Into the Wild Halfway Point Questions

Chapter 1

1. Chris McCandless graduated from Emory University in the summer of 1990. He was a great student and athlete. But after that, he gave $24,000 in savings to charity and abandoned most of his possessions and his car, and he burned all of the money in his wallet. Then he left his hometown and wandered across most of North America until he settled in Central Alaska. He lived there for over three months but his remains were found shortly after that. (pg. 1 in Author’s Note)

2.One theme Jon Krakauer introduces is how wilderness influences the American imagination. Another theme that comes about is how high-impact activities affect young boys with different minds. The last theme introduced is how the bond between fathers and sons is affected. (pg. 2 in Author’s Note)

3. The purpose of this is to show how Alex sent a postcard from Fairbanks, Alaska to a man named Wayne in South Dakota. The postcard explains how if Alex dies and Wayne doesn’t hear from him, Alex wants to tell Wayne that he is a great man. It also explains how Alex is going to start living in the wilderness in Alaska. (pg. 3)

4. Alex is Chris McCandless’s new alias after he fled from Atlanta. Chris changed his name to Alex as he arrived in Alaska. Alex is now a boy who is living his live in the wilderness of Alaska for now on. (pg.3)

5. Jim Gallien is a union electrician and an accomplished hunter who works in Anchorage and he met Alex standing in the snow on the side of the road that he was driving on. Gallien knew that the boy was hitchhiking but he looked so bad that Jim picked him up. (pg.4)

6. Gallien was worried about McCandless because the only food he had was a ten-pound bag of rice, he only had gear that could never handle the harsh conditions of Alaska, and a rifle that couldn’t kill large animals to eat. He also knew Chris was very confident to live by himself and he had the positive attitude that would lead him to success in Alaska. (Pg.5-6)

7. Gallien gave McCandless his phone number in case he needed some help. Gallien’s also told McCandless that you can go days without shooting game and you have to avoid the bears in the area because they can knock down trees without even trying. But McCandless stayed positive and confident that he could survive in the wild. Gallien also mentioned that the Rivers are fast and furious in Alaska and that the mosquitos can eat you alive. He said living in Alaska is no picnic. (pg. 5-7)

8. When Gallien offered to drive Alex to Anchorage to get some gear, and then drive him to where he needs to go, Alex said no and that he is fine with what he already has. The gift that Gallien gave to McCandless was a pair of old rubber work boots to keep Alex’s feet dry and his lunch that consisted of two grilled-cheese-and-tuna sandwiches and a bag of corn chips. (Pg.6-7)

9. Gallien didn’t alert the authorities about Alex because he knew that McCandless would be okay since he would get hungry pretty quickly and just walk on to the road like any normal person would. (p.7)

10. This is ironic because McCandless survived in the Alaskan wilderness eating berries and other food that he could find for over 100 days. This statement said that McCandless would give in quickly to have some food, but he never needed help from anyone for over three months, which makes this statement ironic. McCandless never gave in to the authorities and he kept himself to the wildlife instead of depending on others for food. (pg.7) 

Chapter 2

11. Krakauer would include this quote because it depicts in the reader’s mind a descriptive setting for the chapter. Krakauer wanted the reader to know what currently was going on with the main character, Chris McCandless. Also, Krakauer wanted to include something from another author to tie in to the main plot in the story, which is the fierce Alaskan wilderness. This quote also set the mood and tone for the chapter. (pg.9)

12. The purpose of these detailed descriptions is to tell the reader what Chris had to go through while surviving in the Alaskan wilderness. These long detailed descriptions of these places show what Chris was living in at his time and how he used his surroundings to survive in the wild. These descriptions also point out what Ken Thompson, Gordon Samel, and Ferdie Swanson had to go through to find the bus where Chris’s body lays. (pgs. 9-11)

13. The cause to Chris McCandless’s death was starvation since “At the time of the autopsy, McCandless’ s remains weighed sixty-seven pounds” (pg. 14). This showed that Chris was very thin and bony at the time of his death, making starvation the leading cause for his death. (pg.14)

