Epilogue

I still think Chris was a smart, rational guy that jst slightly overestimated himself. My view hasn't changed.

I would probably have reacted like Chris's father did. It would be very hard for me. I admire Bille for seeing the best in things, and it was nice to read that she helped Walt think that way too. They seemed to know their son better than the beginning of the book let on. It's amazing that they let Jon go with them on that journey.

Answering Questions

Was McCandless crazy? I don't think so. He was a rational thinker and, though over confident, had planned out what he needed to bring and do. He was smart, but not quite smart enough.

Was he just ignorant? Maybe. He should have taken at least a few weeks to study the geography and flora/fauna. Maybe he intended to go in blind.

Did he have a death wish? No, he just wanted to prove that he could do it. Just like Krakauer had said about himself in the previous chapters; he didn't want to die, he just wanted to get close enough to the edge to fell what it's like to live every day like it's your last.

The wild sweet peas McCandless may have eaten were poisonous. They look almost identical to their edible cousins, but they cause the body to be unable to absorb nutrients. He also may have accidentally eaten some mold or he could have just not had enough basic nutrients that humans need to survive.

Side Note

In Chapter 16, Stuckey says "I thought, 'Oh why didn't I get his parents' phone number and call them myself?'" and it almost hurts to think that if he had just 10 little numbers, Chris would be alive. Unhappy, probably, but alive. His parents would definitely try to mend the relationship and Eventually all would be well, but no phone call was made. Makes you think about how very small things have the potential to make a huge impact.

Krakauer's Climbing Experience

The first thing I thought was "Hey Boulder! That's where I live! I know the Devil's Thumb! I see it every day!" Must be a different Devil's Thumb because why would he go to Alaska? His climb is fascinating me. He writes in so much detail about his own personal experiences. His relationship with his father seems to be a lot like the relationship between Walt and Chris. The fathers want success and a clear path for their son, but the son's believe that the father is a hypocrite and choose to do what they love. Krakauer explains that the father-son relationship is paralleled in their lives, along with a handful of traits, but it was only chance that Jon made it out alive and Chris didn't.

One of Jon's favorite authors thinks that climbing is psycho-neurotic and I somewhat agree. Jon, as John Menlove Edwards (that must've been a hard name to have growing up) did, felt a release from the world when climbing, but climbing was not the only thing Jon found comfort in. He did it to get away, but he didn't need it to function. For J.E.M that may have been the case, but it is not always a psycho-neurotic tendency. J.E.M did strike a resemblance to Chris to me though. Chris did find that being free on his own was the only way he could live. For Chris, being a traveller was a psycho-neurotic tendency. That's his fatal flaw; he can't live any way but they way he needs to live.

Chapters 14 & 15; Interjections

Krakauer has spent a very long time researching Chris McCandless. He has put so much effort, time a heart into finding out who he really was, and he is relating himself to that. Jon feels a connection to Chris even though the two never met and he is expressing that in his novel. I like these interjections because you can really tell that Jon is reading you the story rather than just writing one. He is trying to connect with his audience as well as Chris and he succeeds.

How I Have Changed

Since I was a kid, I've always been a planner. How long will each of the day's activities take? How much money will I be making in 10 years? If I want to get to point B by 2 o'clock, when do I need to leave point A? I always think ahead even if it's only a few hours ahead. Ever since I was a little kid, I would think about how I wanted to decorate my room, going over it in detail and drawing a to-scale map of my room on graph paper. I've always been like that and I love it. I love thinking about how to get to the next level.

Chris McCandless in All Ages

Personal Past: Chris was an adventurous person. He was deep, thoughtful and wild all at the dame time. He was personable and very smart. He resisted any instructions, rules and control. If he wanted to do something and someone came along and told him to do it, he would drop it like a hot pan. He was driven to be his own person and be independent from anyone else. He was a charming little kid who could sell anything from vegetables to copies. As a teen, he was a talented boy in school and on the track. He ran his heart out like nobodies business. As an adult he was carefree and finally on his own. He loved life and everything it had to offer.

Family Past: Walt and Billy had a rocky relationship in the beginning which came to light to Chris over one summer while he was in college. Chris was furious to find out that a portion of his childhood was a lie and that his parents were very different people than he thought they were. This made Chris very mad at his parents and was probably the spark that sent him over he edge of near hatred for them.

Grief: This chapter goes over the moment when Carine hears of Chris's death and how mainly she deals with it. It's a fairly hard one to read for me.

What's in a Name?

