Introduction to the Novel

Into the Wild seems like a very interesting and intense book. It is very hard to believe that a man lived in the wilderness for 112 days. This book will be about a man who trades in this normal life to go live in the wilderness. He decides to leave everything behind to go on an adventure. It will probably tell us about his journey, struggles, and peaks of the experience. Living in the wilderness has many obstacles and it must have been really hard for him. I wonder if he ever regretted his decision? Later in the story people find him dead. The autopsy was trying to figure out what had happened. They had many predictions, but were uncertain. Many of the conditions, in living in the wild are unsafe and you really have to take responsibility on staying alive. This story can teach us a real lesson about life and how much we should appreciate what adventures we experience.

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Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild was written by Jon Krakauer. Jon Krakauer was born in 1954, and lived in Oregon. He went on trips with fellow writers in the mountains. While he was up in the mountains he had time to write. All of this books were very successful. Jon won many awards for his work. Some of the awards he won were Best Book of the Year, #1 New York Bestseller, and 1997 National Book Critics Circle Award. Jon's books are about life stories and amazing experiences.

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http://www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Arizona!

I would like to go to Arizona. I have never been there before and have heard many good things about it. My dad and aunt used to go there when they were little and they said the Grand Canyon was beautiful. There are definitely many things to see and experience in Arizona. Even though it is very hot, it would still be fun. I love new experiences and seeing new places. Many of my friends have been there and loved it. It would be amazing to see the Grand Canyon in person. I would love to see the horizon, deserts, cactuses, and all the animals. I would have to bring some things also. The things I would bring would be some summer clothes, sun tan lotion, sunglasses, and a hat. When I get there is expect everything to be the same as I thought it would be. All my hope and excitement will be the same. I would like to explore all the little and big events and geographical things in Arizona. I love to travel, and hope to travel to Arizona soon.

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Getting to Know Chris McCandless

Direct Characterization is when the author is talking directly about the specific character. Also, this means what the character looks like and acts like. Indirect Characterization is when the author tells the audience what the character feels, says, thinks, and does.

10 Direct Characterization Examples-
- "He didn't appear to be very old: eighteen, maybe nineteen at most". Page 3
- "Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build Page 4
- He claimed to be twenty-four years old". Page 4
- He is from South Dakota Page 4
- Looked Friendly
- "McCandless was smallish with a hard, stingy physique of an itinerant laborer". Page 16
- Chris was a hard worker Page 18
- "He was born and raised in a comfortable upper-middle class environs of Annadale, Virginia". Page 19
- " He was big time hungry. Hungry,Hungry,Hungry. But real happy". Page 30
- "Virtually no subcutaneous fat remained on the body, and the muscles had withered significantly in the days or weeks prior to death. At the time of the autopsy, McCandless's remains weighed 67 pounds." Page 14


Indirect Characterization
- "If he started a job, he would finish it, he never stopped in the middle of something". Page 18
- Set a pretty high standard for himself Page 18
- "How much do I owe you". Page 7
- "How I feed myself is none of the government's business. F their stupid rules". Page 6
- "Can this be the same Alex that sent out in July 1990? Malnutrition and the road have taken their toll on his body. Over 25 pounds lost. But his spirits are soaring." Page 37
- "He was a nice kid." Page 30
- "He transferred to Wayne Westerberg from Alexander. October 1990. Listen to Pierre." Page 19
- "I find Mexicans to be warm, friendly people. Much more hospitable than Americans." Page 35
- "He is overjoyed and hope bursts back into his heart." Page 34
- "I think I am going to disappear for a while." Page 21


Based on what I am reading so far, I do not think Chris is crazy. I think that he is just looking for a new experience and journey. Since he grew up with a good education, house, and materials,I think he wants to start a new life for himself. I also think that he is just like any other person. All the people he meet did not treat him bad, they found out that he was a cool and nice guy. Many people just jump to conclusions about who would do such a thing, but I don't. Chris is very intelligent and new everything to do to survive. He used books, people's opinions, and nature, to help him survive.

I was in a group with Lisa ans Ally

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My Leather Belt

I think if I would have to create my own belt, I think it would be really fun. The first symbol I would choose is family. Family, because it is definitely the most important thing to me. My family is always there for me and always will love me. Friends would also be a symbol because they make me happy. I always have a good time with them and they make me laugh. I have many fun memories with my friends. Softball is a sport that I have been playing for a long time. I would definitely have that as a symbol. Softball has been a big part of my life and it is a great game. I love all the coaches I have had and all my teammates. Also, I would add my ipod, because I love to listen to music. Music helps me relax and helps me before nervous situations. I like Pop music and recent artists. If I went on a journey, I would put the names of all the people I meet on the belt. Those people would impact my life and my only contact with people. I would also put the words outgoing and fun because that describes me. I love to have fun and I am an outgoing person and like to meet new people. Lastly, I would carve in the belt the most memorable things I saw during my journey. The journey is to see nature, I would not want to forget the things I saw. Those things would be important to me and have a special place in my mind.

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My Impression of Chris McCandless

Throughout the book, I have had many different opinions of Chris. Some have been good,and some have been bad. In the beginning of the book when he burnt all his money, left his car, and carried only a 10 pound bag of rice, I thought he was a little crazy. I thought, why would you want to give up everything you had and go live alone in the wild? His idea of doing that seemed very stupid to me. When I started to get more into the book, I changed my mind. I saw how much he changed Ron Franz's life, and that made me think that he is a regular guy. Chris changed the lives of many people by just taking rides and talking to them. I learned that Chris was from a good family, was very smart, had a good perspective on life, and thought that there is no way this guy could be crazy. All Chris wanted to do is explore the earth and take chances. The decisions he made were smart and he knew what he was doing. If Chris jumped of the side of a mountain, then I would think he was crazy. The way he carried himself, read, wrote in his journal, and talked to people definitely made me think he was a normal guy. I have lots of respect and honor towards Chris for what he did. Chris did everything he could to achieve his accomplishment. I will remember Chris as a intelligent man who loved life.

