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Was Chris McCandless’ death a “foolish, pointless, death” (71)? Did he lack “the requisite humility” to go into the wild (72)?

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What do you think Krakauer's goals were in writing the text? Is this an informational piece? A tragedy we should feel bad about? A cautionary tale?

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What are the different versions of family in the story? Discuss both Chris's biological family and the families he creates for himself along the road.

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Why does Everett Ruess’s father say, “The older person does not realize the soul-flights of the adolescent” (186)? Krakauer noted that risk-taking is a rite of passage. Do you agree? Do you believe these men were right?

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Henry David Thoreau wrote, “rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth” (117). Chris highlighted this passage and wrote “truth” above it. Why do you think McCandless identified with this quote? Was his journey a spiritual one or for another purpose?

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“(Chris) soon discovered...what Muir and Thoreau already knew: an extended stay in the wilderness inevitably directs one’s attention outward as much as inward, and it is impossible to live off the land without developing both a subtle understanding of, and a strong emotional bond with, that land and all it holds” (183). What do you think Krakauer meant by this statement?

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Chris marked the following passage in Tolstoy’s Family Happiness, “He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to live for others” (169) and then wrote, “Happiness only real when shared” (189). Why do you think McCandless marked this passage? What did he mean by his inscription?

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Many readers find it hard to have sympathy for Chris McCandless. His stubborn idealism and lack of preparedness, as some have pointed out, amount to arrogance. Yet to others he is seen as a hero. Critics point to Krakauer's power as a writer to evoke sympathy for the young man. Where do you stand? Support your opinion with references to the text to build your case.

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Chris set out to “kill the false being within” (163). What do you think he meant by that?

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What do you think Krakauer's goals were in writing the text? Is this an informational piece? A tragedy we should feel bad about? A cautionary tale? 

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What do you think Krakauer's goals were in writing the text? Is this an informational piece? A tragedy we should feel bad about? A cautionary tale? 

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Chris set out to “kill the false being within” (163). What do you think he meant by that? 

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Chris set out to “kill the false being within” (163). What do you think he meant by that? 

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McCandless went on his journey to leave the life he had behind. I believe that when Chris set out to "kill the false being within" he meant that he wanted to get rid of his old life, or his old self. He wanted to get rid of and leave the life he had that was already laid out for him. He wants to continue into the wild and form his new self. In order to do that he would have to kill the being within. He would have to kill his old, corrupted self so that he can continue on his journey with more peace.

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I feel that McCandless identified with this quote very closely because because of McCandles's family experiences, how he was raised in a wealthy family and seemed to not like attention. McCandless' family life was not good, he discovered his father had another child with another woman just a few years after his birth and his mom continued to be with his father. This lie told to McCandless affected him with not only the way he perceives his parents but for future relationships as well. McCandless set out onto this adventure to find peace and reason through the natural world. He wanted to see a different life, one that wasn't a lie, or fabricated to look nice. To find a place that he can connect to and understand and feel at home in. His journey was somewhat spiritual, because he has looking for a place to connect to, but it was to also find himself and to find a purpose in his life, other than the one his family plans for himself. McCandless was looking for the "truth" in life that was hidden because of the money and because of the 'love' he received from a family that lied to him.

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During the strange journey of Chris McCandless, he encounters people along the way that is only needed for the sole purpose of transportation but unknowingly, McCandless forms unique bonds with the majority that he encounters. He tries to avoid any form of "human intimacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it" (pg. 55) yet he sends postcards from time to time to the past individuals he became rather fond of. It is clear throughout the novel that McCandless's relationship with his biological family, other than his sister Carine McCandless, is in a dark and estranged place. The different versions of family demonstrated in the story is the family McCandless creates on the road with strangers and the family he leaves behind in Annandale. Both families, in McCandless's mind, are unwanted and in need to be avoided yet McCandless shows a more desirable relationship in the strangers than his own family. It is important to note that when his biological family requests knowledge of his whereabouts, Chris responds by simply calling them stupid and idiots, but when his acquaintances he meets on the road request for his whereabouts, he complies with ease. It is clear that McCandless enjoys having contact with his acquaintances on the road, the other version of his family, rather than his biological family. Precisely, both families are unwanted and undesired but there is no denying that McCandless made two versions of them along his journey into the Wild.

