Blog #5

Positive traits:

1. Determined

2. Passionate

3. Independent

Negative traits:

1. Proud

2. Delusional

3. Impatient

I find it interesting that my first traits for both of Chris's positive and negative qualities are so similar. Chris is determined: he has a fire of adventure burning inside of him, and he won't let anyone rain on that fire. However, he's so proud that he won't allow anyone to help him with this roaring fire, either. I believe all of his traits intertwine, both the positive and the negative ones. For example, he's so passionate to go on his Alaskan odyssey that he becomes delusional in thinking he can survive through this adventure without taking proper preparation. Also, he's self reliant and rather independent. This causes him to becoMe cynical whilst being around others. The trait that stands our to me more than the rest is his unstoppable passion. Chris goes off of instinct and allows his passion to drive him through his life. It's an admirable quality.

Krakauer vs. McCandless

Similarities:
1. They're both reckless. Page 134
2. Uncontrollable imagination and a craving for adventure in Alaska pg 135
3. Impulsive attitude to leave (when Krakauer quits his job as a carpenter and McCandless throughout the entire book) pg 136
4. Fear and curiosity of death and mortality pg 156
5. Bad relationships with fathers pg 155

Differences:
1. Krakauer survived his Alaskan odyssey and McCandless did not. Pg 155
2. Krakauer doesn't have McCandless's "intellect" or "ideals." pg 155
3. McCandless didn't muah gear to Alaska while Krakauer brought a tent and other helpful supplies pg 146
4. Krakauer used his father's belongings (the tent) while McCandless refuses to even think about accepting any sort of gift from his parents. Pg 147
5. Krakauer used marijuana while McCandless never really hinted at ever having drugs pg 146

Into the Wild Blog 4

To be entirely honest, I have no great, educated hypothesis as to why Chris McCandless worked at McDonald’s.  It goes against his philosophies and opinions to settle in one place, especially for something as useless as a corporate-owned, minimum wage job.  If he were to decide to settle down and get a job, I don’t understand why he didn’t just apply for a job that pays well and gives him a certain degree of respect.  Why did he decide to be with people that he didn’t enjoy?  I suppose he got this job for the money, and for a temporary solution to a financial problem.  His colleagues didn’t understand him, and he didn’t understand his colleagues.  I would be confused by his presence.  He hated what he did and had the power to quit, yet he stayed for quite some time. 

                Jan and Bob Burres became people that actively kept in touch with Chris McCandless.  They cared about him, and they treated him as a part of their family.  They helped him when he was in a rough time thanks to a hitchhiking ticket, and Chris helped them by shedding a new light on their lives.  They learned a lot about Chris, such as his taste in literature.  They also appreciated his strange yet effective presence in their society.  Jan even gave Chris supplies to help him on his Alaskan odyssey, although Chris dumped the supplies as soon as he could.  They had a great, family-like bond.

                Franz falls under a consistent stereotype for quite a few elderly people; he simply gave up.  He’s someone who like to father people, and when he no longer had anyone to take care of, he turned to booze, and therefore, basically quit living.  McCandless made him start living again.  He motivated him to be adventurous and to make all his days count.  Without McCandless’s interference, it’s very likely that Franz might have just spent his days going through the motions.  However, Franz’s adventure didn’t last.  When he heard that McCandless had died, he lost faith in his God and lost his way from the freedom of adventure.

               

1.       Chris has commitment to things that he loves (a. k. a. his car).

2.       He isn’t a planner.

3.       He’s not too proud to ask for help.

4.       He doesn’t believe in unnecessary giving or receiving (as in gifts).

5.       He isn’t awkward around people, and he’s at least somewhat social.

6.       He doesn’t allow himself to lose touch with friends.

7.       He’s grateful for the help he receives.

8.       He’s alright with keeping his parents confused.  He doesn’t really care about contacting them.

9.       He believes in charity.

10.   He doesn’t seem romantic so far. He doesn't seem to care about romantic relationships. 

11.   He’s small and looks younger than he is.

12.   He has common sense.
13. He has survival skills.
14. When he sets an important goal, he makes sure to achieve it.
15. He doesn't want to go through life with his questions unanswered. 
16. He doesn't want to die yet.
17. He's fit and athletic.
18. He has nature and survival skills.
19. He's intelligent with a colorful vocabulary. 
20. He isn't materialistic. 

