Into the Wild blog #5

  Positive

·        Independent

·        Passionate

·        Memorable

Negative

·        Estranged

·        Restless

·        Proud

Chris was able to make a hugeimpact on people due to his memorable personality.  I think this made people want to reach out tohim; they wanted to know the real story behind his sparkling personality.  This also contributed to the interestinglegacy he left, it caused people to dig deeper into the story of his deathbecause he left such an impression on a number of people.  Chris’s passion made him dependable and gavehim drive.  People knew he could get thejob done because he went after the task at hand with such intensity it’sremarkable.  This passion also fed theflame to the burning desire to venture into Alaska.  Chris’s independence is also a positive traitbecause he gives himself the opportunity to figure himself out and exploreother places of the world that no one really gave a second glance.  It allowed him to walk confidently into theAlaska Bush and never look back.  Anegative quality that Chris possessed was being too proud.  I think his pride got in the way of lettingothers try to help or talk to him about things. He never would accept anything from anyone else and felt that his viewswere right.  Chris’s restlessness causedhim to hop from place to place without ever being fully satisfied.  I think he went to Alaska to calm thisrestlessness but ended up dead.  Chriswas also very estranged from his family that deeply cared for him.  His pride once again blocked him from seeingthat they just wanted him to be happy.  Hehad something missing inside, probably love, and this pushed him away from theones that loved him.  Many readers todaymay see Chris as a confused boy trying to find himself, so his restlessness ishis strongest trait.  It’s the reason whyhe ended up dead.  If he could have juststayed in the same place and been satisfied, there would have been no reason togo to Alaska.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 similarities:
1. Both have problems with father p. 147
2. Adventurous (to a dangerous point)p. 155
3. Fathers betrayed their families 148
4. Stubborn 148
5. Trying to prove something to themselves and others 146

5 differences:
1. Jon survives his adventure- Chris doesn't p. 155
2. Jon knows that climbing the thumb will better his life (he believes this)p.155
3. Chris cuts his parents totally off(throughout whole book) Jon sees his dad sometimes p. 149
4. Jon doesn't blame his father-he understands that he's just a person who makes mistakes p148-150
5. Chris is more idealistic p. 155

The personal connection that the other has with Chris are based on the many similarities they have. The author does make a point that they aren't exactly alike, and that fact that he survived and Chris didn't is merely by chance. Though the author does say pretty boldly that neither of them wanted to commit suicide. "In my case- and, I believe, in the case of Chris mcCandless- that was a very different thing from wanting to die"(156).

Into the Wild blog #4

When Chris settled in at Bullhead City, he liked it there.  Something about that town made him want to slow down for a while.  “Maybe it was his affinity for the lumpen,  who were all well represented in the community’s trailer parks and campgrounds and Laundromats; perhaps he simply fell in love with the stark desert landscape that encircles the town” (39).  For whatever reason, Chris decided to get a job with his actual name and social security number, and even open a savings account.  I think he was tired of traveling with no reliable place to sleep and no steady stream of money or food.  It was also winter, so he wanted to settle down and lay low for a while until spring comes and his “itchy feet” come back.  I was a little surprised at this new change in Chris, but I know that even though he roams around nomadically he still is a sane person.  He still has some hidden goal and some destination he wants to receive or reach.  I don’t think he totally resents conventional life, he surely doesn’t like it but he can deal with it to an extent.  Some of his colleges at McDonalds considered him a very hard worker and reliable, but others thought he was gross and didn’t shower.  I don’t think they altogether didn’t like him; they wanted to help him.  It is just hard to communicate with someone like Chris.  He has a very different personality and he has gone a fairly long time without regular human interaction.  If I worked alongside Chris I would think that he had some personal problems, maybe going through a rough spot in life.  I don’t know if I would pry at him though, I’d like to just keep the situation light and as comfortable as I could. 

Chris's relationship with Jan and Bob is quite unique and special.  Jan thinks of Chris as her own son and sees similarities between the two.  She mentions that her own son ran off that she would want someone else to look after him like she looked after Alex.  Maybe she thought that if she took him in good karma would go to her son and put him in good hands.  Bob Burres enjoyed Alex's company too.  He sticks up for him and respects his privacy.  The three of them cared for each other and made sure too help one another out.  Alex made sure to never take advantage of them and I think that shows his good character and another piece of evidence that he's not totally insane at all. 

In the letter that Franz writes to the magazine, he describes a little of his interaction with Chris.  It is isn't much at all but chris must have done something remarkable to leave this impression on him.  Maybe Franz gives him some advice on how to survive in Akaska, since in the letter he is a little mystified by Chris being hurt given the tools he had.  This puzzles me because he must have not know the extent of Chris's adventure in Alaska and how long he would be there.  I assume Chris showed another point of view about life to Franz, since he does that with most people, and helped him in a sincere way.

