Into the Wild Blog # 5

Positive

1. Cared about the condition of the world.
2. Commitment (in ways)
3. Appreciation of nature

Negative

1. Inconsistent-unreliable
2. Lack of common sense
3. Unrealistic

Chris McCandless, in my mind was a “lost soul”. He struggled to find meaning in the world, and where he fit into this world. I suppose I would say his first positive attribute would be that he cared about “the condition of the world”.  He definitely did not know all the answers, but conditions of the homeless and hungry were a concern that bothered him. I think we live in a very narcissistic society today; I feel many people are far less sincere in their caring about others. It tends to be overly competitive and superficial. The priorities that he wanted to stand for are much more basic.

Overall, Chris could be committed to things. Family relationships were not exactly at the top of his list. However, when he was a runner, he was committed to his team.  As a student, he was very committed to his grades. This “positive”, seemed to maybe cause part of his downfall. Although he was capable of achieving expectations people had of him, he did not like the pressure. He also had different priorities than others.

He had loved nature, combined with his apparent “wanderlust” it drew him to explore and want to be part of the outdoors. We learn his Grandfather, had similar tendencies. The only thing is, I do not believe he put great thought into what would be needed to survive within a harsh environment.

Chris nonetheless was inconsistent. He did not have a strictly planned out path or plan.  He bounced around, sometimes it seemed aimlessly. He held job, but he did not do it in a reliable manner.

 To live as if Chris wanted to live would have entailed a great deal of preparation and knowledge. I think he lacked the common sense to realize this. He felt that it would come very easy. Then at some point, he comes to question his ability to be successful, but he does not change his plans, or prepare better. He simply proceeds, letting people know “he may not return”. This also displays how unrealistic he was with the overall plan.

Although, I generally have not changed my mind that McCandless had a degree of mental/emotional issues going on. Perhaps a personality disorder, which affected his relationships, as well as his brash decisions, and risk taking behavior. I think his lack of common sense and planning, seem to be a trait that is bound to stick out in the minds of many readers.

Krakauer saw images of himself in McCandless; in his ways and actions. When he was a young man he was “willful, self-absorbed, intermittently reckless, moody” (Krakauer, 134 paragraph 3). These adjectives could definitely be used to describe Chris too.

Krakauer goes on to say that “figures of male authority aroused in me a confusing medley of corked fury and hunger to please. If something captured my undisciplined imagination, I pursued it with a zeal bordering on obsession “ (134 paragraph 3).

The author also mentions that when he was obsessively climbing, he also read a lot; “a literary diet overly rich in the works of Nietzsche, Kerouac, and John Menlowe Edwards” (135, paragraph 2). Chris McCandless also read from some similar authors.

Krakauer also had a turbulent relationship with his father. “I had a knack for living up to the old man’s worst expectations”.(147, paragraph 2). He wanted to prove himself to his father, like climbing “The Devils Thumb”.  “we were similarly affected by the skewed relationships we had with our fathers” (155 paragraph 3).  He also tells that he retaliated against his father’s expectations of him going to college, by working as a carpenter. Chris, although he did obtain his undergrad degree, he left when they were all expecting him to enter law school.

He also explains in the last of page 155-156, the fact that at age 18, death was not a clear concept for him. At that age, he feels he felt that it was remote, if not impossible. This mentality is essentially normal for young people, many are not yet touched and familiar with the premise of “death”, they do not look at it as something that “could happen to them”, he feels Chris was probably like this too, and that his death would have been accidental not suicidal.

However, Krakauer differed from Chris in ways too. His obsession was mountain climbing in particular. He seemed more prepared by way of supplies and his known direction. He also began to miss human connections, the lack of intimacy bothered him much more than Chris. He seemed to be more rationale and therfore maybe that is why Krakauer lived to tell.

Into the Wild #4

I have started to question my own sanity (just kidding). I just though that I would say that when I was presented with the question regarding Chris's choice of working in the megalomaniac commercial giant of "McDonalds". I don't really think that it was anything other, than he was probably tired of "survivalist" living, and required some way to support himself. You must see, that I do not give McCandless credit to be some insightful visionary. I feel he was a disturbed individual. Lack of hygiene can be a component of many mentally ill. Not all, but definitely in many cases. Just maintaining life in society takes, "energy", you could say. You are required to follow social moiré’s. I do not think he was always equipped to do this.

People, who worked with him, said he was reliable; to me that simply said he was aware he needed money. However, he was also looked at as someone who was in their "own little world", a "deer in the headlights", an outsider. This is not someone, who chose to remesh with society. This is someone, simply doing what they had to do at the moment. However not exactly what I would refer to as responsible; in a long-term sense. He never put "roots" down for too long. He was detached from people. His hygiene was sub-par, I know that would have been tough to take, especially in a food service job.