The names we are given are out identity. They become us and it's how we are identified by our friends, family and everyone we interact with. Mothers and fathers name their children after something they love. A pregnant mother would not say "hmmmm, Jaime sounds good, I guess." a mother thinks "Jaime is one of the most beautiful names I've heard. Jaime is a family name. Jaime means so much to me." and that name becomes you. When I was little, I used to want to change my name to Jennifer. I have no idea why, I just really liked that name. I was so upset that every substitute or anyone reading my name would pronounce it "Hi-may" because that's how it would be pronounced if it were a boys name. I hated it with a passion. But now I don't think I could ever change my name. It would mean changing who I am. I don't want to escape my past or my family like Chris did. I would love to be adventurous and daring and I would love to try living off the land, but I couldn't give up my friends or my family. My first name is who I am and it's who I always will be. I definitely would change my last name when I get married, because that seems right to me. In my opinion, it seems very detached when a woman doesn't take her husbands name. Like she doesn't want to change for someone, and I think that's what love is. You love someone enough to marry them and change your name for them. Though the "Jensen-Sandberg's" end with my sister and I, we still have my cousin's the "Landman-Sandberg's" to carry on the name.

The Tracks Chris Left

Chris wanted ties back to his family and his home. It seemed he wanted to disappear completely and be his own person, but he knew he couldn't. Once in society, always in society. He knew that he couldn't revoke his SSN or really change his name, so he would always be tied to the "real" world forever. He didn't really want to fight it though. He knew he had done all he could to distance himself from it, but he couldn't run from it. If he ran, he wasn't himself. He was not the kind of person to run away, he was the kind of person to run toward things. He didn't leave tracks, he just didn't completely sever himself from society and the real world.

Why the Interruption?

Jon Krakauer wanted to show people that Chris was not like every other person that died in the wilderness. He was sane and happy, and he just wanted to be free.

The Purpose of Chapters 8-10

Chapter 8 and 9:
This chapter has a few purposes. It tells about readers of the issue of Outsider Magazine which featured Chris almost bashing him. Saying he was a child, unprepared, stupid, ignorant and overconfident to name a few. This shows the reaction people have to the story that was in the magazine. I think that Krakauer put these in the book on purpose because he doesn't want his readers feeling the same way. He want's his readers to make more of a connection with Chris than the people that wrote in to the magazine. I, certainly, feel some strong disagreement with the people who wrote in, and I think that that was Jon's intention. It also relates Chris to many other people who have died in the wilderness of Alaska and how they were emotionally unstable and actually wanted to die. He tells these stories because he want's to show that Chris was different. He didn't want to die. He wasn't like every other kid that died in the wilderness. He was Chris McCandless, a much different person than anyone could ever imagine. He was witty, like the other men that died. He was smart like them, adventurous like them, and driven like them, but he had much more than they had. Though it seem's ironic, he was a rational, forward thinker who knew between right and wrong and safe and unsafe. Had he not eaten the wrong plant, he would still be alive today, I think.

Chapter 10:
This chapter illustrates the search for the identity of Chris McCandless. The main thing I noticed was that so many people had thought Chris was their brother or friend. So many people had known someone like Chris or is missing a loved one. Maybe the people calling in actually knew Chris at one point. Krakauer is fitting the pieces together himself and this portion of how they found his identity was vital to the story.

Chris and His Father

Chris had a certain dislike for his father. I can understand that he did not want to be controlled, yet that is all his father wanted to do. They were very similar people with very slight differences, and those differences are what drove them apart. They were both independent, "high strung" men. Walt wanted to be in control of his life and his son's and Chris wanted control of his life. They both wanted control when only Chris really had the right to it. I agree that Chris was right in the decision to distance himself from his parents, but not in the decision to cut them out completely. They really loved him and he should have known that. They should have shown him that more. He should have also tried to meet them half way and send them letters or postcards or maybe just a picture to let them know he is alive and happy, and still thinks of them.

Ronald Franz

Ronald Franz was a character who had been in a rut for awhile. He had been doing the same thing every day for a very long time. He was fairly sad inside, and Alex really brought out the best in him. He really started living his life after he met Alex, which is kind of sad. He definitely has my sympathy because he felt that Alex was a very meaningful person who he thought of as a son. Alex taught him how to live and make the best of things, and it's extremely sad reading his reaction to Chris's death.

The Purpose of Chapter 4

Chapter 4 gives the reader an idea of how much Chris moved around. It showed how badly he wanted to be on his own and be removed from society. It also introduces the reader to Jan and Bob, who play a fairly important role later in the book. We can see how hard his parents tried to find him and how happy Chris was not being found.

Chris's Journal

Chris's journal was written in the third person because he wanted to write his own story. He didn't want the journal just to be his memories, he wanted to set an example and create Alex to be an amazing, adventurous character and he wanted Alex to be someone different than Chris McCandless because they really were two different people.

What Was it About Chris?

Chris's personality was a thing many people were drawn to. But why? I think it's because he has so many ideas and thoughts that people can relate to. He's like so many people, just taken to an extreme. Everyone want's to be independent, maybe not as much as Chris was, but they could see themselves in him. Everyone wanted adventure and freedom and to be in nature in some degree. Chris carried a little bit of everyone he met and everyone could relate to him in some way. Some people could see themselves in him, like Jan and Bob, and some idolized him like Tracy did.

