# data[].attributes.body
Throughout the whole book, there was not a single moment where I thought Chris was a good person or liked him. Starting off, he set off without telling his parents anything and letting them die in worry. He set abnormally high standards for his parents. Adding on to that, he also called them complete morons who were trying to buy his dignity with money! They were just trying to provide him with the best life that they could in their eyes. Chris called money shameful, but isn't that what provided him with what he had his whole life? The whole reason he hated his parents so much was that his father had been fathering two families up until Chris was five years old. I still don't understand why he had hated his mom who did nothing wrong. The funny thing is, he was able to admire a cheater who constantly beat his girlfriends and deemed him as a great person, however, he was unable to forgive his father ever after his father turned over a new leaf.

I think that no one is perfect. Everyone has flaws no matter how good they may seem, however, I think that Chris McCandless has a terrible personality. For example, when his college classmate asked him how he was doing, he had replied very condescendingly like with words similar to "that's what they all say." Not only that, on his journey, he met an old man called Franz who had wanted to adopt him. Chris just brushed him off and told him to sell his belongings and go live on the road. The saddest thing is that Franz, an elder approaching his nineties adored Chris and abandoned his home to go live in a tent on the road just waiting for Chris to return. Chris sets too high of standards for other people, but I think he should evaluate his own character first.

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starvation, beta-ODAP, potato seeds, L-cavanine, debate

Summary: The author is stuck on how exactly did Chris McCandless died, because Chris had been surviving in the wilderness and finding food just fine for 113 days, however, he strangely died of starvation. He took it into his own hands to find out why. The author was led to Chris McCandless's diary, and figured that potato seeds that possibly contained a toxic called beta-ODAP killed McCandless. After numerous back and forth lab tests, he found that the seeds were poisonous, however it was a different toxin, L-cavanine. Many people questioned Krakeur's article, Alaska state residents who were tired of Chris McCandless and chemists. It remains a debate about how exactly Chris died, because no one knows how many seeds he had eaten or what had exactly happened.

Analysis: Although there are many speculations on how Chris McCandless died, no one will ever be sure how he really died. I think this is part of what keeps Chris's legacy from disappearing. The mystery surrounding his death and the excitement of his initial journey inspire some people.

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Summary: Ten months after Chris McCandless's death, his parents and the author visit the bus. They plan to cross the river to get to the bus, however, the water is too high, so they get to the bus by helicopter instead. Billie and Walt are calm while visiting the bus and looking around.

Analysis: It is heartbreaking how his parents didn't cry at the bus because they have been grieving over Chris's death for so long that they don't cry at the bus. Billie just talks about the good scenery at the bus and looks inside the bus, while reminiscing on the things that Chris liked. It's saddening how calm she is while trying to hold back her pain.

#goodbye #legacyofchris #gonebus

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happiness 189, weak 189, poisoned 190, sweet pea 190, mold 193

Summary: In Chris's journal, he writes that happiness is not happiness unless it is shared. This led many to speculate that had he survived and made it out of the wilderness, he would've shed some of his armor and open up to others. In his journal, he suddenly falls weak. This led many to believe that he was poisoned by eating some potato seeds that he brought along with him out of desperation. However, some believe that he was poisoned by a poisonous sweet pea plant, that looks very alike the wild potato plants that he had been eating. It turns out that he was not poisoned by either of those, but by a mold that grew on the seeds. Chris McCandless, slowly starved to death and at his last moment before death, he was serene and peaceful.

Analysis: I think that it is very unfortunate that Chris died. Had he not consumed those seeds with mold on them, he would've safely made it out of the wilderness and completed his journey. It is sad to hear that he was peaceful at death, with no regrets or anything.

#potatoes #seeds #poisoned

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map 173, gauging station 173, ill prepared 177, arrogance 180, youthful 182

Summary: If Chris had a map, he would've made it out of the wilderness safely. The author decided to visit the place of Chris's death. He brought along with him a map, something that Chris did not. Chris had wanted to discover a unmapped part of Alaska, however there was no unmarked area on the map, so he just got rid of it altogether. On the map, there showed that there was an abandoned gauging station nearby. Chris could've gotten out of the wilderness without even having to touch the water, however, he was ill prepared and did not bring a map or other essentials that Alaskans deemed necessary. Many people said that Chris died due to his stupidity and arrogance. The author says that many youthful people find danger alluring and that Chris was not as stupid as people thought.

