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Into The Wild Question Answers Chapter 1

1. What is the personal history of Chris McCandless?  Chris McCandless was a stellar student in high school and college, but was always a bit different. To him happiness in simplicity and the search for the meaning of life were the two things he sought. After college he started his treck to do just those things and died a happy man. (i)

2. What themes does Jon Krakauer introduce in the “Author’s Note”? In the Authors Note, Jon Krakauer talks about how some people find happiness in things that we wouldn’t consider. We judge their attempts at happiness, but we often don’t see how happy they really become. (i-iii)

3. What is the purpose of the quoted material at the start of Chapter One? The quote really opens up the chapter. It demonstraits what Chris was doing, what he thought he was doing, and what he expected from it. It sets the mood and is really is the beginning of what is going to happen to him in the chapter. (1)

4. Who is Alex? Alex is Chris’s supertramp self. It is like an alter ego, it is his name for himself while he is traveling, or undergoing an endeevour. It is his own understanding of himself as a free spirit. (1)

5. Who is Jim Gallien, and how did he meet McCandless? Gallien is an Alaskan who picks up Chris while he is hitchhiking. He takes him to the stampede trail and is the last other person that Chris ever sees in his life. (1)

6. What was Gallien’s assessment of McCandless? Gallien thinks that Chris is a foolish greenhorn who thinks he’s the next Jack London. He sees Chris as a kid who has a lot of intelligence, but no common sense or experience. (4)

7. What kind of advice did Gallien give McCandless? Gallien tells Chris that the hunting is hard, the living is harder, and he is ill prepared to deal with either on of them. He also offered to take him into town to get better equipment. (5-6)

8. What was McCandless’s response to Gallien’s offer?  Also, what gift did Gallien give to McCandless? Chris refused Gallien’s offer, he was to anxious. Gallien gives him a pair of rubber boots and his lunch. (7)

9. Why did Gallien decide not to alert the authorities about McCandless? Gallien assumed that if Chris failed, and he soon would, he would just walk back to the highway. (7)

10. Gallien’s statement that McCandless would “probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway.  That’s what any normal person would do,” is an example of the literary device of irony of situation.  What is ironic about the statement? The irony is that Chris isn’t normal and he never will walk onto the highway again. We know that his is doomed to die alone in the wilderness, but both of them think that he will be fine for one reason or another. (7)

Chapter 2
11.  Why would Krakauer include a quote from another author such as Jack London as the heading for this chapter? The quote expresses a deep meaning that Krakauer felt would express what he was trying to convey in that chapter more than any quote that he could have made himself. (9)

12.  What is the purpose of the detailed descriptions of Mt. McKinley, Denali, and the Stampede Trail? The descriptions give the reader an idea of what the area where Chris was like. It describes terrain that some readers may not understand, and therefore give them the wrong idea about the whole story. Chris didn’t just walk into a woods on the outskirts of town; he truly went into the wild. (10)

13. What was considered to be the cause of Chris McCandless’s death?Starvation was presumed to be the cause of death initially. (14)
Chapter 3

14. Who is Wayne Westerberg and how do Wayne and Chris get along? Wayne Westerberg is a South Dakotan who owns a grain operation and is a “plains renaissance man”. He gets along smashingly with Chris; he is Chris’s best friend that he makes during his journey. (18)

15.  Local color is introduced when a writer uses regional or colorful terms to present an image of a distinct area or culture.  The terms “leather tramp” and “rubber tramp” qualify as examples of local color.  What culture do they describe, and what is the difference between rubber tramps and leather tramps? These terms represent the culture of those who live on the road and rails, like tramps hobos, and other vagabonds. Rubber tramps have cars, but leather tramps have to walk or hitchhike. (17)

16. Why did the author say that McCandless found a “surrogate family in Westerberg and his employees”? This is said because Chris leaves his family and home in the East, but finds another home and family in Carthage SD. They are not his real family, but he feels like they are. They take the place of his old family. (18)

17.  Why did McCandless leave Carthage? Chris McCandless ends up leaving Carthage because Wayne Westerberg is put in the clink for a little while because he tried to make “black boxes” that pick up reception for satellite TV without paying for it. (19)