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Wrapping Up The Novel

Jenna Fiamingo Fiamingo1
Reds
29 March 2010

Chris Walks Into Remembrance
By: Jenna Fiamingo

Have you ever lived in the wild for 119 days? Most people would think it is crazy to do something like that. Chris McCandless did something that would one day take his life. Chris was an average man who was very intelligent and decided to go live in the wild. He had many challenges and went through many obstacles. Chris lived out in the wild to find his true self and to explore the earth that he lived on. In this essay you will learn about the journey, aftermath, and his effect on the people he met during his trip into the wild. In my point of view, Chris is a hero who went into the wild despite his critics; and he accomplished what he wanted to do all within himself.
Chris McCandless was not a crazy man who wanted to live in the wilderness. Chris had morals and values that he abided to in everything he did. He was an intelligent and warm-hearted man. Chris is not crazy despite all the negative criticism he gets about living in the wild. Chris did what he did because it was something he wanted to do and no one would ever tell Chris that he could not do something. Everything Chris did, it was his choice. People cannot assume that Chris is crazy because he wanted to take an adventure. “Alex could really play. I mean he was good. We were all blown away by it” (Krakauer 68). Ask yourself, why such an intelligent man would want to go live in the wilderness just for living there. A person that had a good education and was good in sports, would not turn crazy and want to go live in the woods. Chris obviously went out there to live for an experience that he always wanted to accomplish. Chris McCandless had a lot of talent, smarts, and had a great heart. Do you think he would want to be known as the crazy man who lived in the wild? He accomplished many great things, how could he be considered less than what he deserves.
The reason Chris went into the wild is unknown, but we think from his journal that it was because of his family. Chris loved his sister and extended family a lot, but did not like his parents very much. His parents never spent time with him or his sister, and Chris was very hurt by not feeling loved by his parents. Walt and Billie, his parents, would always work from morning to the night. Chris was really close to his sister, because she was the only person he could really talk to. They did everything together. Once Chris found out about his father’s affair, he was even more hurt. Chris had enough of the materialistic and no loyalty in his life. I believe that is another factor in him going into the wild. Chris felt betrayed by his parents. He was very strong and brave for doing what he did. Chris never gave up and did what he thought was best. Chris wanted to start a new life for himself. He wanted to do things on his own. “I think it was one of the reasons why we were so close. We learned to count on each other when Mom and Dad weren’t getting along”(107). Chris depended on his sister for comfort, and then he had finally had enough. Chris did not want his family to find him; he was done with the family troubles.
In my point of view, I think that Chris did not want to be prepared. Chris also did not want his parents or anyone else to find him, because then he knew they would try to persuade him to come back. He wanted to experience truly living in the wild. In order to do that he had to leave everything and create a new life for himself. “To symbolize the complete severance from his previous life, he even adopted a new name. No longer would he answer to Chris McCandless; he was now Alexander Supertramp, master of his own destiny”(23). Chris’s life was now in the hands of himself. He could do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. No one could tell him to do anything. He was also refreshed and ready for his new adventure. He wanted to experience an actual life or death adventure. Chris left everything he had behind and wanted to start new. He left his car at a National Park with “the doors unlocked, a Gianini guitar, saucepan with $4.93 in loose change, a football, bag of old clothes, twenty-five pounds of rice, and the keys in the glove compartment”(26). The only thing Chris had was a ten pound bag of rice and his full backpack. He burnt all his money in his wallet and left everything else in his car. Chris did not want to be prepared. All his life he had nice things, and finally he did not want that anymore. Chris wanted to survive on his own.
I think that Chris McCandless was a great guy. He accomplished many things and was a graduate at Emory University. Chris always had a good personality, had friends, was good in sports, and had an effect on everyone he met. On his journey, he changed the lives of many people, such as, Wayne Westerberg, Ron Franz, and Jan and Bob Burres. Chris taught them to have a new perspective on life. He was a very inspirational person and wanted to have an effect on everyone he met. I would have to agree with all the things that are positive about Chris. Chris was not a man who was stupid and did stupid things. People who think Chris is a wacko are wrong about him. His critics are making negative remarks about him, and they know nothing about his background. Chris was not the only person who ever went into the wild either. Critics have said “entering the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky”(71). Chris did not want to be lucky; he wanted to do this for himself and no one else. He wanted to take the adventure, so no one should worry about someone they don’t even know. Chris does not deserve the negative criticism that was told about him. He was just like anyone else; he just wanted to have a new start. I guess helping others and doing something for your self is wrong in today’s society.
During Chris McCandless’s journey, Chris was on his own. He made his own decisions, met new people, discovered new techniques, and learned how to survive on his own. His life before was the main factor of him going into the wild. Chris also wanted to show people that he could do it. He was not prepared for a reason, had enough of his family, was not crazy, and did this to find his true self. Readers, you should be on the side that you think is right. Would you rather be on the side of Chris that was an average guy who wanted adventure, or the side of him who people thought was crazy and dumb for living in the wild. Think about Chris and what he did while you’re making your decision. Think about the decision that Chris deserves for his bravery and courageous journey. “Into the Wild” will give you a greater perspective on life and how it is in your own hands.

Works Cited
Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. 1996