I think Chris gets along with Jan Burres and Bob, because he does not not see them as judgmental. They are "professional flea marketers", they do this town to town. They are transients like Chris. I think Jan see's him a bit like a son, and he could look at them as "pseudo" parents. They are older than him, but would not have the expectations. He also feels a connection by the "books" she sells. He is drawn to literary things.

I think the character of Ronald Franz is sad, but this man's sad story starts long before he met Chris McCandless. This is an extremely lonely man, who went through his life trying to fill his loneliness by helping others, at least this was semi-productive. After forming a relationship with McCandless, who makes him face and focus on his loneliness, he becomes more" symptomatically lonely". Especially after Chris moves on. Chris convinced him to set off on his own "journey" , but that what I thought was sad. I don't think he was the right or healthiest influence for someone like Franz. This man makes me saddened at the fact of how easily people are influenced by others. I think for what ever reason Franz felt a connection with Chris, he probably had not felt an emotional attachment with anyone for a long time, then he had the misfortune to make a connection with someone like him.

Into the Wide #3

We learn many things about Chris in chapter 4; like the following things. He was caught in a flash flood (#1). This is what prompts him to abandon his car; he’s killed his battery trying to get it “unstuck”, and he was not supposed to even be in the area where he was (#2). Therefore, that was illegal or arrogant or both, depending on how you want to look at it. He writes a note to whoever finds the car, “that if they can get it out, they can have it” (#3). Just a little sarcastic, probably out of anger and frustration. This is around the time he also burns the rest of his money (#4). This is to prove the point he does not need “possessions”, but later on when a job in California does work out for him, he steals a bike, in order to leave town (#5). He could have bought a bike with money, and hey, is a bike a material possession? (I think so.) He allows himself to become disoriented and dehydrated from the heat of the summer, and is helped by a couple of boaters, who find him. Lets reevaluate the survival skills. He has by this time, survived on his ability to find and consume edible plants (#6). He gets a police citation for hitchhiking (#7). He gives his parents address to the officer, that is a rather passive-aggressive thing to do. I mean, he wants to be away from them, but having the ticket sent to them, is like letting them know where he is, and that maybe not making the best of choices. It works, because his parents go to the extent and expense of hiring a private investigator to try to track him down. (#8). People can have “phases”, etc.; but I think they felt something was not only wrong, but inappropriate. Chris had met Jan Burres and her boyfriend. (#9). He likes them, because he writes them postcards, but Jan is fond of Chris, because he is around her son’s age. She does not exactly think he has made some wise decisions either. He survives going through the desert, in Arizona. (#10) He gets a canoe to go down the Colorado River. (#11) The writings in his diary get weird by the time he is in Mexico. (#12) The whole canoe idea, does not work well for him either, due to areas of marshland. (#13) He refers to himself, in a third person way in his diary. (#14) He also comments about Mexican people being nicer than Americans. (#15) He gets bailed out by some hunters who get him back to the ocean. (#16) He also has some problems at the ocean, do to severe storms. (#17) So many things have told me by now that, he was not prepared. I do not understand why he felt he was. He had survived for months on rice, (#18) but the wilderness of Alaska is a harsher thing to endure. Previously he had buried a gun of his (#19), and then while coming back to the U.S. from Mexico, he gets his handgun taken by customs officials, while crossing the border. (#20).
Back in the states, he tries to reenter society and work in both L.A., and Las Vegas, but neither time does it last. 
     I suppose it seems like he probably felt like he at least partially fulfilled some of their “expectations” of him. He wanted to escape from the reality he had been living for some time. He mentions their trip to Paris, it made me wonder, if they were in Paris, when he was graduating. They missed his graduation; he may have taken that as a “smack in the face”. Maybe if they were guiltlessly able to think of themselves as top priority, then he felt he should do the same for a while. His message is very “matter of fact”, it did not include personal details, or emotions. 
    His money and possessions, possibly for him seemed to represent the “overly financially and materialistic way of life”, that so many people, including his family live. He wanted to abandoned this mindset, and begin anew. The same could be said for changing his surname, by dropping “McCandless”, he is dropping their ideals and expectations. The drastic actions are somewhat melodramatic; to exhibit how important these changes were to him. A way to show his family, or people around him. Maybe, even to convince himself, to pump himself up, get himself motivated for what he wanted to do. I have always felt from the beginning of the book that Chris, was a bit emotionally disturbed. Therefore, I think this alone, explains, his over the top, sometimes inappropriate actions that he does. He does not just get angry or frustrated and want a vacation. This is much more a case of “I’ll show you!” This type of attitude, is never productive. It lacks maturity and good communication skills.