Please respond to one of the following questions:
1. In Chapter 11 "Chesapeake Bay" we finally meet Chris' parents and his sister and we learn about Chris as a child. What do we learn about Chris and his parents in the chapter?
2. Krakauer introduces Chapter 12, which includes Chris McCandless’s discovery of his father’s infidelity, with a quotation from GK Chesterton: “For children are innocent and love justice, while most of us are wicked and naturally prefer mercy.” Who is guilty in this story (e.g. the book), if anyone? Do they deserve justice or mercy?
3. Why do you think Krakauer spends a chapter in the book on Everettt Russ (chapter 9)? What role does this chapter play in the overall narrative of Into the Wild? What can we learn about Chris McCandless from the story/experience of Russ?
4. Why do you think that the bus has become such a tourist or pilgrimage site? What is the appeal? What are people looking for when they go there?
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The Bus is perhaps a tourist site because of the popularity of the story. The press and attention draws people to become part of the story and see it up close to put themselves in the actual story. It is most likely pilgrimage site because of its symbolic meaning. People like minded to Chris or the people searching for something else out in the world that feels a deep connection to nature. It could be the people wanting to cfeel the same connection to nature that Chris, which they know they cannot do it by themselves. People are looking for multiple things when they go there. Some are looking for connections to the story to Chris and some are looking for the connection to nature which can be felt way down in the soul and heart. People are searhing for something when they come there. I believe that most want that connection to nature that they might be lacking in their ordinary lives to nature.
ReplyDelete1. This chapter was very interesting to analyze, because we get a bit of the mysterious Chris’s background and how he inherited his personality. From the beginning of the book, a very vague image of Chris’s parents is painted. We don’t know whether to agree with Chris that they were awful and did not understand humanity, or to head in the direction of the narrator and some of Chris’s friend’s: that his parents were genuinely good, just on a completely different page than their son (who desperately wanted to prove himself/send a message to his parents). (And this is almost always the way parent/child relationships go, but it seems as if Chris just completely did not understand how that could be. Might show a tough of arrogance in her personality). In this chapter, I’m beginning to see the logic in Chris’s actions, and begin to believe that Chris simply passionately wanted to discover every bit of the society he didn’t understand (the homeless/less endowed), and come back to teach people what he had learned. I really think Chris wanted to be the first at something, and this adventure was a hands-on, totally experiential way of discovering this.
ReplyDeleteWe learn about how, from an early age, Chris’s thinking process and attitude set him apart from his peers. And this part of his personality is not always set in a positive light. We get a glimpse of what we were discussing in class; the possibility of selfishness in his character, by looking at his background. On page 113, one of his high-school friends observed, “Chris didn’t like working within the system, waiting his turn.” This speaks a lot to the good sides of his character, however, it proves a bit of haughtiness and anger as well. Krakauer comments, “Chris believed that wealth was shameful, corrupting, inherently evil-which is ironic because he was a natural-born capitalist.” Billie, Chris’s mother attests to this, saying, “Chris was always an entrepreneur…always” (Krakauer 115). Chris seems to have been completely convinced that he was right in all of his beliefs and values (which I think many of us agree with), however, he could not get the thought out of his head, that people were against him. And this is the part of his personality that makes him unable to trust others. I think that trust is a huge, and yet subtle theme throughout this book, (as is hunger) and this is what made him such a dynamic person.
(I realize I have made several claims within these paragraphs, I just really believe strongly in all of them and chose to put them down in the same blog). -Audrey
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteWe learn in the chapter about his family that Chris was such an unusual man. He was like no one else his age; meaning that ever since he was a little boy he beat to his own drum. This chapter really surprised me because before I read this chapter I had a completly different picture in my mind of Chris's parents. Although Chris came from a well to do family a thought that his family would be prissy, snobbish just by how he described them and how he wanted to be so different from them. But really his family was normal in many ways. His father worked so hard his whole life to provide for the life that Chris lived. His mother also worked hard, but both came from blue collar families. I picked up more on the relationship Chris had with his father. Walt seemed to me as a very focused man, very driven, and very stubborn like Chris. on page 105 it says, "Walt is accustomed to calling the shots. Taking control is something he does unconsciously, reflexivity. His voice has an edge...There is no mistaking where Chris's intensity came." So I think Chris was the man he was because he was influenced by his father's role. Chris also did certain things that none of his friends did. He went on the streets and talked to hookers, homeless people, and wanted to try and make a difference in one's life. This was something that we didn't see from is parents. So although his parents were loving towards him, they never went passed their family to make difference which is something that Chris wanted to do. No matter if he was going to survive in the Wild or change one's life he was going to do it no matter what anyone said. This is something that his parents sort of picked up on but never think he would take it to the extreme that he did, especailly after his first adventure when he came home looking like Jesus, Corine said. I can't remember if that was in that same chapter. But I think that Chris was this stubborn extremest because of his family and the way he grew up. He also was angry with his father about his other marriage.
