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.
I really like the way that you found supporting details from the story to support your main points. I agree with your ideas on being confused regarding what it would be like to work with Chris. Furthermore, I agree with your idea that Chris had a family-like bond with Jan and Bob Burres. I also agree with your view on Mr. Franz when you talked about Chris giving him another spark in life. That is a very interesting idea that I didn't think of myself, but I agree with it! The only thing in your blog that I believe could be altered for the better would be adding a few quotes. This would allow you to give exact lines from the novel to support yourself even more.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very well written blog. You backed up your opinions very nicely and I completely agree with your thoughts on Chris' relationship with Jan and Bob Burres.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is very eloquent and gets the point across well. I agree with most of your points. Especially in that Jan and Bob were like family to Chris. Also, the point you made with the McDonald's job makes perfect sense. Nice blog.
ReplyDeleteThe way you went along writing things in this blog is very well thought through. I enjoyed your thoughts about Chris's job at McDonald's, and I agree that Franz does fall under a certain stereotype that most older people fall under.
ReplyDeleteGood blog entry; I agree with many of your points. Including the relationship with Jan and Bob, and the fact that he probably simply got a job at Mcdonalds for cash. Mr. Franz, definitely recieved a much needed boost from Chris, he made him feel worthwhile. I find it sad that he gave up so much after Chris left, because Chris doesn't seem the type who would have ever been equipped to remain bonded to him. Mr. Franz wanted it so bad, he did not read Chris very well.
ReplyDelete