18.  How does the reader know that War and Peace was important to McCandless? McCandless likes war and peace because he carries a copy of it with him on his journey, reads it several times, and references it in a letter to Wayne. (19)

19.  Describe McCandless’s early years and family life. McCandless’s early life is good for Chris. His parents take him places, and he does well in school. This, however, means little to him. He doesn’t like his parents because of their ideology and he does well in school, but it means little to him. (19)

20.  What clues did McCandless give that he was out of step with the commercialism of contemporary society? He did not believe in giving or receiving presents. Almost every American does this now, and it is a bit odd that he didn’t want to at all. (20)

21.  What change did McCandless make that symbolized the new life he expected to build after he left Athens? He changed his name to Alexander Supertramp. (23)


Chapters 4-5
22.  The head note to this chapter concludes that people go to the desert “not to escape but to find reality.” How does this statement apply to Chris?For Chris, his treck into the desert begins after he loses his car. This is where his adventure assumes more of a tramp-like wonderer mood. He is no longer driving, he is walking and hitchhiking and this becomes his persona for the next two years. (29)

23.  Who is Jan Burres, and how did she figure into Chris’s travels?Jan Burres is a rubber tramp who picks up Chris in California and Chris stayed with them on a beach in Oregon for a week. (30)

24.  Describe the trip that Chris took in the old metal canoe that Chris bought in Topock, Arizona. Chris’s canoe trip from Arizona to the Gulf of California is probably his longest and most lonely trip up to that point and until his last trip to Alaska. He paddles down the river, dodging the Army at Yuma and the Border Patrol. He is mostly alone in Mexico and he can’t speak Spanish, so he spends weeks paddling in canals and then camping by the ocean before he ditches the canoe and returns to the US. (34-36)

25.  This chapter contains numerous excerpts from the journal Chris kept.  What is noticeable about the writing in his account of his Mexican adventure? For this Adventure Chris writes in third person as if he is narrating his adventure like it is a story in a book. (35)

26.  Existentialism is a philosophy that emphasizes the individual’s responsibility and free will to direct the course of his/her life.  What existential conclusion does Chris reach when leaving Las Vegas?  (Look at end of chapter 4 for ideas.) Chris realizes that he is the master of his own life, and he has chosen to live it to the absolute fullest. He realizes that the sheer joy and elation that he gets from his own freedom is more satisfying than any material goods or even a normal life with a home and stable food supply. (37)

27.  What kind of life did Chris lead in Bullhead City? In Bullhead City it is clear that Chris tries a shot at living normal for a while. He gets a job, opens a bank account and moves into a trailer. It was as close to normal as he would ever come on his great odyssey. (39)

28.  Describe the conditions and the residents of the Slab.  Note some of the local color that makes this community memorable.The slabs are a place that seems to be completely out of touch with the government and modern society. The people are people of all types. The tramps and vagabonds that one would expect to see in a huge flee market in the desert, and some middle class people too who had come for various reasons. The people all had different stories and pasts, but they had convened in the desert to enjoy each other’s company in a way. (43)

29.  What character traits and skills does Jan Burres recount about Chris in chapter 5?Burres says that Chris is intelligent, well read, stubborn, playful sometimes, and had a kind of up-in-the-clouds view of Jack London’s adventures and how he was going to go on an Alaskan adventure. He had a few gaps in his thinking, but all around he seemed to be a pretty capable person.(45)

30.  What was Jan Burres’s assessment of Chris’s ability to survive in Alaska? (end of chapter 5)Jan Burres thought that Chris would be able to survive in Alaska. She thought that if he was able to do what he had done so far alone and figured everything out himself then he would be able to “Figure out Alaska too.” (46)Chapters 6-7

31.  Who was Ron Franz, and how did he enter the story?  What does Krakauer think about the relationship between Franz and McCandless? Ron Franz is an eighty-some Hermit who lives near Salton City, California. He first meets Chris while he was hitchhiking and is curious about him. He thinks Chris’s life has gone awry and tries to talk to him, but then he learns  the truth about Chris and becomes a good friend. Krakauer sees their relationship as a close grandfather-grandson relationship. (50)