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I believe Krakauer's goal in writing this text was to inform readers of McCandless's story and journey along the way. Krakauer pieced together the bits and pieces in order to tell his own story. He gathered so much information from the letters found, people he met along the way, and were able to track his whole journey. He first informs readers of McCandless's background story, then goes in chronological order to describe all of the people Chris McCandless/ Alex Supertramp met during his escape for freedom. Everyone that just started out giving him a ride, turned into a meaningful relationship. In chapter eight and nine, Krakauer compares Mccandless's story with many other people such as Rosellini, Waterman, McCunn, and Reuss. This links back to McCandless to show what his intentions might have been in going on this journey. Krakauer's purpose was to inform readers of Chris McCandless's journey but at the same time, unravel the mystery of why he decided to throw everything he had away and what his overall goal was in going on this expedition.      - Carmen Sosa

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I believe Krakauer's goal in writing this text was to inform readers of McCandless's story and journey along the way. Krakauer pieced together the bits and pieces in order to tell his own story. He gathered so much information from the letters found, people he met along the way, and were able to track his whole journey. He first informs readers of McCandless's background story, then goes in chronological order to describe all of the people Chris McCandless/ Alex Supertramp met during his escape for freedom. Everyone that just started out giving him a ride, turned into a meaningful relationship. In chapter eight and nine, Krakauer compares Mccandless's story with many other people such as Rosellini, Waterman, McCunn, and Reuss. This links back to McCandless to show what his intentions might have been in going on this journey. Krakauer's purpose was to inform readers of Chris McCandless's journey but at the same time, unravel the mystery of why he decided to throw everything he had away and what his overall goal was in going on this expedition.      - Carmen Sosa

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When we first began reading the book, I did not like McCandless. I found him rather arrogant and foolish for being so ill-prepared to enter the Alaskan wilderness. However, as the story progressed I began to understand his motivations and felt sympathy for him. Krakauer had a stunning efficiency for influencing the reader's opinion of McCandless. For example, he allowed the reader to wonder why McCandless had such a bad relationship with his parents, but then provided an emotion-provoking explanation. Krakauer presented McCandless's motives in such a way that the reader did not find him crazy, but rather intellectual and brave. McCandless was not a careless fool who went into the wild to prove that he was a hero; he was a complex man who wanted to prove to himself that he was strong, much stronger than his father thought him to be.

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In the beginning of the book Chris seemed to not know what he was doing and he was pretty unprepared, but Krakauer does a good job on making Chris into someone who you can sympathize with. In chapter one, Krakauer “Still, Gallien was concerned. Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber.” This comes to show that even though Gallien only just met him, he was still concerned for him and his well being out in the wild. I do think that if Chris was better prepared for the wild he would have survived longer, and he was pretty arrogant when Gallien was explaining how difficult it would be, but he was just a kid and the way Krakauer wrote about him and the way people saw him, established a sense of sympathy.

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No, Chris McCandless’ death was not foolish or pointless. Going into the forest, he knew what he was doing and was aware of the risks he would have to take. McCandless was the one that wanted to go into the woods in the first place, so to say it was a waste would be against his thoughts. He was doing what he wanted to do with his life, and he got to die fulfilling that dream, so it was definitely worth it. Even near the end of his life when he realized he was going to die, he was still glad that he got to experience the wild. In the final picture, McCandless “was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God.” He was happy with what he got to do, saying “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord.” As long as he enjoyed himself in the short time he was out there, there is no reason to say that his life was pointless. As for the “requisite humility” required to go out there in the first place, McCandless had it. Before setting off for Alaska, he had lived in nature for some time, relying on himself to do almost everything. He also read many books about the wilderness, which would have given him an idea about what to expect. His downfall was that he was too eager to get going, so he rushed. This was just a lack of planning, not that he didn’t know what he was facing.