1.
ReplyDeleteUp until this point, all we know about Chris’s parents has come to us through Chris’s lens, while it’s not a lot of information there’s a definite impression and a distinctly negative connotation towards them. He never openly discusses them, which in some ways makes it appear his parents were so tyrannical or did something so horrible it’s unmentionable. When we finally meet his parents and sister through Krauker and begin to get a better picture of Chris’s childhood, it’s a bit surprising. It’s seems like a relatively normal family, normal in the base that they had problems and personality conflicts, tension and stress. In fact, more surprising were the revelations about Chris’s character, his extreme determination and stubbornness, and lack of regard for any authority. But it was more than just these things, Chris would listen to no one, even if they were simply trying to help him with technique, and he resented their intrusion afterwards. The way the family paints Chris, bright but headstrong to a fault, the odyssey he undertook seems much less far-fetched, and more and more reasonable to what might be expected from Chris. It seems his family was shocked by what transpired, but not altogether surprised. Although Chris’s family had its issues, Chris magnified them by taking his revenge and disappearing rather than attempting to deal with the reality of the problems.
1. We learn that Walt is Chris’ father, and a very intelligent, successful man. He has worked with NASA with an advanced technology called SAR, which has to do with satellites and space missions. Walt is a brilliant man that commands authority by nature. He is also a talented piano player, which Chris had inherited. He was married twice, his first marriage producing five children. Then he met Billie, his secretary at the time and had Chris and Carine. Both Walt and Billie worked extremely hard to raise their families well, and sometimes argued with each other, bringing Carine and Chris closer together. Chris was extremely close with his sister, and protected her throughout their childhood. Billie’s father, Loren was a amateur entrepreneur that farmed chickens, minks and chinchillas to feed his family. Loren was also a musician and poet, and shared the same passion for the outdoors that Chris did. Chris took after his father is his drive, intelligence, and natural talent for most things. Chris was a quick learner, and excelled in school, sport and music. Carine said the only thing that she excelled more in than Chris was the French horn in high school. Out of embarrassment of being second to his sister he quit the band. His most accomplished talent was long distance running. He found a spiritual side about jogging outdoors. He became captain of the cross- country squad at his high school, and went on to win many important races. Instead of hanging out with his high school friends, he opted to drive around town helping the poor by buying them a burger, or talking to them.
ReplyDelete1. In chapter 11, a lot about Chris' past comes to light, as well as information about his parents. His dad, Walt has, as Krakauer puts it, "some very high voltage running through his veins, " and is "accustomed to calling the shots" (105). He was working in the space program, and he and his wives were fairly traditional careerists, and that was obviously hoped for Chris at some level. Not too much is said about his mother, but we do learn a bit about his sister, Carine. Because their parents were so busy and fought often, Chris and Carine were sort of like best friends, but were also competitive, which became obvious when she took the first seat playing the french horn, and he quit because of it.
ReplyDeleteChris was hard to define, but was definitely someone who left a lasting impression on everyone that he came across. He was incredibly independent and headstrong from an early age, leaving the house at midnight to get snacks from a neighbor's when he was only two, yearning to climb to the top of mountains supposedly beyond his ability, and dabbling in all sorts of entrepeneurial pursuits (most of which were impressively successful), and excelling in music and sports.
