Introduction

This is my blog that is entirely dedicated and involved with the novel, Into the Wild. In this story, a tale is told about retracing of a young man's steps, named Chris McCandless,who perished in the Alaskan wilderness. His body was found on an abandoned bus in the wilderness. He traveled on a long journey, mainly throughout the United States, and stopped his journey in the Alaskan wilderness. He is believed to have survived for 112 days before perishing in Alaska. This will be a very interesting and entertaining novel to read.

Author Biography

The author of Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer, has had a very interesting and eventful life. He was born Massachusetts, but grew up in Oregon. He became involved in athletics at an early age and began hiking when he was 8 years old. Once Krakauer was in college, he joined a group of mountaineers that climbed the Arrigetch Peaks. He then worked as a writer and a commercial salmon fisherman. In 1983, he quit his other job and became a full-time writer. In 1996, he embarked on his most famous climb of Mt. Everest. By the time that he had finished his journey, he was the only survivor left. In that same year, he also published his first major work, Into the Wild.

My Desired Trip in the United States

If I was allowed to go to any destination in the United States, I would have trouble narrowing it down to one specific place, but I would have to pick Southern California. In Southern California, it always seems like their is something to do whether it is relaxing, exciting, or anything in between. They are known for almost always having splendid weather, except for occasional mishaps. Once I am there, I would probably walk around the city first, and then enjoy they spectacular beaches. This would mainly be a relaxing vacation for me, seeing as it there is such a beautiful environment.

Getting to know Chris McCandless...

1. Direct characterization is when the author directly describes the character using words about them. Indirect characterization is when the author describes the character through the actions or things he or she says throughout the story.

Direct Characterization	Indirect Characterization
“Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build” P.4	Not very educated on necessities for the outdoors. “His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions” P.5
“He was determined. Real gung ho” P. 6	He seemed to be a very intelligent and well educated man. “Chris graduated from Emory University in Atlanta” P. 20
“McCandless was smallish with hard, stringy physique of an itinerant laborer.” P.16	Alex could also be a very social and outgoing person, telling others of his interesting adventure and destination.
“Alex was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen.” P.18	Could not stay in one area and lay down roots for too long. “However, on May 10, itchy feet returned.” P. 37
“He was alone and young and willful and wild hearted” P.31	He was an avid reader.
“A nice kid and a good worker. Real Dependable” P.40	Did not want to be involved nor talk about his family.
“He meant good, but I think he had a lot of complexes.” P. 42	He did not like to accept gifts or take much. “After an extended argument Burrealso got McCandless to accept some long underwear and other warm clothing” P. 46
“He did a lot of socializing” P.44	Not very aware of modern technology and its uses. “Alex hadn’t been around machinery much” P. 62
“He seemed extremely intelligent” P. 54	He was smart, but at times he could do less than genius things. “ But there was gaps in his thinking” P. 63
“…were stubborn and high-strung” P. 64	Not very close with women intimately. “In high school McCandless had enjoyed a close rapport with two or three members of the opposite sex” P. 65

3. So far, Chris McCandless seems to be only a nice and adventuresome man. When he decides to leave the civilized world and become "Alexander Supertramp", he never contemplates to give up his goal. (except for one time, but he eventually changed his mind.) Chris does not seem to be selfish either, by giving his money to charity instead of throwing it away or burning it, like he did to a small portion of it. When Chris is offered aid or help, he always turns it down at first, but usually ends up giving in, for the better. He also always attempts to somehow repay those who have helped him, even if it is something as small as some pocket change. All in all, Chris does not seem to be a bad person at all, only an explorer and a dreamer.

This presentation on Google Earth of Chris McCandless’s journey throughout North America helped me in following him from one place to another. While reading the story it was a little hard keeping track of just where Chris was and where he was going. This also helps to show how much work and effort Chris must have put into this, traveling so far and never losing sight of his goal nor giving up. Another aid that this trip provides is by relating his stops to the real world and letting us see it in relation to where we are now and places we have been. This also gives us a feel for the environment that Chris was in, with its use of photographs of the area. One part that I was unsure about was that if this was an exact copy of the trip Chris took. I thought that Chris had went to Carthage twice, but according to the map he only went once.

Above is a picture of Orick, California, a stop on Chris's journey

Here is a link to this interesting Google Earth trip.

http://www.googlelittrips.com/GoogleLit/9-12/Entries/2008/11/8_Expedition_Literature_Into_the_Wild_by_Jon_Krakauer.html