Introduction to Into the Wild

Chris McCandless is an everyday kid that decides to leave his family behind to explore Alaska. A man gives him
a ride there and begins to explore the barren snow and harsh terrain. He travels with low supplies and the heart to take on the world by himself. He had a rifle for protection and some food. Through his journey he makes it 100 days before falling to his death. That is when a couple found him frozen and dead in the Alaskan wasteland. There is an eye for exploring and then there is an eye for stupidity and i think this kid had both of them. Leaving your family behind and burning all your money is not the smartest thing to do, especially when you are traveling to another state by yourself. Who knows, he may have had a reason. But now that he is dead no one will ever know the truth to why he would leave everything behind to explore Alaska.

John Krakaur Biography

Born in 1954, Jon Krakauer grew up in Corvallis, Oregon, where his father introduced him to mountaineering as an 8-year-old. After graduating from Hampshire College in 1976, Krakauer divided his time between Colorado, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. In May 1996 Krakauer reached the top of Mt. Everest, but during the descent a storm engulfed the peak, taking the lives of four of the five teammates who climbed to the summit with him. For the past two decades Krakauer's writing has been published in the likes of Outside, GEO, Architectural Digest, Rolling Stone, TIME, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and National Geographic. In 1998 Krakauer established the Everest '96 Memorial Fund at the Boulder Community Foundation, endowing it with royalties from INTO THIN AIR. In 1999 Krakauer received an Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters-a prestigious award intended "to honor writers of exceptional accomplishment." Krakauer's latest book, which he has spent the last four years researching and writing, is UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN: A STORY OF VIOLENT FAITH, published by Doubleday in July 2003.


Work Cited- http://www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Place that i want to go

I have been to some places like Disney World or The Outer Banks but the place that i really want to go is Breckenridge, Colorado to go snowboarding. Around here there is around three main places, Roudtop, Whitetail, and liberty. These places are fun but when you go to them a lot they get boring after awhile. My brother goes to Breckenridge on weekends at the Air Force Academy and says that i need to go and snowboard with him. He says that it is five times larger than the resorts near here and that it is ten times more fun. I hope that one day i will get the chance to spend a weekend with my brother in Colorado snowboarding.

Chris McCandless Characterization

Direct Characterization-




in literature and drama, the method of character development in which the author simply tells what the character is like. (http://dictionary.reference.com) Indirect Characterization- 

when the author shows qualities of a character through speech, actions, dress, thoughts, and interactions with other characters. (micemen.wordpress.com)

In the Book Into The Wild by: Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless A.K.A Alex Supertramp, was described by everyone that he met. Everyone noted that he was smart and didn't understand why that he was running away from home. All of these traits given directly from firsthand accounts and forms of direct characterization from the book. Chris McCandless is also shown through qualities and his actions in the story. The way that he burnt all of his money, donated his bank account to OXFAM, and left his entire family behind shows his courage and determination of following Jack London into the wild.

Leather Belt

If I were to carve picture into a leather belt like Chris did describing my life, I would put: A soccer ball, Snowboard, the number 5, A chicken wing, My name, a school book, People, and a dog. I would put a soccer ball because it is my favorite sport and i have play it since i was 5. I would put a snowboard because i go snowboarding all of the time in the winter. I would put the number 5 since there is 5 kids in my family. A chicken wing because it's my favorite food. My name so people would know who i am. A school book since my life consists of School and homework. People because I like to meet new friends. Finally a dog, because i have a dog and he is very fun to play with. All of these things are part of my life and i don't think i could ever let them go.

My positive views on Chris McCandless

Chris McCandless was a “Child of the Wild” and a true son of God.  Chris set out into the wild after college and then was found dead in a bus on August 18^th, 1992.  His probable cause of death was starvation from lack of eating.  Jon Krakauer covers and tracks down everything that Chris goes through in the book Into the Wild. This book tells the story from start to finish of Chris’s adventure into the wild and into heaven.  My view on Chris’s trip across the country is very positive, only for the fact that he did what he had to do to resist everyday life and escape the pressures of being himself.

Child of the Wild Found Dead

Wade 1

Jake Wade

Mrs. Zurkowski

Aquas

29, March 2010

Child of the Wild Found Dead:

By: Jake Wade, Mrs. Zurkowski’s English Class

            Chris McCandless was a “Child of the Wild” and a true son of God.  Chris set out into the wild after college and then was found dead in a bus on August 18^th, 1992.  His probable cause of death was starvation from lack of eating.  Jon Krakauer covers and tracks down everything that Chris goes through in the book Into the Wild.  This book tells the story from start to finish of Chris’s adventure into the wild and into heaven.  My view on Chris’s trip across the country is very positive, only for the fact that he did what he had to do to resist everyday life and escape the pressures of being himself.

            Chris was a very smart and athletic college Grad when he attended Emory University.  He graduated with honors and with some experience of writing in a newspaper.  Chris was not the social type and avoided Fraternities and sororities while he was enrolled there.  His dad was an engineer for NASA and he had high hopes for Chris until he was found dead.  Chris had a family and that may be why some people question his leaving but he wanted venture on his own and start over and not be sucked into the world that his parents had made for him.  Some interviews with Chris’s parents show that his father was not hurt emotionally when Chris had left but he was more disappointed that he lost his perfect son.  They were very much alike but they shared different views

Wade 2

on life.  On the other hand, Chris’s mom, Billie, was so emotional when he left that she started see him and hearing his voice at night.  She claims to of heard his voice calling to her and saying, “Help mom, help (Krakauer, pg.175).”  Chris realized how he would hurt his family when he left them wondering where and why he had left, but he also knew that he could not take his life anymore and had to escape to where no one would find him.

            Some say that Chris’s journey Into the Wild was negative and that it was the most idiotic thing one could do.  They only say this because of the fact that he had died.  Say this happened, Chris goes into the wild, does everything that he did and he makes it back alive and in perfect condition.  This didn’t happen, but if it did almost everyone would think that he was a hero for having the guts to throw his life on the line and be one with nature.  Some people would still say he was an idiot but there will always be another side to the argument and an alternate ending to the book of life.  Chris found his own ending and that was to die happy and in peace with himself and God.  “He was at peace, serene as a monk of God (pg, 199).”  Chris was a “Child of the Wild” and he would never have chosen to die another way than being surrounded by nature and his love for God.

            Positive or negative Chris had a liable reason for going into the wild and risking his life for a new one.  Chris isn’t alive today but if he were he would probably defend his reasons for going into the wild and he would most likely reunite with his family and go back to his old life.  Chris did what he had to do to resist everyday life and it was his choice.  Everyone has their own view on life and his was going off into the wild and retreating from the pressure of being him.

Citations:

·         Krakauer, Jon, Into the Wild, 1992