32.  What is Anza-Borrego?Anza-Borrego is a state park in California. It is a vast, flat, and open desert wasteland. (48)

33.  What was the tragedy of Ron Franz’s life? The greatest tragedy of Ron Franz’s life is that his wife and son both died in a car crash when he was younger. (50)

34.  How did he feel about Chris and what request did he make of Chris? He felt very fatherly of Chris and regarded him quite highly as a smart, interesting young man. He felt so strongly about this that he asked Chris if he could adopt him. (55)

35.  What role did leather making take in their relationship?Since Franz was an accomplished leather maker he decided to teach Chris about it. When he saw how skillful and created Chris was he really started to like him more. (52)

36.  The author gives a brief character analysis of McCandless after recounting that Franz dropped him off in Colorado.  What does the author say about McCandless?Krakauer says, or implies, that although Chris enjoys the company of others, he never wants to be too attached to them or want them to be too attached to him. He writes to them to remain their friend, but never stays with them for too long  in case they get too close. He’s a loner.

37.  When Chris sent Franz a letter from Carthage, what advice did Chris give to Franz and how did Franz respond to this letter?Chris tells Franz to step out of his shell. He will enjoy the rest of his life much better if it is more unexpected and not normal. It brings a sense of freedom and the true joy that comes with it. Franz actually follows his advice and moves out into Anza-Borrego. (58)

38.  How did Ron Franz learn that McCandless had died and how did this death change Franz’s life? Franz is told of Chris’s death by two tramps that he picks up hitchhiking. From that point on Franz is an atheist. He doesn’t believe that a loving God could do that to a person like Chris. (60)

39.  Why was Wayne Westerberg annoyed at the beginning of chapter Seven? Wayne Westerberg is mad at the beginning of chapter 7 because his combine is broken. When you’re a farmer and your machinery doesn’t work, which is for too often, it is frustrating and stressful. In a job like farming, where timing is key, delays can cost you dearly, and nothing is worse than a broken combine when the crops are ready. (62)

40.  What is the author’s analysis of the relationship between McCandless and his father?  How did Chris feel about his sister Carine?Krakauer describes both Chris and his father as high-strung and stubborn, they must have been at each other’s throats all the time. He likes his sister though, and only has good things to say about her. (64)Chapters 8-9

41.  What is the purpose of including the full story of Gene Rossellini? Including the story about Gene Rossellini gave the reader a good idea of what kind of people come to Alaska. It even shows that for the most seasoned individual, Alaska can get them one way or another. Even a man of experience and spirit can succumb. (75)

42.  What motivated Krakauer to include the story of John Waterman?The story about Waterman shows what happens to people who do something, even though they know it might kill them. Epically when an experienced person knows that they might die, there is a good chance they will die and yet the do it anyway for whatever reason. Perhaps it is the reason within itself. (80)

43.  Finally, what is the purpose of including the story of Chris McCunn in the narrative?The story of Chris McCunn shows what will happen if someone who fantasizes about the wild goes out there and botches up. The reality of their hapless daydreams crashes down on them as the reality of life in Alaska and their errors haunt them as they slowly die alone in the wild. (84)

44.  Summarize the story of Everett Ruess and his fascination with the American West and natural beauty.Everett Ruess is a 20 year old wonder like Chris. His family moved a lot between cities, and after getting kicked out of college Everett became a wonder of the west, but kept in touch with his family. He loved the natural beauty of the west so much that he felt that it was a part of him and he wanted to keep wondering around it for the rest of his life, which he did. During one extended expedition in 1934 he unexpectedly disappeared and was never seen again. (91)

45.  What Ken Sleight’s conclusion about Ruess and McCandless? Ken Sleight concluded that Ruess and McCandless, although they like solitude, cannot go on forever without the company of humans. They leave society, get lonely, come back, get itchy feet again and leave in a continuous cycle until they die, which in both cases was at a young age. (96)