Into the Wild - Blog #5

Chris was a very complex person. He had an immense amount of traits, some positive and some negative.
Top three positive traits:
1.Determined
2.Wise
3.Social/Friendly
Chris was exceptionally determined. If the man put his mind to something, he was going to do it. It was nearly impossible to try and talk the guy out of something. Being determined can be a good trait to have. I think sometimes his determination kept him out of trouble, because he was rarely influenced.
Not only was Chris determined, he was wise. He graduated, with honors, from Emory University. He maintained straight A's throughout his school years. He made a lot of good decisions, along with some poor ones. At some times, I thought he lacked a little bit of common sense.
Chris made friends easily. People found him as likeable, and most people who came into contact with him would say they were better for having known him.
Top three negative traits:
1.Stubborn
2.Loner
3.Lack of common sense
Chris rarely ever took anything from anybody, advice or materials. When people tried to talk to him about something he didn't want to hear, he just shut his mind off.
While Chris could be social and friendly, he honestly never seemed interested in forming long term relationships with anybody. It's like he didn't want his feelings to get in the way of his mission.
For as book smart as Chris was, some of his decisions showed his lack of common sense. For example, his decisions to go into the wilderness with as little as he did, and to sever all ties with the outside world.
Above all, I think his stubborness is the strongest of his traits. People get frustrated when they read the book and realize how a few small changes to his plan could have changed his outcome. He ignored Jim Gallien's advice about being unprepared, as well as staying in touch with somebody. Doing one of those two things differently could have saved his life.



Jon Krakauer and Chris McCandless shared a connection with some similarities and some differences. The similarities can be described as follows:

1. Both Krakauer and McCandless were fascinated by Alaska; page 134
2. Both had complicatedand difficult relationships with their fathers; page 134
3. Both felt that their Alaskan adventures were "key" to changing their lives; page 135
4. Both were affected and driven by literature; McCandless read London and Tolstoy; while Krakauer read Nietzsche, Kerouac and Edwards; page 135
5. In Krakauer's own words, both were "raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic"; and "death was an abstract concept to them both"; page 155

The differences can be described as follows:
1. In Krakuer's own words,  he possessed "neither Chris McCandless' intellect nor his lofty ideals"; page 155
2. Krakauer reached his goa and realized it didn't actually change his life;  while McCandless failed; page 153
3. Krakauer survived his ordeal while McCandless obviously did not; page 153
4. Krakauer at age 23 was one year younger than McCandless; page 135
5. Krakauer realized that despite his troubled relationship with his father that his father had actually built a good life for him but that Krakauer had wrecked it; Chris never survived his ordeal or was able to reach a similar conclusion about his father; page 148

Into the wild blog 4

I definitely didn't expect Chris to get a job at McDonald's. I mean, he had a college degree. You would think that somebody with a degree from Emory University would not be working at McDonalds. I think he just needed some extra cash to get him place from place. McDonalds was an easy job, which was the direct opposite of what his degree and/or family expected him to do. Chris didn't see working for a living as a vital part of his life; he considered it more like a temporary thing to help him earn cash for his trips.  Working some place like McDonalds made it easy for him to just leave it behind when he saved enough money to continue his trip. Some of the workers appreciated Chris' hardworking initiative, while others just didn't want him there. They said he constantly had a stench to him, and they were always trying to convince him to take a bath. They actually even offered to give him soap, but of course he refused.  I think they were just confused by him for the most part. He eventually got bothered by their request and just decided to walk out one day, and never came back.  If I had the opportunity to have worked with Chris, I would have treated him like I treat everyone else which is fairly and with respect.  I probably would have felt bad for him and most likely would have wanted to help, though I am sure he would not have accepted it.

Jan Burres and Bob were extremely nice to Chris. They kind of took Chris under their wing, you could say. They talked to him, fed him, and even let him camp out with them. I think Chris highly respected what they did for him and thats why they got along so well. They were genuiely nice people, and they never really questioned him about his lifestyle. They just accepted him for who he was, and Chris liked not being questioned for where he came from, and what he was doing.  He seemed to always be looking for people who would just accept him for who he was without trying to change him.

I think there are several reasons why Ronald Franz was affected by having met Chris McCandless.  First, he lost his own child in an automobile accident with a drunk driver.  After his child was killed, Franz unofficially took care of several children overseas and wanted to do the same for Chris.  I think he saw Chris as someone he could take care of.  I also think that Mr. Franz was a lonely man who truly enjoyed Chris' company and their time together.  Chris was intelligent, a hard worker and a person who Mr. Franz could genuinely respect.

Into the wild blog #3

1.He is intelligent.
2.He is extremely brave.
3.He travels all the time.
4.He's noble.
5.He does not assoicate with his family very often.
6.A little stubborn.
7.Does not like wealth.
8.Can't stand to wear socks.
9.He's pretty sociable.
10.He is independent.
11.He loves to read.
12.Enjoys photography.
13.He buries a lot of his belongings.
14.Enjoys the outdoors.
15.He seemes pretty content.
16.Loyal.
17.He rarely ever gave up.
18.Hard Worker.
19.Did strange things with money.
20.He dreamed big.
I was a little suprised when I read the letter. Its like Chris wrote as little as he could, for some reason it seems like he doesn't want to talk to his parents at all. I think there is something wrong with the relationship between them, I just don't know what yet. I think his intentions for the statement was to let his parents know that he was going to move on with his life. He was trying to say he didn't want them to be apart of his life anymore.
I think Chris didn't like the direction his life was heading. So I think he did all those strange things just to get a new beginning, and invent a new life for himself. He saw it as a chance to become a better person than he was. This was his chance to start over, and do things better than before.