Analysis: I am still convinced that Chris McCandless was a complete idiot in my view. He was very unprepared and he purposely made himself unprepared to challenge himself. I think that everyone has dreams and it is respectable to chase your dreams, however, I think that Chris McCandless took it a bit too far.

#arrogance #ignorance #map

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prove 159, bus 163, independence 163, weakness 164, reborn 168
Summary: Chris wanted to prove himself by surviving on his own in the Alaskan wilderness. Shortly after entering the bush, he encounters a bus by the sushana river and sets camp there. He feels that he has finally gained independence and freedom. He soon finds that he has many weaknesses. He is unable to catch game or anything. The thing is, Chris thought that he was far into the wilderness, however, in reality he was very close to the highway and a tourist site. After two months in the wilderness, Chris feels as if he has been reborn and prepares to head out of the bush. He is not able to make it out because the river that he had previously crossed in spring had become increasingly large.

Analysis:  In my opinion, Chris has his head in the clouds and has no idea what he is doing. He is so underprepared that it seems to me that he is just plain stupid. It is really ironic that he wanted to be in the wilderness away from society and it's so-called tyranny, however, reality was that he was nowhere as far into the wilderness as he thought.

#freedom #anewlife #reborn

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happiness 148, realization 148, fast 152, euphoria 154, melancholy 154

Summary: Due to bad weather, the author stays in his tent for a few days. He begins to smoke, and accidentally sets hit tent on fire. His tent was his given to him by his father. He remembers his father's strict criteria for happiness. His father had wanted him and his siblings to excel in all areas. The author came to a realization that it was his father's dream and not his. The author's relationship with his father was very bad, similar to Chris. The author decides to make it to the summit fast and get back down before the weather could go worse. He makes it to the top then descends down. The euphoria that he felt after climbing was shortly replaced with a feeling of melancholy.

Analysis: I can't believe he made it to the top. The author is really similar to Chris in how he didn't want to follow his father's ideals and wanted to find his own path. I guess they both wanted to defy their fathers through risky situations. However, I think Chris took it a bit too far.

#father #theclimb #oatmealfire

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suicide 134, accident 134, transform 135, human connection 137, afraid 139

Summary: In this chapter, the author talks about his personal experiences and tries to prove that Chris did not go off to Alaska to suicide, but rather Chris' death was just a terrible accident. The author had a similar craving as Chris to risk when he was younger. He felt that if he had successfully climbed the Stikine Ice Cap, his life would be transformed and everything would be right in his life. Although he had thought that he didn't need human connection or any intimacy, he felt hollow without it and missed it a bit when he met a woman who showed him a bit of warmth before starting his journey. During his climb, he finally feels afraid, because he wasn't able to find anywhere to climb further up. He then descends and does not complete his climb.

Analysis: I also think that Chris did not plan to suicide in the beginning because I feel like he would rather successfully finish his journey and start a similar one. I also respect the author's decision to go off on his own and climb.

#risktaker #panic #newlife

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No time for photos, I need to go to Alaska...

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annoyed 128, dog 128, peace 129, hysterical 130, dental ID 131

Summary: In two pictures that Chris and Carine had taken together, Chris had the same annoyed expression, as if taking a photo was wasting his time. Chris was very close with the family dog, Buck. Chris had been unable to take Buck with him on his journey to Alaska because Buck had been hit by a car and injured his leg around that time. It made his family wonder that if Chris would still be alive had he taken Buck with him. After Chris's death, Carine had reached a certain point of peace with their parents. Carine had gone hysterical when she had heard of Chris's death. She wailed for five hours before getting in the car with her husband to drive four hours north to see her parents. It was confirmed that the dead body was Chris's when his dental ID matched the teeth of the dead body.

Analysis: I really feel bad for Chris's family. I also wonder if he would still be alive had he taken the family dog with him. Although Chris and Carine were very close, I think that they were very different and Carine wouldn't understand why Chris would do something like this. For example, Carine had said that she could never imagine herself being in the wilderness alone or anywhere alone.

#loyaldog #noappetite #siblings

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truth 117, overconfident 118, self absorption 120, lies 121, resentment 122, injustice 123

Summary: Chris was someone who valued the truth a lot. According to his parents, he was a very overconfident person and never took their advice to heart. He had gone on a trip after high school and almost died in the desert due to dehydration, and when his parents expressed care for him, he scoffed at it. In university, Chris became more self absorbed and started caring more about the injustice of the world. His deep resentment towards his parents came from his father's lies. Up until the age of six, Chris's father had been keeping up with two families. He had a child with his previous wife the same time Chris had been born.

