Into the Wild Blog #5

Positive                                                                                                                                        Negative

Caring                                                                                                                                         Spontaneous

Committed                                                                                                                                Determined

Reliable                                                                                                                                        Reckless

 

I think Chris was caring, committed, and reliable. He was a hard worker and committed to any and every job that he had.  Chris would not only always show up to work but would show up on time making him very reliable.  Once he committed to something he didn’t just walk away and I believe that these are important traits.  Chris also went out of his way to help others.  He was extremely benevolent and tried making those who were less fortunate them him better.   Sadly, McCandless wasn’t all that and a bag of potato chips.  He was very spontaneous and deserted his family out of nowhere which I think was little of him.  He also exhibited reckless behavior and rarely acts like the common man.  Finally Chris is determined, which may sound like a good positive thing but it is not.  Determination is usually a positive trait but when someone is determinded to do something that is hazardous to their health, it becomes a negative trait.  Chris is too determined to prove everyone wrong and to discover himself in the wild and his determination causes him to pay the ultimate price.  If Chris was to be associated with one specific trait, it would be committed.  No matter what it is he is doing, nine times out of ten, Chris is whole-heartedly committed to it.  Everyone sees him as being committed to his journey and to his pride and beliefs. 

 

Both Krakauer and McCandless have a path and their paths parallel each others for multiple reasons starting with the fact that both went on expeditions into the wilderness (pg. 135).  Both men were in their early twenties when they undergoes their journeys (pg. 135), both decided to travel alone (pg. 135), both faced obsession (pg. 134), and both men had a rebellious side to them when it came to male authority.  However, these two men did show some differences as well that include: unlike McCandless, Krakauer noticed that he was unprepared (pg. 135), McCandless never showed any sign of feeling lonely unlike Krakauer (pg. 138), Krakauer lives to tell his tale while McCandless is found deceased (pg. 1), Krakauer didn’t let his pride get in the way and wouldn’t turn down help from others (pg. 137), and ultimately, Krakauer was more socially tolerant (pg. 137).

 

 

                                                       

Into the Wild Blog #4

Chris has certainly been closer to desolate in the story up until the point that he works at McDonalds. I thought it was very strange that he used his real name and personal information when applying for the position. I also was intrigued as to why he would suddenly want a job flipping burgers. I guess that it just doesn’t add up to me. His coworkers described him as primarily rebellious and hardworking. He doesn’t like to think that he is run by corporation but he will still obey the rules which I think is a fairly classy act on his part. He was said to be kind of a nature maniac and an idealist. I think that I would have been left wondering about Chris McCandless if I was his coworker. If I only knew him as my coworker and did not know his story like I do now, I think he would befuddle me and possibly frighten me a tad bit.

 

 I think that Chris and the Burres were cut from the same cloth which explains why they were so fond of each other.  All three of them were nomadic and enjoyed be cut off from most of the human race and the rest of civilization.  A more accurate explanation for their fondness of each other would be Chris’s calm and collective nature.  There have not been very many people so far who have gotten to know Chris McCandless and not find him to be respectful and likable.  He has that spark to him that attracts even the most negative of people and forces them to love him.  As for Chris’s attraction to them, I believe he remembers those who he is in debt to and who has aided him throughout his life and journey. 

 

I think that Franz was so greatly affected by Chris McCandless because he allowed himself to be. From the sound of it, Franz never interacted with others and was always very cut-off and isolated since the deaths of his wife and son. When a young Chris McCandless came out of the blue, I think that Franz saw someone just like himself, someone who was cut off from the rest of the human population, maybe not physically but certainly mentally and emotionally. I think Franz let McCandless into his heart and wanted someone to relate to. After all the years he had gone on his own, Franz was finally ready to coexist with another troubled and lonely human being.