People McCandless Met

List of people McCandless met along the way:
Jim Gallien: Drove Alex in Alaska
Wayne Westerberg: Worked with Alex in the field, much of a father figure
Crazy Ernie: Gave McCandless a ride and Alex ended up working for him
Jan Burres: Traveling woman that Alex meets and stays with
Bob: Boyfriend of Jan, father figure to Alex
Thomas and Karin: European couple Alex meets while kayaking
George Dreeszen: Chris's boss at McDonalds
Lori Zarza: Coworker at McDonalds
Charlie: older man who acts as a father figure in
Tracy: Teenage girl that crushes on Alex while he's with Jan and Bob for the second time
Ronald Franz: An old man who picked Alex up in California who because Alex's good friend
Gail Borah: Wayne's "on-again, off-again" girlfriend
Mary Westerberg: Wayne's mother

Chris McCandless: Chapter 3

Chapter 3:
Chris was a deep guy. He was very smart, down to earth no-bullshit kind of guy. He was very unattached to things, unless he felt a connection of deep gratitude, love or curiosity. He was very free willed and didn't take well to being controlled, especially by his parents. He was very easy-going and very non chalant about things, especially about his road trips saying: "I think I'm gonna disappear for awhile."

Would I want to know him? Maybe. I like people that are easy going, and I feel like we would get along, but he doesn't seem like the kind of guy to be goofy, silly, funny, happy, free-spirited and serious at different times. I like variety in my friends. I like to know that if I'm in a serious mood, my friends can be serious too or when I need some cheering up, my friends can help with that. I like friends who don't care what people thing of them when they're acting like they're five years old again. I think Chris would be a one-mood kind of guy. Always relaxed, chilled out and easy-going. He doesn't seem like the guy to do something incredibly stupid with his best friend one day, and have an incredibly deep, meaningful conversation with a stranger the next. Just the conversation part.

Wayne Westerberg

Chapter 3:
Wayne Westerberg was a thick guy who really got down and dirty. He seems like he can read people pretty well, and he seems to have a pretty good read on Chris. He was a nice guy, always letting people in his home. He was a father figure to many people, including Chris.

Who is Chris McCandless? Chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1:
This kid named Alex seems to be Chris. Why would he need a false name if he was just catching a ride? He's only about 18 or 19, so the truck driver says, and he's packed pretty light. That leaves me to believe in a few things. Either a) he doesn't want to stay that long, b) he's pretty dumb or c) he has a death wish that he really want's to come true. Which ever option is right, he seems pretty confident in it. Reading further into the chapter, maybe Alex isn't a code name for Chris. He's talking about his trip to Mexico a while back, and what I know about the story so far, I don't know if Chris McCandless went to Mexico. Wait, I take that back. The driver says it was in 1992, the year McCandless Died. Yes, it's definitely him.

Chapter 2:
Chris seems to know what he's doing. He knows where to go. Except he doesn't know when to leave until it's too late. That sign on the door was quite unnerving. That's about all this chapter says on Chris McCandless.

Maps - Chapters 1 and 2

The Journey of Chris McCandless:

This map is the trail which Chris McCandless took when he left on his daring trip into the wild. It seems to start in Atlanta, Georgia, and moves to Houston, Detrital Wash, Grand Junction and Carthage. Then it moves north to Cut Bank and Seattle. It moves into Canada then and goes to Dawson Creek, Lirad River Hotsprings and then to Fairbanks, Alaska. The trail skips down slightly to the final destination of Stampede Trail.

Chapter 1 - The Alaska Interior:

This map is an up-close view of Alaska. It shows rivers, mountain ranges and cities as well as the large bodies of water surrounding the state. It has a small star over Carl McCunn's camp. I'm not sure what that is, but I'll probably find out. This will help me follow the road trip that Alex and Jim Gallien take on their way to Anchorage. Is "Alex" McCandless?

Chapter 2 - The Stampede Trail:

This map is a close up of Denali National Park and Reserve. Th shows the points of the abandoned bus, which I assume that Chris stayed there because of the cover, and a park service ranger cabin. The poor kid was only about 5 miles away from it, and about 15 miles away from the nearest city. He was right on the Stampede trail, though. I guess no one took it soon enough to find him until after he died.

Epigraphs - Chapters 1 and 2

Chapter 1: The Postcard
In the beginning of chapter one, titles "The Alaska Interior," there is a small paragraph in italics. It is a postcard written by a man named Alex, received by Wayne Westerberg. It is Alex writing to Wayne to tell him about his trip, which may prove to be fatal, in the Alaska wilderness. I'm pretty sure it doesn't end in his favor.

Chapter 2: Jack London is King
The beginning of chapter two also has a small, italic paragraph. This one, however, is a message carved into a wood plank; an excerpt from Jack London's "White Fang" describing a sinister, dark forrest. Chris McCandless supposedly carved it, as it was found right next to where he died. The place it was found and the story behind it matches what the carving illustrates.