Chapter 3

14. Wayne Westerberg is a strong man who lives in Carthage, South Dakota and he works with the harvest from south to north to cut barley used for different brands of beers. He and Chris got along just fine because Wayne liked Chris’s attitude when he worked and he liked that Chris was a hard worker. Chris developed a lasting bond with Wayne and the city of Carthage. (pg.16-18)

15. Leather tramps mainly describe people who walk and venture across the county by foot, like Chris McCandless. Rubber tramps describe people who ride in cars but are looking for gas money. But each of these terms describe people who roam across the country through the wilderness where they have to encounter nature at their extremes.

16. The author said that McCandless found this family because he wanted the reader to know that Chris was living with a new family through money and that he had a place to stay. The author also said this because the family had many people staying with them, including Chris, who lived together and id things with each other. (pg.18)

17. McCandless left Carthage because two weeks after he arrived in Carthage, Wayne Westerberg was caught by the FBI for letting people watch cable television without paying for it. So without any work at the grain elevator for Chris, he left with Westerberg in a Sioux Falls jail for a four month sentence. (pg.19)

18. The readers know that this book is important to Chris because there is a saying on the inside of the book that says “Transferred to Wayne Westerberg from Alexander. Listen to Pierre”. This saying tells readers that Chris really knew the book when he talked about the main protagonist of the book, so it must have been important to Chris. (pg.19)

19. McCandless was raised in Annandale, Virginia and he was extremely close to his sister Carine. Chris graduated in May of 1990 where he was an editor of The Emory Wheel. Chris still had $25, 000 left for college but he used it all on a charity that fights hunger. Chris then sent his final transcript to his parents from college, which was the last time anyone in Chris’s family would hear from him ever again.  So when Chris’s parents came for a visit to Atlanta, his apartment said For Rent, and they knew he had left for good in his car that he refused to have another one of when he graduated. Walt and Billie, Chris’ parents, were extremely worried about him and Chris was set out for his new life. (pgs.19-22)

20. Some clues that Chris gave out that show this is that he said that he felt like completing college was an “absurd and onerous duty” (pg. 22). He also said that since he finished college, he was free from the hampering and activity of his parents and peers. He also said that he was “encumbered from a world of abstraction and security and material excess” (pg.22). Chris even said he felt very cut off from the “raw throb of existence” (pg.22)

21. The change that McCandless made was to his name. He changed his name to Alexander Supertramp from Chris McCandless to make it definitely known that he has a new life. Alexander Supertramp symbolized a man of his own destiny. (pg.23)

Chapter 4

22. This statement applies to Chris because the whole reason Chris came out to the West is to start a new life and live in conditions like the desert. Chris does not want to escape the desert; he wants to embrace the conditions in the wild, like the desert. The desert is the start to Chris’s new life and this is how his future will look like. (pg.25)

23. Jan Burres is a 41-yeal old woman who walks on foot around the West selling random items at flea markets and meeting occasionally with her boyfriend, Bob. She figures with Chris’s travels because she camped with him for a week in Orick Beach. She acted like a mother for Chris for a week, teaching him about things for his journey and warning him about things while he travels. (pg.30-31)

24. Chris bought this metal canoe in Topock and paddled down Lake Havasu and then eventually downstream the Colorado River. He even went through the Yuma Proving Ground, which was off limits.  Then, Chris snuck into Mexico through the open floodgates, but then he got lost because of the many irrigation canals and channels. Chris had to carry the canoe the canoe for three days to get to a new canal where Alex wrote many journal entries about this trip. Cris finally ended up in El Golfo de Santa Clara where he ditched the boat. (pgs. 32-36)

25. What is noticeable from the writing in his accounts is that Chris is being very emotional and he is using strong words to show how he is feeling. He also uses “he” instead of “I” in all of his journal entries of his Mexican adventure. Chris uses strong emotion about the events in his Mexican Adventure to show how he is suffering during the time of these events. (pg.34-35)