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When Chris willingly wanted to "kill the false being within" I felt like he meant that he wanted to leave his past self behind, which was Chris McCandless, but now he wants a new identity in the form of Alex Supertramp. He felt like this is was an important factor in order to start a new chapter in his life because maybe he thought that he would discover more about himself, Chris, but through the eyes of Alex. He probably thought that killing his original self would only allow more self discovery to seep into the journey. Also with the fact there are times where he uses the name Alex, but also uses the name Chris, might mean that he is not willing to let his past self go. It could also illustrate that he's trying to maintain two forms of himself, and that he chooses what side seems best, almost as a split personality. He wanted to leave an impact on people as Alex, and he wanted to leave an impact on people as Chris.  For instance, when he met Franz as Alex, and for when he worked deligently as Chris at McDonalds.

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Even from the beginning of this novel, I knew that Krakauer was writing about McCandless' story to not only shed light onto a tragic story but to also inform people about the dangers of the Wild. He wanted to show people who McCandless really was and what his intent was when he was going into the wilderness of Alaska. Krakauer ultimately wanted others to stop seeing people like McCandless as crazy but instead understand the reasoning behind why he would want to do something as "insane" as this. When Krakauer begins the novel with the author's note, he even explains that McCandless' story "struck a personal note" with him and even explained how he would put some of his own personal stories in to "throw some oblique light on the enigma of Chris McCandless." It is evident that he and McCandless are similar in some ways especially when he includes some of his own stories from his childhood. By including his own stories, it becomes quite evident that one of his goals was to either lessen the negative viewpoints or just create a more positive one. I also believe as though this could be classified as being a "cautionary tale" because Krakauer wanted to show that nature isn't for everyone. By doing so, he expanded on the fact that McCandless wasn't some random teenager who had crazy ideas but instead someone who was quite intelligent and even could be classified as a genius. Expanding on this fact allows people to see that intelligence may not be an equal match with nature, and nature can in fact overpower knowledge especially when someone is unprepared. Comparing McCandless to other people such as Everett Ruess and Carl McCunn achieves Krakauer's goal of showing that McCandless is not the only person to have attempted to live in the Wild alone and with the bare minimum of resources. Overall, Krakauer's goals were ultimately to create a more positive viewpoint of McCandless whilst also showing the dangers that come along with going into the Wild unprepared and naive.

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Chris McCandless' death was anything other than "foolish" and "pointless." The main factor that played a role in McCandless' death was his ignorance. Chris was not aware how dangerous living in the wild really was. Chris had no one to contact and no way to contact anyone if he really needed to. The reader is able to see more ignorance from Chris when it comes time for his big journey. When Chris went out on his journey, he had only packed a few things needed for survival. There were a lot of factors that played a role in McCandless' death yet ignorance played the biggest role.

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I feel like McCandless identified with this quote in multiple ways. McCandless grew up in a very stable family that wanted him to go to school and have a bright future, but he didn't necessarily enjoy being spoiled. Before setting out on his journey, McCandless found out an untold truth about his father. He learned that his father had an affair with another women and had another child. When he discovered the truth, he became a different person. Instead of taking it out on his father, he was angry with his mother. I think McCandless was angry with his mother because she decided to stayed with Walt even though she knew he cheated, and Chris didn't understand why. I feel another way that McCandless identified with this quote is because he wanted to not only find out his family's truth, but more importantly, his own. In chapter 16, readers learn that McCandless finally figured out his truth and he was ready to return to civilization. After a couple months of living in the wilderness, he found out that he wanted to someday start a family of his own and spread love. He also highlighted a quote from Tolstoy's "Family Happiness" that reads, "He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to have love for others..." I feel like his journey was definitely a spiritual one because McCandless finally figured out who he was and he was prepared to go home, but fate decided otherwise. Even though readers already knew that McCandless's fate was already settled, the way that Krakauer portrayed his language makes readers almost have hope. 

