Into the Wild Study Guide
Ronald A. Franz was?
an 80 year old accomplished leatherworker
The postcards Chris sends to Westerberg and the Burres were bought at the University of Alaska (t/f)
true
leather tramps means?
vagabonds who lacked personal transportation
On weekends, when his his school pals were attending "keggers" and trying to sneak into Georgetown bars, McCandless would do what?
wander the streets trying to help prostitutes and homeless people
Who is Jim Gallien?
Last person to see McCandless alive. In April 1992, he drops off the young man on Alaska's Stampede Trail, giving McCandless his boots and advising him to reconsider his plan to live off the land.
Who is Charlie?
Old man who lives outside Bullhead City, Arizona, and suggests that McCandless live in an empty RV of which Charlie is a caretaker.
Who is John Krakauer?
The author. Describes his own youthful assault on a notorious Alaskan peak to offer comparisons with and insights into McCandless's journey.
"an eminent aerospace engineer who designed advanced radar systems for the space shuttle and other high profile projects" describes?
Walt McCandless
Something that surprised Wayne Westerberg on McCandless's final night in Carthage was?
Westerberg discovered McCandeless was an accomplished piano player
Krakauer gives examples of other adventures whose lives paralleled that of Chris McCandless. Carl McCunn, a 35 year old amatuer photographer died how?
by neglecting to arrange for a pilot to fly him back to civilization at summer's end
Billie thought it was ironic that McCandless believed that "wealth was shameful, corrupting, inherently evil" because?
chris was a natural-born capitalist with an uncanny knack for making a buck
Chris actually killed a caribou, and his mistaking it as a moose is proof to many Alaskans of his ignorance (t/f)
false
Chris is uncommonly unlucky when it comes to hitching a ride on the Alaskan Highway (t/f)
false
Krakauer cannot understand why McCandless did not better prepare himself for his journey (t/f)
false
Krakauer is almost prevented from reaching the summit of Devil's Thumb by a hail storm (t/f)
false
Krauer believes it is likely that McCandless wanted to die when he went into the Alaskan wild (t/f)
false
Unlike Alex, in his 20s Krakauer is not an itinerant worker; he has an apartment in Oregon (t/f)
false
What seems to be the reason for McCandless' decision to ultimately separate himself from his parents?
his discovery of his fathers secret past
Who is the only person in McCandless's family with whom he got along well with?
his sister
What does Ronald Franz ask of McCandless?
if he can adopt him
Wayne Westerberg was able to help the Alaska State Troopers identify Chris McCandless by?
providing them with McCandless's social security number.
In chapter one, Krakauer writes, "Thompson, Samuel, and Swanson, however, are contumacious Alaskans with a special fondness for driving motor vehicles....." What does contumacious mean?
rebellious
Fulminate means?
to utter or send our censure or condemnation
As a young man, Krakauer is a far superior outdoors man than McCandless (t/f)
true
Chris buys a gun from a classified ad while in Fairbanks (t/f)
true
Chris tries to leave the bus and hike farther into the bush; he never had plans to permanently stay there (t/f)
true
Chris's time at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is ironic because his father once did a job there (t/f)
true
In comparing himself to McCandless, Krakauer believes they both share hubris (t/f)
true
Ironically, the wilderness surrounding the bus hardly qualifies as wilderness by Alaskan standards (t/f)
true
Krakauer and McCandless share a hatred of their fathers as young men (t/f)
true
Krakauer is able to make it to the summit of Devil's Thumb by finding another route up (t/f)
true
Krakauer's father wanted him to be a doctor and to attend Harvard Medical School (t/f)
true
McCandless hardly write about anything but food in his journal
true
McCandless is a weak swimmer and is afraid of water (t/f)
true
McCandless smokes the meat of the moose based on advice he had received in South Dakota (t/f)
true
Not many people care all that much to hear of Krakauer's achievement in climbing Devil's Thumb (t/f)
true
OXFAM America is?
A charity dedicated to fighting hunger
Alex Supertramp is an alias for?
Chris McCandless
Who is Walt McCandless?
Chris's father, a NASA scientist and entrepreneur who develops advanced radar systems. Married twice, Walt McCandless has a total of eight children. Chris is from his second marriage.
Who is Billie McCandless?
Chris's mother and Walt's second wife, who works with Walt on various business ventures involving his radar systems.
Who is Carine McCandless?
Chris's younger sister and confidante.
Who is Ronald Franz?
Eighty-year-old man who gives McCandless a ride from Salton City, California, to Grand Junction, Colorado. After McCandless's death, Franz heeds the young man's advice to "hit the road" and live off the grid.
At David Gulch what happened?
Everrett Ruess mysteriously disappeared
Who is Wayne Westerberg?
Grain elevator operator who befriends McCandless in north-central Montana in the fall of 1990. Westerberg offers him a ride, a place to stay, and then a job.
One of McCandless's literary heroes was?
Henry David Thoreau
Where did Chris McCandless leave his beloved car?
In the Detrital Wash
McCandless wrote his journal in what person?
In third person
Who is Chris McCandless?
Intelligent, idealistic young man who believes that life is best lived alone, in nature. He spends two years testing his theory throughout the western United States before entering the wilds of Alaska unprepared and starving to death. Calls himself "Alexander Supertramp" or just "Alex."
Who is Jan and Bob Burres?
Itinerant couple who meets McCandless in the summer of 1990 when he is searching for edible berries alongside U.S. Highway 101. Estranged from her own son, Jan takes a special interest in McCandless.
the last person to see McCandless alive was?
Jim Gallien