Chris may be one to keep in touch with old friends; however, he mainly and typically keeps to himself. His parents seem very mainstream. They think inside the box and live in suburbia. Chris probably loves them, yet nevertheless, he seems like he wants to detach himself from them. At this point, maybe Chris just wanted to escape from ordinary life for some amount of time. Maybe he was planning to never come back. He was very unclear with his message, but I think he was vague on purpose. Chris wants more than his parents can give him, and he knows that they'll try to stop him from going away, so I think he was so vague so that he had time to get away from them quickly. 

Some might consider Chris insane for burning his wallet and giving away all of his savings, but I think that he was very profound to make this loud and risky statement. His actions were impulsive and spur of the moment, and I admire his carefree personality. He may not care about having lots of money stored up for himself, but he makes sure that those around hin are happy. I respect his decisions, and I think the motivations for doing so were to make a statement and to not live an unbearably normal, shallow life. Chris is in search for depth, and his actions are giving him that depth. 

I think that Chris McCandless knew very well that he was inadequately prepared for his journey into the wild.  When Gallien offers him diverse amounts of supplies and advice, McCandless denies him every single time.  McCandless is on a mission, and he won’t allow his mission to be altered with additional help from other sources.  He is doing this himself, and he doesn’t want anyone’s guidance or permission.  It seems as if he doesn’t even care if he’s safe.  He’s putting a lot of trust in nature and in himself to assure his safety.  He isn’t taking precaution.  I believe he thinks that he has a possibility of survival, but I don’t think that he's even planning to live a long life.  I think he’s testing himself to see how long he is able to stay alive.

I think that Krakauer announced that McCandless’s decomposed body was found four months after he went into the wild to imply that the point of the story isn’t how long he could survive.  The message of this story isn’t even about survival at all.  At this point of the novel, I believe that it's about discovery. McCandless isn't testing his nature skills; he's searching for depth in his shallow world.  Krakauer sends out a very abrupt message to his audience to announce that this isn’t a story about life and death.  It makes me think of McCandless as a guy with a countdown, too.  This revealing will make me anticipate his death throughout the entire rest of the novel.

I was shocked by this S. O. S. letter, since I believed that McCandless was going to expectantly die.  I even thought that he was going to welcome death.  However, this letter implies that he indubitably wanted to be saved.  I thought that with going into the wild, he was accepting that he wasn’t going to last too long.  It was impressive that he lasted those four months, and I thought that McCandless had gone into the wild with that frame of mind, as well.  It confused me to realize that he wanted to stay alive.  I thought that he was abandoning civilization to die in peace, as well.  This letter defied that theory, though, so it leaves me curious to find why he’s going into the wild in the first place.  Why would he do something so rash if he was later in desperate need to be saved?  He was a smart guy—he should’ve seen this pain and death coming.

Into the Wild Blog #1

                I was extremely impressed when I read that McCandless donated all of his savings to charity.  That seemed like a very spontaneous and noble action.  I can understand why some may consider him “a wacko,” though, since he made such rash decisions; however, I admire his impulsive choices and his determination to adhere to his views and promises he made to himself.  McCandless was a very opinionated guy, and he didn’t allow anyone to alter his opinions.  I don’t understand how anyone could label him as a narcissist, though.  He’s the opposite of selfish when he demands that he will no longer receive (nor give) gifts and then especially when he gives all of his money to a charity pertaining to ending world hunger.  I believe that McCandless was looking for the answers to unanswerable questions.  I think that he isolated himself away from society to try and be an instinctual human being, one that provides for himself with the essentials that are naturally provided for him.  Maybe he was looking for God.  Maybe he was looking for the purpose of life.  Whatever he was specifically looking for, he was generally looking for answers.

                McCandless was a successful student and athlete.  He exceeded in academics and sports, but it seems like he was just skimming across the surface while doing so.  Really, McCandless was probably searching for a deeper meaning to life and also for answers to his difficult questions, and he wasn’t finding them in an academic or athletic setting.  In others’ eyes, he was probably successful, but in his own eyes, he was probably just faking his way through success.  True success for McCandless seemed to be understanding, and by going into the wild, he hopefully learned and understood the answers to his questions.