26. The conclusion that Chris reaches is that he loves living his life to the fullest and to the greatest extent. Chris also loves the adventures and memories that drive him keep living life with a meaning. Chris has “itchy feet” that drive him to leave places he resides in for a while to keep walking around to find new destinations, which is what Chris loves in life. Chris finds that living his life to the fullest is what drove him out of Las Vegas and into a new place. (pg.37)

Chapter 5

27. Chris liked Bullhead City because of the desert landscape that surrounded it and he stayed there for over two months. Chris worked at McDonald’s in Bullhead City and lived in a trailer owned by a man named Charlie for free after living out in the desert on the edge of town. Chris even got Jan Burres to see him in Bullhead City from the postcard he sent to her. (pgs. 39-42)

28. The Slab is an old navy air base that was abandoned where many people come to in the winter months to live cheap in the hot sun. The Slab was a place where many travelers stayed with retired people, unemployed people, and even the exiled. The Slab was different from a lot of other places and it was partly run down. The people there were very cheap and since it was scattered in the desert, it was warm there. The Slab was a place where many runaways and rubber tramps could meet and stay together, making this place unique. The society was made up of many different people, giving it a mixed culture full of other people. (pg.43)

29. Jan Burres recounts that Chris was a big help at the flea market in the Slabs and that he was always happy around other people. She also said that Chris was friendly with every person he met and he did a lot of socializing.  She even said that Chris gave a lot of attention to her and that he even had a good voice while he was playing the electric organ. (pgs. 43-45)

30. Burres said that Chris would be fine living in Alaska because deep down, she knew he was smart and from Chris’s past experiences like paddling a canoe to Mexico, she knew Chris would figure out Alaska. Burres was very confident with Chris and she knew Chris would be okay in the Alaskan wilderness with the skills he possessed. (pg.46)

Chapter 6

31. Ron Frantz is a man who lives in Salton City, California, in a run-down apartment building. He was 81 years old and he lived by himself, like Chris. He enters the story when Chris comes back from Salton City walking to the bajada, asking Chris for a ride there. Krakauer thinks the relationship between the two is very strong and that they have really got to know each other from pending a lot of time together. Chris and Frantz were really good friends during their days together. (pages 49-51)

32. Anza-Borrego was a place in the Southwest part of California and it had a desert and mountainous terrain. The bajada was also located there and this is where Chris lived during his times there. There were many desert plants there like chollas and tall ocotillo plants. (page 49)

33. The tragedy of Frantz’s life began when his wife and child were killed on New Year’s Eve in 1957 in a drunk-driving incident. Then, he started drinking whiskey and alcohol all the time because he was depressed. He got over it eventually but he couldn’t cope with the loneliness. So he adopted 14 Okinawan boys and girls, paying for one to attend medical school and another to study medicine in Japan. It was as if Ron Frantz was done in his life before Alex came onto the scene. (page 50)

34. Frantz felt that Chris was “extremely intelligent” and that he was the perfect person to talk to since he said funny things to break the dead silence. Frantz was so fond of Chris with his positive attitude and personality that it was as if Chris would be the perfect child to adopt and live with. The request he made to Chris was to ask him if he wanted to be adopted by Frantz since his family is gone forever. McCandless though was uncomfortable though with the request. (pgs. 51-55)

35. Leathermaking played a role in their relationship because Frantz taught Chris the skill of leathermaking and they each enjoyed making crafts from this work. Chris even made this magnificent leather belt with his name and initials inscribed into it along with other graphics that depict the records of his long journey. Leathermaking played a big role in the friendship between Chris and Frantz because they could further bond from this. (pg. 51)

36. The author says that McCandless was very relieved that he again avoided the possible threat of being in a close relationship with someone, including Ron Frantz. He had also avoided a long-term friendship where bad things could come about from the relationships. The author finally says that Chris was out of Jan Burres and Wayne Westerberg’s lives and he was by himself now. (page 55)

