Into the Wild Summary

The novel Into the Wild is based on the true story of Christopher McCandless. The story travels backwards from when he is found dead, back through his adventures in the wilderness of Alaska. Over the 112 days he was there, McCandless learned many valuable skills about surviving in the wilderness, and this novel by John Krakauer will relay them all to the readers.

Image of novel from: http://www.healthline.com/blogs/outdoor_health/uploaded_images/Into_the_Wild-723696.png

John Krakauer - Mountain-Climbing Author

Born in 1954, in Brookline, Massachusetts, John Krakauer never imagined he would ever become a writer. At a young age, he had already discovered the wonders of mountain climbing. It was meeting fellow mountain climber David Roberts at Hampshire College that Krakauer found that he likes to write as well as mountain climb. As he was able to bring both his writing career and his love for climbing together into one world, Krakauer was offered a job to write about various climbs for the American Alpine club, which he gladly accepted. Both of his hobbies were sidetracked when he fell in love and married Linda Moore in 1980. But, not soon after, he was appointed to write about the turmoil of Christopher McCandless, which became the popular novel Into the Wild. After that, he continued to write many more articles and short stories, including Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster, about his own personal attempt to climb Mount Everest. To this day, John Krakauer is still both an avid mountain climber, and a successful author.

Source Citation: "Jon Krakauer." Contemporary Authors Online. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Literature Resource Center. Gale. Harford County Public Library. 19 Jan. 2010 .

Image From: http://away.com/images/outside/lit_all_stars/krakauer.jpg

Portland, ME: A Charming Coastal City

In the north of America, there is a gorgeous little state called Maine. On the coast, there are many bay- and seaside towns, bustling with activity. Farther inland, the evergreen tower over buildings in the forest. I have always wanted to travel there and stay for a time, to experience the picturesque water-friendly towns, and see the wildlife there. If I were to get the opportunity to travel to Maine, I would go up the coast by train, hopefully seated comfortably at a window seat so I can watch the trees and buildings as we rush by. I would spend my time in a quaint little inn in the seaside city of Portland, right off the Casco Bay. I would while away my days shopping in the one-of-a-kind stores, and just seeing what sort of wonders the town holds. Even though it might be cold, I wouldn't mind. I would be sure to try their lobster, and I would just explore and try to have the best time before I would regrettably have to return home.

Information about Portland from: http://www.visitmaine.com/region/portland/portland/

Image of Bug Lighthouse from: http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/18/f7/85/bug-lighthouse-portland.jpg

Christopher McCandless: Characterization

Direct Characterization

"Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build," (Page 4).
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"He was determined. Real gung ho. The word that comes to mind is excited. He couldn't wait to head out here and get started," (Page 6).He was actually looking forward to roughing it in the Alaskan wilderness
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He claimed to be twenty-four years old and from South Dakota, even though he only looked eighteen or nineteen (Page 2, 3). Either he's young for his age, or a liar.
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He didn't have very good equipment, so he may have been poor, or just ignorant about what good equipment is.
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“And thus considered it his moral responsibility to flout the laws of the state,” (Page 28). He is rebellious, and doesn’t like to listen to others.

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“Telling the truth was a credo he took seriously,” (Page29). He did many things wrong and against the rules, but he told the truth.

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“Although the tone of his journal – written in the third person in a stilted, self-consciousness voice – often shifted towards melodrama,” (Page 29). He likes to act dramatic.

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“He always wore shoes without socks – just plain couldn’t stand to wear socks,” (Page 40). He has some strange habits.

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“But he was a nice kid and a good worker. Real dependable,” (Page 40). Even though he was different, he was still good at heart.

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“Didn’t like to be around too many people, though. Temperamental…He’d get moody, wouldn’t like to be bothered,” (Page 42). He needed to be alone sometimes, like everyone does every once in a while.

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Indirect Characterization

"His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack," (Page 5). A.K.A. - He doesn't know how wild the wilderness is.
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"How I feed myself is none of the government's business. Fuck their stupid rules," (Page 6). A.K.A. - He doesn't play by the rules
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"I don't what to know what time it is. I don't want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters," (Page 7). A.K.A. - He just wants to forget about the real world and go into the wild.
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“He saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage,” (Page 29). He can turn a bad situation to his advantage.

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“Then he resumed a life of constant motion,” (Page 30). He didn’t like to stay in one place for a long time, because he got tired of it.

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“He made a point of staying in touch,” (Page 31). Even though he liked changing scenery, he didn’t always like changing people. He still liked to talk to the memorable people he met.

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“Tramping is too easy with all this money. My days were more exciting when I was penniless and had to forage around for my next meal,” (Page 33). He likes a challenge. He didn’t go into the wild for a day or two, just to relax. It’s his lifestyle choice.

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“Completely demoralized and frustrated he lays in his canoe at day’s end and weeps,” (Page 35). He is really an emotional person, and he does have a breaking point.

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“Alex talked a lot when we got together…Serious stuff, like he was baring his soul, kind of,” (Page 63). He had a lot of deep stuff on his mind, which might be one of the reasons he went into the wild to find himself.

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“He wasn’t the kind of guy who would go out and pick up girls just to get laid,” (Page 65). He had more important things to do than to have sex. He was deeper than that.

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Image From: http://gotnomilk.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/hiking.gif

A Belt that Embodies Brianna

In the novel Into the Wild, Christopher McCandless, with the help of Ronald Franz, makes his own leather belt. By putting certain symbols and signs on it, he was able to personalize it and make it one-of-a-kind. If I were to create my own personalized leather belt, I would put decorative blue stars, to represent both my favourite shape and my favourite colour. Because I love to read, I would also depict a book on my belt. I would also have an image of a panda bear on it, to represent my participation in set crew. Also, I would include a softball image, because I have played that sport for many years, and I love it. I would put a piece of wood with imaginary sparks flying out of it, like a magic wand, to show my favourite book series, the Harry Potter books. I would also engrave my initials into it, along with my birth-date, to ensure that it was most definitely my belt. I would have a piano, because I love to play it. Lastly, I would have a music note, to represent my love for music. With all these personal touches, no-one would have any question about whose belt it was.

Image of belt from: http://www.oldfatguy.com/embossed-leather-belt/IMAG006A.JPG

A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step

It is amazing to see how far Chris McCandless travelled in the few years that he was on the road. When one reads the book, it is hard to get a perspective of how many miles McCandless really walked. But, looking at a map of his journeys, it is easy to see that he did cover a lot of ground. And, what is even more astounding to think about is the stories behind those places, and how many people's lives McCandless change while visiting there. As McCandless tramped through all of those towns and cities, he left an impact on many people's lives, an impact which may now still have impressions on people throughout North America.

Image from: http://www.amoeba.com/dynamic-images/blog/Eric_B/North-America

Chris McCandless, According to Ron Franz

I’m an old man with not much life to live,
But I’ll bestow upon anyone all the love I can give.
And when Chris McCandless came around one day,
I noticed he had important things to say.
That young boy had quite a clever mind,
And we had much in common, I did find.
I taught him how to make a leather belt,
And my tender old man heart in time did melt
For this young man who wandered in my life,
Who helped me to relive my old man strife.
That’s why, in time, I asked if he would stay,
Because I liked where we were in our little cache.
He said maybe, but eventually left,
While I stayed here, feeling quite bereft.
But from him I learned a lot,
And the lessons he taught me I never forgot.
He taught me to live while I still had the time,
And to try to make the best out of life’s steep climb.
Picture from: http://images.allmoviephoto.com/2007_Into_the_Wild/2007_into_the_wild_011.jpg