Into The Wild Questions

1.            What is the personal history of Chris McCandless? He grew up in Washington D.C and he went to college at Emory University. (Page 1 to 2)

2.            What themes does Jon Krakauer introduce in the “Author’s Note”? It was for the reader to decide whether Chris McCandless had courage or if he was just insane. Page 3 of Authors note.

3.            What is the purpose of the quoted material at the start of Chapter One? It is to introduce the story and give background information. Page 3

4.            Who is Alex? Alex is a young man who wanted to try to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. It is also the name Chris McCandless calls himself instead of using his first name.  

5.            Who is Jim Gallien, and how did he meet McCandless? Jim Gallien was an electrician who was driving on the road outside Fairbanks and he met McCandless on the side of the road because McCandless was hitchhiking. Page 4.

6.            What was Gallien’s assessment of McCandless? He though that McCandless was friendly looking but he lacked the supplies for the trip he was about to take. Pages 3 to 4.

7.            What kind of advice did Gallien give McCandless? He tried to convince him it was a bad idea (page 5)

8.            What was McCandless’s response to Gallien’s offer?  Also, what gift did Gallien give to McDandless? He gave him boots. (Page 7)

9.            Why did Gallien decide not to alert the authorities about McCandless? He thought that McCandlees would give up after a few hours. (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? Chris McCandless wasn’t the normal person.

11.  Why would Krakauer include a quote from another author such as Jack London as the heading for this chapter? It introduces the title of the book and Chris liked Jack London’s books. (Page 9)

12.  What is the purpose of the detailed descriptions of Mt. McKinley, Denali, and the Stampede Trail? It was to show the type of terrain to get an understanding of the Environment. (Page 11)

13. What was considered to be the cause of Chris McCandless’s death? Starvation was thought to be the cause of death. (Page 14)

14. Who is Wayne Westerberg and how do Wayne and Chris get along? Wayne Westerberg was a man who employed Chris while he was in South Dakota. Wayne and Chris got along well. (Page 16)

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? Rubber tramps had cars and leather tramps were on foot. (Page

16. Why did the author say that McCandless found a “surrogate family in Westerberg and his employees”? He felt close to the employees and thought of them almost as family.

17.  Why did McCandless leave Carthage? He left because Wayne was arrested and in jail. (Page 21)

18.  How does the reader know that War and Peace was important to McCandless? He spoke highly of it. It was one of his favorite books. (Page 19)

19.  Describe McCandless’s early years and family life.

20.  What clues did McCandless give that he was out of step with the commercialism of contemporary society?

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

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? Chris is setting out to find out about himself.

23.  Who is Jan Burres, and how did she figure into Chris’s travels? Jan Burres was a “rubber tramp” and she offered Chris a ride in her car. (Page 30)

24.  Describe the trip that Chris took in the old metal canoe that Chris bought in Topock, Arizona. It was a long trip that took him all over the southwest U.S and northwestern Mexico. (Page 35)

25.  This chapter contains numerous excerpts from the journal Chris kept.  What is noticeable about the writing in his account of his Mexican adventure? He struggled finding his way around in Mexico. (Page 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.)

27.  What kind of life did Chris lead in Bullhead City? He led a simple life of a homeless person until he was offered a place to stay. (Page 41)

28.  Describe the conditions and the residents of the Slab.  Note some of the local color that makes this community memorable. The slabs consisted of people trying to avoid things in the real world. (Page 43)

29.  What character traits and skills does Jan Burres recount about Chris in chapter 5? She said he was a people person and he had musical talent (page 43)

30.  What was Jan Burres’s assessment of Chris’s ability to survive in Alaska? (End of chapter 5)  She thought he would come out alive. (Page 46)

31.  Who was Ron Franz, and how did he enter the story?  What does Krakauer think about the relationship between Franz and McCandless? He was an 80 year old man and he was inspired by McCandless. They met when Franz offered McCandless a ride back to his camp. (Page 59).

32.  What is Anza-Borrego? It was a State Park. (Page 48)

33.  What was the tragedy of Ron Franz’s life? While he was in the army a drunk driver got into a car accident with his family and killed them. (Page 50) 

34.  How did he feel about Chris and what request did he make of Chris? He thought of Chris almost as family.

35.  What role did leather making take in their relationship? It brought them closer together. (Page 51)

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?

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 told Ron he needed to see the world before he was too old and Franz listened to that advice. (Page 57)

38.  How did Ron Franz learn that McCandless had died and how did this death change Franz’s life? He learned it form two men on a bus on his way home. This made Franz turn atheist.  (Page 60)

39.  Why was Wayne Westerberg annoyed at the beginning of chapter Seven? His combine had broken down. (Page 62)

40.  What is the author’s analysis of the relationship between McCandless and his father?  How did Chris feel about his sister Carine?

41.  What is the purpose of including the full story of Gene Rossellini?   His story was similar to Chris’s. (Page 75)

42.  What motivated Krakauer to include the story of John Waterman? It showed how there were other people like Chris who were unprepared. (Page 77)

43.  Finally, what is the purpose of including the story of Chris McCunn in the narrative? It showed how being unprepared could kill you in the wilderness. (Page 83)

44.  Summarize the story of Everett Ruess and his fascination with the American West and natural beauty.

45.  What Ken Sleight’s conclusion about Ruess and McCandless?