 

Into the Wild Blog #3

What was learned about Christopher McCandless:

1. He was untraceable by the police

2. He doesn’t accept gifts nor gives them to his birth givers

3. He bases many things on principle

4. He travels to Mexico

5. He abandons his car

6. He has a souring spirit

7. He can canoe

8. Has a need for adventure

9. He finds Mexicans to be nicer than Americans

10. He is a fast paced mover.

11. He constantly moves when traveling

12. Believes that all a man should own is what he carries on his back

13. Money means little to nothing to him

14. Even though he abandoned them, he still makes use of his parents(billing them a ticket)

15. Very sneaky

16. A man of great perseverance.

17. Keeps a record of every event

18. He is extremely self dependent

19. He feels uncomfortable in society

20. He is weasel and can spin a yarn to get himself out of most situations

 

I’m sure that Chris has a very strained relationship with him family. From his letters and emotions toward them, it seems that they are not the closest people on the planet.  I think that there may be a feeling of discomfort or awkwardness in the McCandless family.  The family doesn’t really appear to be normally talking to each other or in a traditional manner.  The note is also very brief and vague which strikes me as being odd on account that it is the last that his family heard from him.  I believe that this family has to have a closet full of skeletons.  Why else would Chris just say that he is going to disappear for a while?  At the point that he said that, I think Chris was merely planning on a small vacation to get away from it all.  I highly doubt that he was thinking about dying.   All he wanted to do was get off the grid for a while and digest his thoughts and look at his life.  I’m almost positive that he was planning to return to his family.

 

                Just getting started in knowing all about Chris and where he has been and what he’s done, I think it’s safe to say that he stays on his toes and reacts quickly.  He abandoned his life and possibly wants a reset button so he started to reset by burning his money, ditching his car, and changing his name.  There could many reasons why he wants to start over.  Maybe he broke laws or had a falling out, or maybe he just didn’t have that swell of a life or the one that he envisioned for himself.  My best guess is that he was just depressed with his life and wanted a change of pace and to check out of his life so he destroyed what parts of it that could be tracked back to him and what reminded him of his former name.

Into the Wild Blog#2

 

I don’t think that it was a matter of Alex knowing whether or not he was prepared, but a matter of him just not caring whatsoever. It’s very easy to see that a .22 caliber would do little to nothing for him. Either Alex is daring, uneducated, or just finished. He obviously knows that he doesn’t have the proper and basic necessities to sustain life in the wilderness; therefore, when he refuses aid and states that he will do fine with what he has, it is quite clear that he wants to be hopeless. He wants to survive temporarily but in the long run he wishes to die.

 

I enjoy the flash forward method used by Krakauer. As opposed to being slowly given details and having to wait for a story to unfold, the reader can become immersed into a situation abruptly.  This gives the reader the “what?” only leaving the “why?” to be explained later in the book.  Personally, I would rather read a book like this because I don’t have to try and become interested in a boring beginning.  I believe Krakauer is telling the story this way for this exact same reason.  Also, some readers may find the mystery and suspense of this book to be very interesting.

           

 

                      For starters, he obviously didn’t really keep track of time while he was in the wilderness.  His best guess is that it is August.  I’m curious as to why he would think that someone would suspect his S.O.S. to be a joke.  Who would make up a joke like that? Honestly, is it this much of a reoccurrence that he has to write “no Joke”?  If he is injured then why is he out collecting those berries?  If he is too weak to hike out of  there then why is he wasting energy on harvesting berries?  Its just raising too many questions and isn’t making a whole lot of sense yet.

 

Into the Wild Blog #1

Personally, I think Alex is a fool. I do not think that there is anything admirable about this character. From where I currently am in the book, there have been no explanations and absolutely no reasoning behind Alex’s motives, attitude, or actions. All that has been explained is where he plans to go and vaguely what he plans on doing. Nothing relevant has been revealed to the reader so far. Everything has been open ended without anything tying together. He is alive one minute and found dead the next.

 

Perhaps Alex has something to run from. Something that the reader does not know about yet. Maybe he did something drastic like stand his fiancé up at the altar or tare the tag off of his mattress. Different factors and ideas can lead to predictions and determine why Alex is doing what it is that he is doing.  He could be running from a serial killer or from the authorities. There is a chance that Alex is just escaping into the wilderness just for a sense of self righteousness or bragging rights.  An even more depressing explanation would be that Alex is trying to kill himself which raises even more questions that will hopefully soon be answered. 

I'd Rather Be In Carolina...

There is only one day left till the family and I head for the beach and I am so amped for this year's trip. Ten days, two beaches, thirteen family members, and one big blue.