Into the Wild blog 5

Positive triats about Chris:

• Dependable
• Determined
• Independent

Negative traits about Chris:

• Secretive
• Stubborn
• Know-it-all

      I think Chris's positive traits affected him as a person by setting him up to be self-reliant, and overall a very well rounded person. He didn't really need anyone to help him throughout his life. He we was so independant, he baisically handled his own battles by himself. I think his traits affected him on his journey to Alaska by giving him a sense of rebellousness. I think he wanted to prove to himself that he was capable of anything and his character sure showed it as well.
    
     Chris's negative traits really made it hard to have a good type of relationship with him. The way he acted in certain situations really put up a gaurd between him and some people. The way he was so secretive with his personal life, and how he thought he didn't need the help from anyone really put him up for failure in my opinion. I think his negative triats affected him on his trip to Alaska by bringing him farther away from his goal. I thought it was bringing him farther away from the journey then him actually progressing with it. He was just to stubborn to realize it.

 

     I think Chris's trait of being stubborn really outweighed all the other ones. In the long run, his stubborness really only made the journey harder for him. I think it really affects the way people see him today because it's aggravating that he couldn't take the time to listen to what anybody had to say to him. You can't help but wonder what could've happened, had he had taken some advice and actually tried to help himself stay alive out there.

  
I think Krauker found a personal connection with Chris and decided to take on a story about him because his triats resembled much of Chris's. I think he felt they were more alike then different and both set off in a way the same story.

Similar:

• They both were in their early 20's when they entered Alaska (pg. 135)
• They were both reckless in nature (pg. 134)
• They both were adventerous (pg. 135)
• They both felt good about leaving the life they lived behind (pg. 136)
•  They both had misunderstanding parents (pg.138)

 

Different:

•  Jon willingly abandoned his car, while Chris abandoned his car because the engine was flooded. (pg.136)
• Jon almost needed someone, Chris could live in chastity. (pg. 137)
• Jon had came on his trip prepared (pg. 140)
• Jon had warned people where he would be (pg. 140)
• Jon had survived, while Chris died. (pg. 144)

Into the Wild blog 4

My reaction to Chris’s job at McDonald’s was very surprised.  He always did odd jobs and offered to take on the nastiest and hardest ones.   I was taken aback when it said he was working there, because it just didn’t seem like the kind of job he would take.  I think he might have applied there because he thought he would be in that area for a good amount of time and needed a steady, paying job.      

    Colleagues from McDonald’s described Chris as very dependable, but he worked at his own pace.  In the book, a girl named Lori Zara says, “He was reliable, though, a body that showed up every day, so they didn’t dare fire him.  When he talked, he was always going on about trees and nature and weird stuff like that. We all thought he was missing a few screws.”  

     It did not really seem that Chris cared for them, but at the same time he didn’t mind working with them.  He mostly kept to himself and did not hang out with them outside of work.  If I worked with him, I would probably think he was a little crazy too.  The way he always talked about nature, and the way he interacted with people, would make me feel uncomfortable.

     Chris’s relationship with Jan and Bob Burres is strong.  They meet Chris as he arrives tired and hungry by the side of the road.  The Burres try to take care of Chris, attempting to understand his desire to live free of society, but they also warn him of the dangers in his actions.  The Burres are no longer close to their own son.  They try to convince him of the dangerous things that could lie ahead and tell him to go back to his mother, though they fail.   They like Chris and are both interested and frustrated by him.  They decide that he will eventually grow out of his weird ways.

     I think Ronald Franz was most affected by Chris because he wasn’t used to having company around. All of his family was dead, and when they started to get close he didn’t want to let him go.  Chris was like a son to Franz, and the thought of Chris leaving really upset him.  It upset Franz so much he wanted to adopt him, but never got the chance.  He also admired that Chris did not much care what other people thought.  Chris always said do what you want to do and take chances.  I think he really inspired Franz, because Franz began to take Chris’ advice and change his lifestyle.

Into the Wild blog 3

20 things I learned about Chris:
1. He's stubborn
2. Doesn't like socks
3. Burries his belongings in random locations
4. Loved books by Jack London
5. Worked at McDonalds
6. Became really good friends with a man Names Ron Franz
7. He's from the D.C. area
8. He had a college degree
9. Canoed on the ocean
10. Lived in Vegas
11. Very Dependable
12. Refused to take a lot of items from people who offered them to him
13. Loved the outdoors
14. Liked being on his own, away from a lot of people
15. A very independant person
16. Changed his name to Alex Supertramp
17. Had a Datsun car
18.  Died in an old bus
19. He hitchhiked everywhere
20. Never stayed in one place for too long

     My reaction to the note Chris wrote to his parents was that he seemed annoyed with them for whatever reason that may be. He sounds like he's being sarcastic when he's talking to them. It also made me feel like he didn't really care if he ever heard from them again. He didn't say "I love you," or "I miss you guys." He just simply said say hi to everyone for me, so I was confused. I think his intensions at that time were to send the message that he doesn't really need anything from them and wants to be left alone.

     I think what really motivated him to get rid of everything he had and to start a whole new life for himself was his Alsakan adventure he was going on. In my opinion, I think he wanted to be on his own without the remarks of what others thought about his descisions, (his family for instance). He comes off as very independant, so I guess he likes doing things on his own. I don't know, maybe he just wanted a change because he was tired of the average lifestyle.

Into the Wild blog 2

     After reading the first chapter of the book, I really think that McCandless actually thought he could survive out there with the little materials and items he brought. It blows my mind that he would even leave period, considering he was not prepared. Part of me feels like he didn't want to end up alive, simply because he was hardly around anyone and never really kept in touch except for a select few. The other half of me is like maybe he did just want to live off the land. It says in the book that he walked and canoed a lot of places, so it makes me second guess the whole situation. I can't quite seem to figure out why he would take so little with him, if he expected to stay alive on his journey for so long? I still can't figure out what possesed him to leave everything behind. It also really annoys me that Jon Kraucker would begin the book based on the ending of his life. I think it ruins the story, and confuses me as well. I want to know why he went out in the woods unprepared and why he didn't want anyone to know who he really was. Maybe it was written this way to save the best part for the last.
     My reaction to the S.O.S note was really confused. I wanted to know why he suddenly wanted to be rescued, but why he left to pick berries? If you were in some kind of trouble, wouldn't you stay where you were and wait for help to come? That just didn't make sense to me at all. He's a really strange person in my opinion.

Into the Wild blog 1

      In my opinion, so far in the book, I think Alex (Chris) Mccandless is a really stubborn person. I'm not sure what it is he's excatly doing out there, but he's for sure trying to prove a point to somebody, maybe even himsef. He always wants to be on his own and doesn't really keep in touch with a lot of people. It might just be that he's very independant, but I feel like there's more that hasn't been revealed yet. I'm interested to find out about what else the story holds and why excatly he felt the need to go off, into the mountains by himself without any kind of communication. It seems to me as if he wanted to die. He didn't have in any way shape or form the right kind of materials to stay alive out there. If you ask me, that's probably one of the stupidest things i've ever heard of. He should have expected the outcome of what was going to happen to him from the time he set out on his journey. Part of me also feels that he did what he did on purpose; I don't know that for sure, but something's telling me that he planned to take those few items along with him for a reason. I mean really, who in there right mind would go off on their own with no type of way to get ahold of anybody, and not have some type of game plan for themselves? That just doesn't sit right with me, but I guess i'll find out soon.