37. The advice Chris sent to Frantz was to go out in the world and enjoy all of the things that God has given to us in the Great West. Chris tells Frantz that he should “make a radical change in tour lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may have previously never have thought of doing” (pg.56). Chris wants Frantz to explore the world and to experience a completely new way of living by being a runaway like Chris. Frantz responded to this by storing away most of his old possessions, buying a new truck, and moving out to the desert where he could camp and wait for Chris’s return. (pages 56-58)

38. Frantz learned about McCandless’s death from a Native American hitchhiker he picked up in the desert who said Chris “froze to death up on the tundra” (pg. 60). This death changed Frantz’s life because he knew Alex would never be coming back to Salton City and he became an atheist because he couldn’t believe in a God who let this special boy die. Then Frantz drank a whole bottle of whiskey, hoping he would die; but instead, it just made him very sick. (pg. 60)

Chapter 7

39. Westerberg was annoyed because the combine he owned broke down for the third time in only a short time, so he was peeved because he had to get dirty and fix the machine for a third time. Since he was working several eighteen-hour days, this made him very grumpy trying to fix the greasy machine. (pg. 62)

40. The analysis of this relationship is that even though Chris would submit to his father’s authority, he would get nasty with him all the time. Since Chris wanted to be independent, he was very stubborn with his father when he tried to control him. The author also says that Chris “brooded at length over what he perceived to be his father’s moral shortcomings, the hypocrisy of his parents’ lifestyle, the tyranny of their conditional love” (p.64). Chris was very close with his sister Carine and they would talk all the time. Carine was one of the few people that Chris could trust and believe in. Carine was the best sister that Chris could have. (pgs. 63-64)

Chapter 8

41. The purpose of including this full story about him was to show how there are people like Chris McCandless who just wants to the seek the fascinations of nature to the fullest. This story was also included to show how there was someone looking for a different life very different from the average Alaskan citizen. Gene Rossellini wanted to seek a different life unlike the regular Alaskan. (pgs.73-74)

42. Krakauer was motivated to include this story because the news of John Waterman grabbed much less attention that the Gene Rosellini and Krakauer wanted to go deep into his life. John Waterman’s life story didn’t get much attention so Krakauer wanted to share with his readers his life, too. Also, John’s dad, Guy Waterman was somewhat known to the world and Krarkauer was motivated to write about his son. (pgs. 75-76)

43. The purpose of including the story of Chris McCunn was to show how he impacted the later part of John Waterman’s life with the calling of the bush pilot. Also, McCunn drew similar comparisons to Chris McCandless and his life had so many unexpected events that impacted his life as a whole. Carl McCunn’s story was very interesting to read about with all of the details, so it was included in the book. (pgs. 81-85)

Chapter 9

44. Everett Ruess settled with his family in Southern California at the age of 14. At age 16, he went on a solo trip to hike through Yosemite and Big Sur in 1930. After receiving his high school diploma, Everett would spend most of his life on the move, living with little money and food. As describe by Wallace Stegner, Everett “took out deliberately over trails that Indians and old timers warned him against. He tackled cliffs that more than once left him dangling halfway between talus and rim” (pg. 90).  Reuss’s love for the Western architecture came through his many letters that he wrote when he passed through canyons and treacherous trails. Reuss even said in one of his letters that God lured him to the wilderness in the West. Reuss just couldn’t stop wandering the great fascinations of the West. This was where Everett Reuss was born to live. (pgs. 89-93)

45. Ken Sleight’s conclusion about the two is that Everett and Chris wanted to be loners, but they each like people in their lives, making it almost impossible for them to live a secret for the rest of their lives. Sleight also believes that Reuss and McCandless both tried to follow their own dreams of living in the wild, which made them stand out from everyone else. Sleight finally says that the monks he learned about who followed their reckless spirits in a journey across the ocean to Greenland, they reminded him of Chris and Everett. (pg.96-97)