Into the Wild (1995) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Christopher Johnson McCandless (aka Alexander Supertramp): Recent college graduate who decides to abandon his family and possessions for life on the road. His ultimate goal is to live self-sufficiently off the land in the Alaskan wilderness.
• Ronald Franz: Would-be adoptive grandfather to Chris. He too abadons his "civilized" life for Chris's ideals.
• Jan Burres: "Rubbertramp" and something of a surrogate mother to Chris. She allows him to stay with her through some colder months, helping her to sell thrift books and other items. She relates to him because her son has also lost touch with her, the way he lost touch with his parents.
• Jim Gallien: An Alaskan native who picks McCandless up from hitchhiking and drives him to the Stampede Trail; ostensibly the last person to see McCandless alive.
• Carine McCandless: Chris' sister and best friend. Is able to give Jon Krakauer (author) and the reader much more insight into Chris' decisions. She was one of the only people who ever truly understood him or at least got where he was coming from.
• Walter McCandless: Chris' father, goes by Walt. Is very controlling and ambitious regarding Chris's future and does not understand his want for wanderlust.
• Billie McCandless: Chris' mother. Struggles with Chris leaving. Worries about him constantly.
• Buckley "Buck" McCandless: Carine's dog - a Shetland that became extremely attached to Chris. They used to race on runs and Chris used to challenge himself to beat the dog home; a feat he finally achieved once.
• Wayne Westerberg: A friend in Carthage, South Dakota who helped and employed Chris in his grain elevator business. He is one of the few people Chris writes letters to throughout his travels.

Quotes edit see section history

• “But for some reason incomprehensible to me you wanted nothing but to bolt for home as quickly as possible, right back to the same situation which you see day after day after day. I fear you will follow this same inclination in the future and thus fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has put around us to discover.”

  Chris Mccandless

• “You are wrong if you think joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us.”

  Chris McCandless

• “I now walk into the wild.”

  Chris McCandless

• “...I fear you will fail to discover all the wonderful things that God has placed around us to discover. Don't settle down and sit in one place. Move around, be nomadic.”

  Chris McCandless

• “I have always been unsatisfied with life as most people live it. Always I want to live more intensely and richly.”

  Everest Ruess

• “...and he wasn't a nutcase, he wasn't a sociopath, he wasn't an outcast. McCandless was something else - although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim, perhaps.”

• “The accumulated clutter of day-to-day existence - the lapses of conscience, the unpaid bills, the bungled opportunities, the dust under the couch, the inescapable prison of your genes - all of it is temporarily forgotten, crowded from your thoughts by an overpowering clarity of purpose and by the seriousness of the task at hand.”

• “If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed.”

  Christopher McCandless

• “Happiness is only real when shared.”

  Christopher McCandless

Setting & Locations edit see section history

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• Annandale, Virginia: The affluent Washington, D.C. suburb where Chris McCandless grew up
• Carthage, South Dakota: An agricultural town in which McCandless worked for Westerberg
• Salton City, California
• Stampede Trail, Alaska: An overgrown section of the trail near Denali National Park.
• Niland, California
• Bullhead City, Arizona
• Oh-My-God Hot Springs
• Slab City (aka The Slabs), California: A camp in the Colorado Desert in southeastern California, used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It takes its name from the concrete slabs and pylons that remain from the abandoned and razed World War II Marine barracks Camp Dunlap.
• Fairbanks, Alaska
• Devils Thumb, Alaska: A mountain Krakauer climbed on and experience of which he described in this book related to the youth's general recklessness and unawareness of mortality.

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• Defiant Anti-Hero Archetype: Chris is very against society and how it runs. A defiant anti-hero is someone who takes it upon themselves to get away from and to try to help the what they see as corrupted society. Chris fills this position well.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Jon Krakauer (Author) - Krakauer adds helpful insight into the much debated condition of Chris' mind during his escapades. Krakauer himself was a mountaineer and recounts his story to draw conclusions between his younger self and the gregarious McCandless.

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: CT9971.M38
• Dewey: 917.98045

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Hmmm. It's pretty grim, Chris McCandless does die at the end, so if there are children who are a bit queasy I wouldn't recommend it. On the other hand, it provides an accurate portrayal about how difficult it is to survive on your own in the wilderness, especially since we are so far removed from knowing innately how to live off the land. An informative book, and I recommend the parent read it first or with the young adult to answer any questions that may come up.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Regional U.S. › West
• Books › Biographies & Memoirs › Travel
• Books › Travel › Reference & Tips › Essays & Travelogues
• Books › Travel › United States › States › Alaska
• Books › Travel › United States › Regions

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

• Death of an Innocent: How Christopher McCandless lost his way in the wilds: The original Outside magazine article

Movie Connections edit see section history

• Into the Wild (IMDb): 2007

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history