Analysis:  Although what Chris's father did wasn't right, I believe that Chris shouldn't have placed any resentment whatsoever towards his mom. She had never wronged him in his life. I think that this tragedy is all Chris's fault to be honest. He could've talked things out with his parents, however he chose to keep everything to himself and let it slowly build it until it couldn't be contained anymore. He even chose to overlook the wrongdoings of people he admired. For example, Chris admired a man who had 14 children with different people, however he couldn't overlook his father's past mistakes.

#twofamilies #justice #truth

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Money is shameful, but not the money I bought my car with! 

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compassion 104, alone 107, stressful 107, instruction 111, seriously 112, shameful 115

Summary: After Chris's death, Chris's father had wondered how someone with so much compassion could cause his family so much pain. Chris's siblings had described someone who could spent a lot of time alone by himself but never feel lonely. Growing up, Chris's parents would sometimes argue and threaten each other with divorce, which was somewhat stressful for Chris. Chris was very talented and easily got good grades, however he refused to listen to any sort of instruction. He took himself very seriously and would beat himself up over not improving or meeting his own standards. When his family got a bit more wealthy and his parents bought slightly more expensive things, Chris considered money and wealth as shameful.

Analysis: I really can't understand what Chris is thinking. He seems like a very strange person to me to be honest. To think that wealth is shameful and hate his parents so much. I'm really curious about what had happened to make him hate them so much and consider them tyrants.

#theshameofmoney #naturallygifted #lawless

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name 93, personal safety 92, nomadic 89, cheerfully 90, carved 94

Summary: This chapter tells the story of a young boy similar to Chris McCandless. His family had lived a nomadic life before settling in Southern California. Ruess had started living as a tramp and cheerfully starved for days. He was similar to Chris in the way that they both were heedless of their own personal safety. He also, similar to Chris, changed his name. He chose to change his name to Nemo, meaning no one. Nemo was found carved in the walls at David Gulch along with petroglyphs left behind by the Anasazi people. His body was never recovered and it is speculated that he died by falling in the canyon.

Analysis: It is surprising to me how there are people out there similar to Chris. It makes me wonder what they had gone through in life to decide to make this decision and happily live in harsh conditions. It is extremely saddening to learn about how their families had desperately searched for them.

#nemo #tramp #carvedname

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diary 99, self portraits 99, identity 100, newspaper 100, photograph 101

Summary: After Chris's body was discovered, it couldn't be identified right away. The police used Chris's diary entries to gather clues and post a notice. Many people called the police claiming to know the identity of Chris. Jim and Wayne had called in because they thought it sounded oddly too similar to Chris and they knew it had to be him. Chris had drew many self portraits of himself in his journal and it helped the police locate his family. The newspaper was how people knew about Chris. The clues led the police to SamMcCandless, Chris's older brother. A photograph of Chris was shown to Sam McCandless, who confirmed Chris's identity. He is puzzled on how to inform his parents about Chris's death.

Analysis: I completely forgot that people used the newspaper back then to get information around. I feel so bad for Chris's family having to find out that way. I also feel bad for his older brother because he had been thinking that it was so heartbreaking for the family who lost the hiker in the newspaper articles, but the hiker turned out to be his own brother.

#phonebook #whoisthehiker #newspaper

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mentally disturbed 70, glorifying 71, ignorance 72, reality 81, impractical 85

Summary: After Chris's death was reported on the media, many people deemed him as someone as mentally disturbed. They also criticized the author for glorifying Chris's stupid actions. People think that Chris's death was caused by his ignorance and starstruck eyes. The author then brings up similar people to Chris McCandless. For example, the author compares Chris to Waterman and Rosellini who both had an impractical obsession with the harshness of nature. He also compares Chris to Waterman and McCunn who were out of reality with a lack of common sense.

Analysis: I agree with the people who criticized Chris and the author. I don't think there's anything about Chris did, leaving his family in worry and throwing away his wealth. I also think he was a bit over the edge and if he had survived the journey, he would be lucky. I don't think he was a genius of any sort. It is unfortunate, but I will never share the same view point as the author.

