Into the Wild: Final Test
Author of White Fang and The Call of the Wild
Jack London
"The trees had been stripped by a recent wind of their white covering of frost, and they seemed to lean toward each other, black and ominous, in the fading light. A vast silence reigned over the land. The land itself was a desolation, lifeless, without movement, so lone and cold that the spirit of it was not even that of sadness. There was a hint in it of laughter, but of a laughter more terrible than any sadness -- a laughter that was mirthless as the smile of the Sphinx, a laughter cold as the frost and partaking of the grimness of infallibility. It was the masterful and incommunicable wisdom of eternity laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life. It was the Wild, the savage, frozen-hearted Northland Wild."
Jack London, White Fang
gave Chris a pair of boots and a sandwich
Jim Gallien
Writes for Outside Magazine; has a passion for nature and adventure.
John Krakauer
"It is hardly unusual for a young man to be drawn to a pursuit considered reckless by his elders; engaging in risky behavior is a rite of passage in our culture no less than in most others. Danger has always held a certain allure. That, in large part, is why so many teenagers drive too fast and drink too much and take too many drugs, why it has always been so easy for nations to recruit young men to go to war."
Krakauer
"No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny."
Krakauer
How did Walt and Billie McCandless learn where their son might be?
Recieved a hitchhiking ticket in the mail.
How is Carine different from Chris?
Doesn't have a problem with money and made peace with their parents.
Where did Chris McCandless come from?
El Segundo, CA
What is the tone of Krakauer's book?
Empathetic
What was the tender moment between Chris and his father right after Chris graduated from high school?
He gave him a telescope
How does Chris travel the 1,000 miles from Laird, Alaska, to Fairbanks?
He got a ride from a truck driver named Gaylord
What connection did Jim Gallien make when he read the article?
He had given a ride to stampede Trail.
Where does Chris's canoe trip eventually take him after going as far as he can down the Colorado River?
Some duck hunters agreed to drive him to the Gulf of California.
What did Walt and Billie McCandless discover when they drive to Chris's apartment in Atlanta?
A for rent sign on the door
Who had left Chris a $40,000 inheritance for his school?
A friend of the family
What could have saved Chris's life?
A map
What important work does Walt McCandless do?
Advanced radar technology
What information does Gallien provide the police after Chris's death?
Alex had come from South Dakota
"I just don't know how I'll ever get over it. I wasn't dreaming. I didn't imagine it. I heard his voice! He was begging..."
Billie
Chris' mother
Billie McCandless
Into the Wild falls under what genre?
Biography
How does Chris cross the Mexico border?
By passing through canals
"Chris had tossed back a few drinks that night and was pretty blitzed. He got real emotional. He was almost crying, fighting back the tears, telling Dad that even though they'd had their differences over the years, he was grateful for all the things Dad had done for him. Chris said how much he respected Dad for starting from nothing, working his way through college, busting his ass to support eight kids. It was a moving speech. Everybody there was all choked up. And then he left on his trip."
Carine
Found out about Chris' death after washing her dog.
Carine McCandless
Believed that "you should own nothing except what you can carry on your back."
Chris McCandless
What kind of relationship did Chris and his father have towards the end of his life?
Chris is bitter towards his parents
Chris's parents had moved but his step brother was contacted. After he positively identified Chris, what did he do?
He drove to tell his parents
Why do the employees at McDonald's object to Chris?
He had poor hygiene
How was Westerberg able to help the police when they were trying to identify Chris's body?
He had the correct social ID
What did Chris do the summer after his sophomore year in college?
He stayed home to develop software for his dad
What appears to be Krakauer's main motive in writing Into the Wild?
He wanted to defend Chris's decisions
What main event altered Chris's opinion of his father?
His found out about the affair his dad was having with his ex while dating his mom, and providing for the other family as well
What problem did the authorities have after removing the body?
Identifying him
Who does Chris meet on a trip into Salton City to get some supplies?
Ron Franz
80 year old man that loses son and wife.
Ronald Franz
What did Krakauer include in the book besides events he uncovered from the life of Chris McCandless?
some of his own adventures and different stories of other people who died
What did the coroner determine Chris died from?
starvation
How did Chris lose his car?
He abandons it because he thinks it is broken after a flood
How old is Chris when Jim Gallien picks him up in Alaska?
24
What affected the eating habits of Chris's family?
Chris starving to death
What kind of car did Chris drive?
Datsun
What animal did Chris regret killing?
Moose
What device does Krakauer use to open chapters?
Quotes from Chris and his books
What sad discovery does Krakauer make just a quarter mile downstream on the river?
The baskets on the other side
What gift did Walt give Billie after the birth of Chris?
The guitar from the back seat of the Datson.
After a series of misadventures, why does Chris call Franz?
To get supplies
Thick shoulders and black goatee. Chris left him a copy of War and Peace.
Wayne Westerburg
"I've given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years. Most of them weren't much good, didn't really want to work. It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I've ever seen."
Westerberg
On his last trip to Carthage, who is the woman Chris becomes close with?
Westerberg's girlfriend; Gail Borah
At what point does Chris stop writing in his journal?
When his camera was ruined and he buried it outside of Vegas.
What speculations were made about what killed Chris?
eating the toxic seeds
