protection of natural wilderness from economic use. Conservation, advocated by Gifford Pinchot, emphasizes the importance of the sustainable use of natural resources (Bulkan, 2016a). Preservation is the concept of forests being a “never failing fountain of wealth and beauty” for everyone to relax and enjoy, not for economic prosperity (Muir, 1901, p.51). This can be achieved by creating protected areas, allowing nature to be uninterrupted and uninfluenced by man (Bulkan, 2016a). Conservation, on the other hand, is the practice of sustainably using forests for development, for the present and future generations (Pinchot, 1910, p. 33). Natural resources are to be efficiently utilized while reducing...
Words: 599 - Pages: 3
...Both Henry David Throeau’s Walden and Jon Kraukauer’s Into the Wild speak of entering a solitary existence in order to find peace and tranquility in their own personal worlds. Thoreau wrote about his visit at Walden pond, whereas Kraukauer related his text to the nonfiction story of Chris McCandless’ journey into the wild Alaskan terrain. Besides the similarities, both McCandless and Thoreau had different approaches in their own pursuit of life alone that would later determine their separate fates. In everyone’s life, there will be a point in which we feel a sudden urge to just get away. We come to realize that there could be more than just the materialistic things. We come to wonder the meaning behind everything. In Henry David Throeau’s Walden, Thoreau remanences about the time where he left behind his life to continue to find deeper meaning. In Krauaker’s Into the Wild , he presents Chris McCandless’ story when he gave away $25,000 in davings to charity, abandoned his car, and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Despite wanting to just disappear, both men attended very prestigious colleges. Thoreau attended the infamous Harvard University, while McCandless attended Emory University. Both men also possessed the love of wanting to forget everything behind and be alone. “I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in company, even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
..."A measure of success in [peace] is all well enough, and perhaps is a requisite to objective thinking, but too much safety seems to yield only danger in the long run"(Leopold 2). Tis quote from "Thinking Like a Mountain" supports that fact that author Aldo Leopold believes that humans should try to conserve nature as much as possible without changing the animals' natural habits. Similarly, in the documentary Cold Warriors: Wolves vs. Buffalo, director Jeff Turner explains that in Wood Buffalo National park (WBNP), animals are allowed to complete the circle of life without human interference. For this and other reasons Aldo Leopold would feel conflicted about what is happening in WBNP. One strong point to consider from the documentary is that wolves are able to naturally hunt and find the weakest animals to attack. They follow the herd and round them up into a chase. They spot the weakest bull and pounce at just the right time. Now, the bull is dead and the wolf pack has food for the week. Aldo Leopold would like this event because humans aren't interrupting the animals' instincts and the wolves are able to continue their lives as a wolf pack. In "Thinking Like a Mountain," Leopold says, "We all strive for safety, prosperity, comfort, long life, and dullness"(Leopold 2). This means we all want to live safely for a long time, but these animals cannot do that if they are separated from everything and live secluded in artificial lives. The animals in the documentary also strive...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...That one night when he threw his hatchet at the wall of his shelter and it made sparks, it led Brian to making a fire. He had to wait until he found out how to get it working and burning. He also needed to be patient with the fool-bird and fish situations. He needed to get the fish and fool-birds for rich food so he could work easily. He waited until he found out how to catch the fish and trap them for a "fish farm." With the fool-birds, he had to wait until he found out the shape of a fool-bird by seeing one’s shadow through the sun when it flew at an angle to make it show its shape. That's how Brian Robeson used being patient to his advantage. Now: The closing. So now you know how Brian Robeson learned to survive in nothing but the wilderness. He used his strategies to his advantage in survival and in the end, got out of the woods. His three strategies were using his hatchet, using the environment, and being patient. In case you somehow get lost in the woods, remember these strategies to help you. You may not have a hatchet or any tool, but if you do, use it. That is how Brian Robeson survived for two months in the Canadian Woods. ...
Words: 791 - Pages: 4
... Christopher McCandless, chronicled by biographer, Jon Krakauer, was a man who wanted to be independent of anything that society needed in order to find peace of mind and independence that comes from true solitude. You do not have to put your life at risk and go out to the godforsaken wild. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society”. I find that Emerson is trying to portray the message that one must ultimately focus on the thoughts inside their head, independence of thought. In my opinion, Emerson's chamber does not have to be leaving town or society for the wild of that matter, it can be finding an inner peace with oneself. The chamber is symbolic of one's thought of discovering peace of mind in our head, again referring to the thought of independent thoughts. One cannot go through life with the thought that they should abandon society. Solitude, as Emerson depicts it, is something to aspire, but one shouldn’t isolate oneself from other people. One does not have to leave society in order to find solitude, they do not have to go into the Alaskan outback, unprepared, like Christopher McCandless did, as he strived to find solitude that he deeply desired. Why he wanted this so badly is something nobody will know, but as Jon Krakauer stated, “…it was important for him to see how independent he could be” (Krakauer 125). Chris wanted to be independent of anything that society needed in order to find the peace...
Words: 1148 - Pages: 5
...Christopher McCandless was a young man who went on an undeniably extraordinary journey. It is easy to romanticize the live he lived and his journey to unearth his spirit. However, it’s also easy to dismiss him as a victim of the fearlessness and ignorance of youth. I believe both of these interpretations of Chris are wrong. I think he was a complex individual who was foolish and intelligent, logical and passionate, dedicated and stubborn. He was a living contradiction, like most people are. Part of Chris was a dreamy youth wandering the world in order to achieve what he perceived to be the ultimate freedom for his soul. It is an admirable goal for most people. He had enough courage to be able to leave his comfortable life and venture into the harsh unforgiving world. He was dedicated to his rejection of what he saw as the evils in society, including the accumulation of wealth. He was prone to extravagant gestures and actions full of symbolism. One such occasion was when his money was “promptly reduced to ash and smoke” by his own hand (Krakauer 29). He lived by the morals he believed in, forsaking any attempt to dissuade him. In his code of morals, anything that detracted from his freedom and commune with nature was an enemy. He even rejected sex in favor of being “seduced by the wild”(66). He managed to separate himself from a society he saw as corrupt and destructive to creative thought. It is clear that Chris had an unwavering dedication to finding his independence through...
Words: 598 - Pages: 3