#geniusornot #ignorance #reality

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tedious 62, common sense 62, married 65, nature 66, crying 68
Summary: Chris returns to Carthage to help Wayne out. Chris is content with doing the most tedious and dirty tasks that no one else would want to do. Wayne and the rest of the workers described Chris as very intelligent, however, he had no common sense. Chris grew very close to the people at Carthage, a stark contrast to his relationship with his real family. Chris had mentioned ideas of wanting to get married and settle down once in a while during his time spent at Carthage. However, nature and Alaska is of more importance to Chris than sex and interpersonal relationships. When Chris leaves Carthage for Alaska, he says goodbye to Wayne and the rest of his friends while crying.

Analysis: I feel kind of bad for Chris's real family. In the chapter, Chris perceives his relationship with his family as the hypocrisy of his parent's lifestyle and the tyranny of their conditional love. He had said that his parent's behavior was, "so irrational, so oppressive, disrespectful and insulting that I finally passed my breaking point." He had even called them idiots. On what basis is he saying that about them? Did they force him to do things he didn't want? Chris sounds ungrateful to them for raising him, he wouldn't be where he is in life without them. I feel that his parents would still love Chris even if he wasn't successful, but that's not up to me to evaluate. Also, at the end of the chapter, Chris is crying when he says goodbye. It makes me wonder if he had planned to go die in Alaska from the very beginning.

#tearsofchris #natureoversex #carthageagain

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bizarre encampment 50, mainstream 52, idiocy 52, adopt 55, threat 55, conformity 57
Summary: Franz meets Chris at a bizarre encampment, full of misfits and people walking around nude. They quickly grow close through time spent together. Franz is a war veteran who lost his wife and only child while he was out fighting for his country, so he develops a fatherly love for Chris. He tries to convince Chris to stop being homeless and do something with his life, however Chris scoffs at the idea of a mainstream life and calls it idiocy. After some time spent together, Franz asks Chris if he is willing to let Franz adopt him, however Chris dodges his question. Chris had considered it a threat of society, because he didn't think relationships with connections with other people were important. After Chris leaves Franz for Alaska, he sends one last letter and lectures Franz on how Franz is conforming to society and that Franz needs to sell most of his belongings and be homeless to truly experience life.

Analysis: The more I read of this book, the more I think that Chris is a complete lunatic. I can't believe that he even lectured an 80 year old man on how to live life and told him to abandon most of his belongings for a life on the road, which is basically homeless. My heart hurts so much for Franz. He lost his entire family and finally saw some hope again when Chris showed up, however Chris ruthlessly left him behind after a while. My heart hurt even more when it said that Franz had actually followed Chris's advice and set up camp at Chris's old campsite awaiting Chris's return at the end of the chapter.

#savefranz #family #brokenheart

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settle 39 universe 40 bath 41 homeless 41 primordial 44
Summary: Chris arrives at Bullhead City and was fascinated by the landscape around. He got a full time job flipping patties at a McDonald's. He had considered settling at Bullhead City. He even opened a savings account at a bank there. Two years after he had been there, the previous managers and workers had described Chris as "in his own universe" and had a few screws loose. While working there, Chris had been homeless and lied to his co-workers about his living situations. He had always smelled bad and when his co-workers tried to subtly approach him about taking a bath, he would get extremely annoyed. He soon quit his job at McDonald's and met up with Jan and her boyfriend again at a swap meet, where he volunteered to help her sell some old books. Jan had described him as a bit obsessed with Jack London's, "Into the Wild" book. She said that Chris liked the primordial aspect of it and guessed he was trying to be like that book, but forgot to realize that it was all fiction.

Analysis: Similar to the rest of what the people thought, I, also think that Chris might have a few screws loose. People are just trying to help him out, and he thinks of it all as them trying to buy his dignity with money. For example, Jan tried to hand him a few bills and knives to help him on his journey, however Chris was very offended and thought she was trying to buy his dignity. It's really confusing how Chris was satisfied with working at McDonald's and even opened a bank account at Bullhead City, when he hates money. He hates capitalism and was satisfied with doing things like the rest of society.

#burgers #swapmeet #smellsbad

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desert 25, undercover 27, newfound 27, flash flood 28, proud 30, ticket 31, trespass 33
Summary: Chris starts off his journey in the desert. His sense of newfound freedom exhilarates him. A sudden flash flood occurs, forcing Chris to abandon his beloved car and his other belongings, which he had considered "unnecessary baggage." He burnt his money and left behind his car to continue his journey on foot. He is very proud of leaving everything behind to pursue a new life. He receives a ticket for hitchhiking in an area where he isn't supposed to be, and reports his parent's address, alerting them of what he is doing. Over his travels, Chris trespasses on many areas, but he doesn't care because he doesn't want to follow the law.