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I feel like McCandless identified with this quote in multiple ways. McCandless grew up in a very stable family that wanted him to go to school and have a bright future, but he didn't necessarily enjoy being spoiled. Before setting out on his journey, McCandless found out an untold truth about his father. He learned that his father had an affair with another women and had another child. When he discovered the truth, he became a different person. Instead of taking it out on his father, he was angry with his mother. I think McCandless was angry with his mother because she decided to stayed with Walt even though she knew he cheated, and Chris didn't understand why. I feel another way that McCandless identified with this quote is because he wanted to not only find out his family's truth, but more importantly, his own. In chapter 16, readers learn that McCandless finally figured out his truth and he was ready to return to civilization. After a couple months of living in the wilderness, he found out that he wanted to someday start a family of his own and spread love. He also highlighted a quote from Tolstoy's "Family Happiness" that reads, "He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to have love for others..." I feel like his journey was definitely a spiritual one because McCandless finally figured out who he was and he was prepared to go home, but fate decided otherwise. Even though readers already knew that McCandless's fate was already settled, the way that Krakauer portrayed his language makes readers almost have hope. 

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McCandles's death was foolish because of the state he was in when he died, but it not pointless, as there were further outcomes from his death. McCandles died preying for life and begging for mercy, and it is likely that he heavily regretted the path he took. In this sense, his death was very foolish because he unintentionally led to his own demise. It was not pointless, however. Though McCandles didn't die to make a point, a purpose, and therefore point, was given to his death by those who wrote and spoke about him. His death, in writing, has offered an entertaining story and new point of view on life. It may even inspire others to attempt the same journey, and possibly find the same happiness McCandles did... until his death, that is.

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Krakauer's goals in writing this text was to merely give another perspective on the life of Chris McCandless and in doing so, he explained his life and he showed readers a tragedy. It could be argued that he wrote this book to clear up some opinions that people formulated about McCandless's death, and in giving another perspective, along with the perspectives of people that encountered McCandless along his journey, Krakauer did this. In the authors note of the book, it is evident that Krakauer had a different opinion of McCandless in the sense that he related with him, creating such a strong connection between the McCandless story and Krakauer. "But let the reader be warned: I interrupt McCandless’s story with fragments of a narrative drawn from my own youth. I do so in the hope that my experiences will throw some oblique light on the enigma of Chris McCandless" This shows that Krakauer did in fact want to change some of the negative images on McCandless. When Krakauer actually implements stories from his own youth into the text nearing the end of the book, it is evident that he and McCandless were similar in nature. After explaining his story, he goes on to say "...The fact that I survived my Alaska adventure and McCandless did not survive his was largely a matter of chance; had I not returned from the Stikine Ice Cap in 1977, people would have been quick to say of me—as they now say of him—that I had a death wish." which shows that Krakauer's firsthand perspective shows that the idea that McCandless was suicidal is incorrect, and their closeness in nature proves this. He effectively gives another perspective while telling this tragic tale of McCandless, as the tale isn't tragic to the people who think that McCandless was suicidal. The different perspective is necessary to show the tragedy and was extremely effective in doing so.

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McCadnless's death was not "foolish" or "pointless", while one could argue the fact that he died in itself would prove that he was foolish but in fact he was merely unprepared and having survived in the past he believed he could do it again. Although this environment was much different than what he had last encountered he had made it out for a long time and had he known about the way the river worked or how things would flood shows he could have made it out. While he was not the most prepared his death was certainly not pointless, he proved that one should be very cautious when going into the wild alone and that there things to be learned from nature. McCandless learned to rely on himself more than anyone else which is something that many people could benefit from learning themselves.

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I believe Krakauer's goal in writing this text was to inform readers of McCandless's story and journey along the way. Krakauer pieced together the bits and pieces in order to tell his own story. He gathered so much information from the letters found, people he met along the way, and were able to track his whole journey. He first informs readers of McCandless's background story, then goes in chronological order to describe all of the people Chris McCandless/ Alex Supertramp met during his escape for freedom. Everyone that just started out giving him a ride, turned into a meaningful relationship. In chapter eight and nine, Krakauer compares Mccandless's story with many other people such as Rosellini, Waterman, McCunn, and Reuss. This links back to McCandless to show what his intentions might have been in going on this journey. Krakauer's purpose was to inform readers of Chris McCandless's journey but at the same time, unravel the mystery of why he decided to throw everything he had away and what his overall goal was in going on this expedition.      - Carmen Sosa