Chris was neither antisocial or obsessed with being around people. He could be the life of the party or spend hours by himself, equally well. He perplexed his peers by choosing to hang out with prostitutes on Friday nights, and by talking about all the things that everyone else avoided. He was intense about anything that he pursued, such as running and racquetball, but chose to do as much as possible himself; when someone tried to coach him or tell him to improve something, he would ignore them, even if it eventually caused him to fail. We also learn that he had big dreams of helping people on a worldly scale, and felt that a college education was pointless. Mmm hmm.
4. I think that the bus is such a big tourist site because it kind of is a symbol of Chris's journey. I think it's interesting for people to visit the area that Chris used to spend so much time in. His story is interesting to many people and to be able to follow in his tracks is something that I feel many people would like to do so that they kind of get a feel for what he went through. It's one thing to read about a man that ventured into the wild with nothing and died at this bus location. But it's another thing to be able to see it for yourself and be where this person you've read about or seen a movie about has been. Also, one of the most famous photos of Chris is the one where he is sitting with his legs crossed against the bus right before he died. I think it's intriguing for people to visit an area that someone who went through so much died at. I think that the people who go the location are just looking for a sense of reality. Reading about Chris and seeing the movie isn't the same thing as actually being where he was. In this way, maybe Chris's journey and struggle could feel more real to people and give them a feeling of compassion and admiration for all that he had went through.
ReplyDelete3. The bus is a symbol of what Chris dared to do. Many of us would like to experience life more than we do. Many of us feel like we are on the verge of daring but often don't quite take the plunge. The bus is a pilgrimage site that allows others to take a smaller journey than into an exotic locale and experience a small part of what intrigues them about his story. Chris was hard-working, highly moral, and adventurous. His saga is commemorated each time someone makes a new journey to where his ended.
ReplyDelete4. Why do you think that the bus has become such a tourist or pilgrimage site? What is the appeal? What are people looking for when they go there?
ReplyDeleteFairbanks City bus 142, has become a sort of pilgrilage for tourists and adventure seekers. It is a place that people hike to find the living conditions that Chris McCandless endurered for months before his death in 1992. I was a young boy right out of college, which leades many poepl of the same age to wonder to the smae place trying to find what chris was looking for and found only to die before seeking his family again. The bus is something of a tourist desentation since without Chris's death in the bus it would not be as huge of a story that it is today. The bus for people I believe symbolizes adventure, yet in a very domestic way of experiencing nature and being in the "wild." Chris was looking for a since of adventure and to be completly independent which he felt he never had growing up at home with his parents. Chris was looking for a 'Right of passage' or 'quest for meaning', that many cultures have had in their way of becoming a man or a women. In our culture today the tradition of a 'Right of passage' does not exist anymore, so in this case people are looking for exactly what Chris wanted they just have no idea of how to go about what chris did. People want to feel what Chris found when he was living in the Alaskin backcounrty, the freedom and the power to go where they want, to stand next to a mountian and feel tiny in sich a huge world.
question 1:
ReplyDeleteThere are many things we have learned about Chris, and his possible reasonings as to why he took his adventure, from the chapter on his childhood and family. One thing we learned about chris was his eagerness to be in wilderness starting from a young boy. Chris found joy in taking trips with his family to go climbing or camping, and this proves he could associate happy times with the outdoors. We also learned about his stuborness, intellegence, inherited musical ability, and ableness to succeed and work hard due to his determination through school and work. Chris had a big heart for those who suffered, especially focusing on starvation. He would devote his time to helping others such as feeding the homeless on a Friday night. There was many things we learned concerning Chris's personality.
There is also a lot to learn from his family, and their effects on him. His father, Walt, was very stern in his ways, and would push Chris to do the things he felt were important in life, such as an education. His mother was very hard working, along with his father, which shows where chris got his determination. Chris also had a very strong relationship with his sister Carine, which proved that Chris was able of upholding friendship and love for another. Although it is unclear as to what drove him away from his family, there is reason to believe he was driven away by his father's mistakes. His father had been living a lie while leading two lives, fathering two different families. When Chris found this out, no matter how forgiving and understanding Chris was of others, he could not seem to get past his father's mistake. This could have a big impact on the reason Chris left.