Analysis: He really seems like an idiot in my opinion. It really makes me wonder what's going through his head sometimes. He had already decided to cut off his family but still decides to put his parent's address on a ticket. I feel that he is very immature and doesn't appreciate his parents. He really reminds me of people who think they're the protagonist of some wild survival book and the world revolves around them.

#unnecessarybaggage #ticket #newfoundfreedom

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freedom 15, attached 15, high standard 18, nomadic 19, irrelevant 20, free 23, destiny 23
Summary: The author starts off the chapter by telling us how Chris met Wayne. Wayne had seen a hitchhiker on the road, which was Chris, and offered him a job in Carthage. Chris had changed his name and introduced himself to Wayne as Alex. Chris develops a strong bond with Wayne and the town of Carthage. Wayne is sentenced to serve 4 months and Chris continues his nomadic lifestyle. The author then shifts to what Chris's family was like. It was said that he was close with his sister but not as close to his parents. Chris had high standards for himself, however, he thought that honors and that sort of stuff were irrelevant. He wanted to be free and pursue his own destiny after being free from the shackles of college.

Analysis: I can understand how Chris wanted to be free, however, he seems a bit ungrateful to me. In his letter to his sister, he complains about how his parents want to buy his respect by purchasing a new car for him. I feel that any parents would do that just out of concern for their child and want to provide them with the best. Honestly, he seems like the type of person who has watched too many movies and is deluding himself as the main character and starting a new life.

#delusional #newlife #destiny

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Growing up, I have always spent large amounts of time alone in my room playing video games. I have always liked to go places and try/see new things, however, my parents idea of vacation was going one state over to Las Vegas, a casino, by car. Although I am grateful to them for taking me out, I did not really enjoy our yearly Las Vegas trips because I was in the hotel room most of the time and I hated staying in the car for so long. Later on, we did not go on any trips at all. I was envious hearing about other classmates' trips to other countries such as Japan. In the future, I would like to travel all over the world and try everything.

The places I want to visit the most are Japan and Korea. The scenery there looks so nice in the pictures and the street food looks amazing. Although this dream is still a bit out of reach for me as I am still in high school without a job or any line of income, I will slowly work towards this dream after in college. The first place I plan to go is New York, because it's within the country and I'm a bit scared to go to a different country for my first trip. I will make sure I'm stable financially and in my studies before setting off.

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bus 10, help 12, dead 13, camera 13, diary 13, starvation 14
Summary: Chris McCandless's dead body was discovered by hunters and a couple who had ventured out to the bus. Chris had left an unsettling S.O.S. note for help at the entrance of the bus. Coupled with a bad odor, this prevented the couple from going further in the bus to check for Chris's dead body. The police were notified and came the next day to pick up Chris's body. A diary and camera detailing the last moments of Chris's life were found with his body. It was later uncovered that Chris had died from starvation, weighing only 67 pounds before death.

Analysis: This is devastating. Chris had almost made it out of his journey but failed at the last step. Although I still think that he brought death upon himself, it's heartbreaking to learn that he nearly made it but fell to starvation. It makes me wonder what he would've done if he made it out, would he have started another journey elsewhere?

#bus #tragic #winter

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bush 4, dreamers and misfits 4, minimal 5, nobody 6, insisted 7
Summary: Into the Wild tells the story of a young man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who decided to set off into the wilderness to experience a new life. A man named Jim Gallien offers to drop him off at the back country of Alaska, which Jim refers to as the bush, and a place for dreamers and misfits. Chris starts his journey with minimal gear and preparations for the wild. Nobody is aware of his plans to head off by himself.

Analysis: I'd like to say that I can see things from Chris's point of view, but unfortunately I can't. To be completely honest, I think that Chris is a complete idiot and beyond reckless. He didn't inform his friends or family and let them worry for months while he was out chasing a new life along with death.

#dreamer #idiot #wilderness

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I am not a very outdoor person. Growing up, I've always hated bugs and dirt. As a kid, my mom made me join Girl Scouts and we often went on camping trips with the scout troop. I hated it. I never took the time to look at my surroundings when I was camping because I was too occupied with my dislike for Girl Scout camp activities.

I later quit Girl Scouts, however am still not very fond of forests and mountains. I really love the beach though. The sound of the ocean is so calming and I love the sea salt in the air. I often go to the beach with friends and family and have many good memories of it.

In the future, I would like to visit beaches all over the world and explore more of the world. I plan to travel to many different countries and try all kinds of things.