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Chris McCandless was not an arrogant man. I don't think he ever felt superior to anyone else, and I believe that even though he was so talented, he was also very humble. The way he lived proves this. Throughout he life, he did things most people wouldn't. One Friday night, he spent his time, "talking with the pimps and hookers and lowlife." Though I understand some people would think he is arrogant because he gave up such a good life and all of his natural talents that he knew he had, it was more of the fact that he could not live life like that. He felt as though people that lived like this were cruel and, "he tried... to figure out why people were bad to each other so often." McCandless felt if he lived his life with the transcendent values he had in mind, instead of living like someone his father was, he would be happier, more content. McCandless, "wasn't incompetent - he wouldn't have lasted 113 days if he were." He simply wanted to find his place in the world, and like all people I understand that. I wish I knew my place in the world, I think I would be much happier. I sympathize with him because who doesn't want to know who they are, where they fit, why people hurt other people. He was never arrogant, he just wanted to fit in his own place, and he felt like that was not with society.

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Chris McCandless did not like the way society was conformed and did not believe in the education system. Instead he wanted to leave society and be one with nature. He did not care about the rules which can be seen in chapter one when he says “How i feed myself is none of the government's business. F*** their stupid rules” (page 7). This is and example of him not conforming with society and wanting to leave it in the dust. He wants to be indepent and only rely on people when he absolutely needs to. He can be seen as a Transcendentalists, a person who believes in individualism, idealism and a divine admiration of nature. This is McCandless throughout the entire story. He becomes one with nature and lives off the land. This was Chris McCandless “kill the false being within”. To me the “false being” was him not conforming to society and leaving it behind and “killing it” was him leaving society and going off into the woods. -Peter Lischalk

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Chris meant that he wanted to destroy the part of himself that was still bound to society. Chris may not have wanted to completely abandon his life, but he wanted to rid himself of the shallow materialistic aspects of his life. On the same piece of plywood he inscribed the message “kill the false being within”, he wrote that he would “no longer be poisoned by the civilization that he flees,” and that he would no longer be bound by the material aspects of the world. Contained within the latter part of his “exultant declaration of independence” and immediately  following the message to “kill the false being within” lies Chris’s true meaning for the wanting thereof: “and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution.” Chris meant this is a finale to his “spiritual revolution,” to vanquish the part of himself that was still brainwashed by the society from whence he fled.

~Avre S.S

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I do agree that the act of risk-taking is a rite of passage, as well as a necessary process needed for people to develop their morals and self-control.

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I do agree that the act of risk-taking is a rite of passage, as well as a necessary process needed for people to develop their morals and self-control.

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We couldn’t develop morals if we didn’t do things that were against societal norms or parental ideas. People in adolescence have the notion that they’re invincible, and therefore try to take risks that could be more detrimental to them than good. However, some risks could be beneficial in the sense that they can learn from it, and develop their own morals and ideas. In the case of Chris McCandless, he wanted to challenge himself and take a risk to live in the wilderness. He was an adventurous spirit and believed he was gonna be fine. Other people, most of them older than McCandless, believed he was ignorant and arrogant, however they didn’t see the “soul-flight” of him. Teenagers, as well as McCandless, develop these ideas to become better human beings and therefore have the ability to contribute to society and pass into adulthood.

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I don't think McCandless's death was foolish or pointless. I think if he was still alive and we got to ask him if he regretted the things he did, he would of said no. He went into the wilderness to get away from everything and everyone. The main reason being the issues with his family (his dad cheating on his wife with his ex and having another child from her), and so he decided to leave everything. Throughout his journey he was aware of the risks he was going to have to take, and the dangers he was going to face, and he still chose to go. He refused to get help from anyone and tried to survive with his own efforts. All this might seem foolish to other people but the reason why I think it's not is because in his head, he had a reason for everything he did. He didn’t like following other people’s rules, he wanted to be in control, he just had a different way of dealing with his own feelings. For him leaving everything behind was the solution, not having connections with other people made it easy for him to just keep going.

Zeynep Dogan