Into the Wild blog #3

1.       Had an old yellow Datsun

2.       Expired driver’s license

3.       Starts his adventure in west rather than north in Alaska

4.       Explored mountains in the west

5.       Stayed with “Crazy Ernie” and worked on ranch for no pay for 11 days

6.       Stole a bike

7.       Stayed with Jan and Bob Burres for a week

8.       Got a ticket for hitchhiking

9.       Doesn’t care about money nor wants it, even happier without it

10.   Wants to roam nomadically for a long time

11.   Illegally crossed border to Mexico

12.   Writes in 3^rd person in his journal-weird?

13.   Determined to find ocean

14.   Canoes through Mexico

15.   Eats only marine life and 5 lbs. of rice for 36 days- this influences his diet in Alaska

16.   Caught by immigration authorities when crossing back into U.S. without I.D.

17.   Buries money in order not to be stolen from

18.   Loses over 25 lbs. from July to February

19.   Entered Las Vegas with no money and buries back pack-why?

20.   Works at Italian restaurant in Vegas

2.  When I read this letter I felt as if it was almost a business letter.  There’s no emotion to it at all.  It’s as if Chris is a robot and writes a letter to his parents that is fairly dull and uninteresting.  It showcases the relationship between Chris and his parents very well.  They obviously aren’t close at all.  When Chris says he wants to get away for a while I think he doesn’t really know where he’s going to go, but he knows he wants to get as far from home and his old life as possible.

3.  A lot of times when parents are really strict on their kids and have numerous rules and consequences for them, kids will rebel as soon as they leave the home.  All they want is freedom to do as they please, so many may go to drastic circumstances to prove to everyone else and mostly themselves that they are in control of their own life.  Another instance is when people just don’t know what they want to do with their life.  Sure, they go to school and get the grade to graduate, but then what?  Some people just don’t know where to go next, and they might not even want to continue in the direction that has taken them thus far.  Also, a person may not agree with the ideas or beliefs of those around them, so they run away to find out what else is out there and what they truly believe in themselves.

into the wild bolg #2

1.       Honestly, I don’t think Chris cared whether he had enough supplies or not.  He thought he’d get along somehow, make do with what he has.  Maybe later in the story he will realize that this could have been a mistake, but for right now he’s coasting through life.  I do not think that he went into the woods with a suicidal goal, but I do think he wanted to live life simply, without hassle.  He doesn’t want help from others he just wants to get away. 

2.       I hate surprises, but it does bother me to an extent that the author gives away the ending in the first paragraph in the very first chapter.  Although this does lead me to guess that the author will build up suspense in a different way and maybe towards a different topic altogether.  This does help me understand Chris better because I know what his outcome will be and it interests me more to find out exactly why he chose the path he did and how he ended up dead.  I think the author’s purpose is to draw readers in right from the beginning and never lose a grip on them by slowly unraveling the puzzle of his death.

3.       My reaction to Chris’s note was surprise.  I was sort of taken aback by how he actually tried to get help.  In my understanding of the character I thought maybe he would just accept starvation and die willingly.  Now I do understand that he tried and actually wanted to live.  I also think it backfires on him for not keeping a watch.  The letter says “August” followed by a question mark.  If he would have known the date then the people who conducted the autopsy might have gotten a closer range to the day he died.  Right when I read this letter I skimmed back in the book to find what month it was when the men entered the forest and crossed the river, when I did this it revealed that it definitely wasn’t August anymore, and hope was lost for Chris to still be alive or for someone to have helped him.

Into the Wild blog #1

     At this point in the book I feel that Chris McCandless is just trying to find himself.  He's going out into the middle of nowhere with nothing suitable to sustain him for a long stay or possibly even a few days, but all he wants to do is get away without anyone really causing a fuss about it.  I don't consider this "noble", but I do respect that this is the what he wants to do with his life. When McCandless goes into the wild I think he's looking for the next step in his life.  He's at a standstill point and doesn't know what to do with himself, so why not go into the unknown woods?  He needs an adventure.  McCandless wants to be secluded and cut off from the rest of the world; He doesn't want anything to do with anything else going on.  When Jim Gallien picks him up he tells him that his name is Alex, which shows he doesn't want anyone, not even a random person in Alaska to know who he is.  When Gallien drops him off on the trail and McCandless offers him his watch, McCandless says, "If you don't take it, I'm going to throw it away... 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" (7).