I think every child wants to rebel against their parents at some point, and every family has different issues that cause these desires. A part of growing up is learning to formulate ones own perspectives and realize that maybe the people who raised us don’t know everything and certainly aren’t perfect. It was so surprising to find out how caring and gentle Chris’ parents seemed to be. I liked the quote that stated how pure children are and that is why they turn against their parents, they have made mistakes. I think a part of love is knowing people’s faults and accepting them- Chris didn’t seem to do this. Especially when he learned the truth about his father’s past wife. It is hard not to put myself in the place of the McCandless family and feel their pain. Perhaps if Chris had been allowed to leave freely he would have come back, but the concern Billy and Walt showed was only because they loved him.
ReplyDelete1. From the beginning of he book Chris has been made out to be a hero (this is up for debate and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. If I think that he was a complete idiot or if he was an amazing and courageous man. I’m baffled) who is defying corperated America, but as the book progresses and Walt and Billie start popping up more and more frequently, and start to become concerned parents it is hard to ignore them and to think of them as cooperate America.
ReplyDeleteChris seemed to change everyone he encountered but it was losing his father that really changed his father. The way that Krakauer speaks about Billie and the guitar makes the reader really feel for them, the parents, the siblings, the friends, everyone.
I think that Carine gives the best insight to Walt and Billie, on page 107, when she talks about how hard they worked when she and Chris were kids. She also gives tells a very interesting story about how he was a natural born capitalist, selling crops that he would grow in their backyard to neighbors that he would pull in his wagon. He just seems to be an enigma. I still can’t figure out how to feel about him and this chapter didn’t make it any easier for me.
GK Chesterton’s quote says a lot about Chris’s reaction to his father’s infidelity. The innocent child within Chris was unable to understand how his father was capable of this magnitude of betrayal; the only acceptable way for Walt to redeem himself was to pay for what he had done. To Chris, his father was in no way “paying” for having inflicted so much pain upon so many lives, which probably only deepened his anger. As Krakauer states, “More even than most teens, he tended to see things in black and white” (122). A mindset in which one only sees black and white while also carrying the weight of an almost fictional childhood, leads me to believe that Chris was not terribly unjustified in feeling such strong resentment towards his parents. All adults ought to be held responsible for their actions. The guilt lies with Chris’s deceitful parents.
ReplyDeleteOne might ask if it is ever the right moment to explain past mistakes or foolishness to a son or daughter. However, deliberately withholding that kind of devastating information only to have the child discover it is from someone else, is always crippling.
Yet this is also the kind of guilt that cannot be judged by any other humans as deserving of mercy or justice. Only Chris and Carine, and Walt’s other family could make such judgments.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteWe learn in Chapter 11 that the need Chris feels to wander is apparently hereditary. Both of his parents would take long road trips which Krakauer quotes Carine saying they were Chris's favorite, the longer the better. As bad as Chris makes them out to be in the first portion of the book, they seem like the standard American family, especially since they both rose and fulfilled the American Dream. Yet, I felt something might be a little suspicious when Krakauer discussed how Mr. McCandless had fallen in love with his secretary while still in his first marriage. Even though we learn more about this later, the way Krakauer phrased it, it didn’t seem like a clean cut breakup to me at the time. Chris’s parents seemed very loose with him, and didn’t really seem to try and restrict him very much unlike so many typical parents. They supported him in his running, in his musical career, and in his capitalistic quests. Even with all of this freedom, Chris hated any sort of constructive guidance his parents could give him. This brings me back to the wandering part of Chris’s personality. I like how Krakauer quotes another person and states that Chris, like other wanderers, like people, but needed the solitude most of the time. They weren’t anti social, they just needed the quite to put everything into perspective, which is something I think we lack most of the time in our lives. We are always connected through text messages, facebook, email, etc. that we never stop to question or just think. We get caught up in the stream, so we can possibly learn something from Chris here. We need solitude.
The bus is, in the sense of all misplaced and misunderstood religions, something that people have found a single grain of truth in, and latched onto as the whole of the message. Chris' message was one of discovery, doing things your own way, so the very act of it becoming a popular pilgrimage place among those struck with wanderlust, is a self-defeating prophesy. How can you blaze your own trail through life if you're following the exact same one that many others before you have? It's like nature stores in the mall. People don't want the journey, they want the destination. I think it's a mockery to his message to enshrine the place.
ReplyDelete