"I prayed. I asked god to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one...... but he let Alex die." -Ronald Franz I really like this quote because it shows how easliy McCandless became friends with people, and how much Franz cared when he died. "When McCandless turned up dead in Alaska and the perplexing circumpstances of his demise were reported in the news media, many people concluded that the boy must have been mentally disturbed." Many people found McCandless's story strange, but I think it was a cool thing to do in his life. McCandless met tons of people who all had wierd first impressions of him, yet were sad to see him go. I think that if the people who said he was "mentally disturbed" met him they would think differently, and would possibly appriciate him more When McCandless writes letters to friends, why does he just say good bye and not give them more background on his situation and why they won't be hearing from him again?
“Since they won’t take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I’m going to let them think they are right… And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt, swift action I’m going to completely knock them out of my life… and never speak to either of those idiots again for as long as I live.” -- Chris McCandless, page 64 Opinion: I think this is wrong of Chris McCandless. No matter how much he disagrees with his father, his parents deserve to at least know where he is and that he is safe. Chris should have been clear with them about his plans, even if that meant telling them that he wouldn’t be in touch for a while, rather than just letting them worry.
“Such willful ignorance… amounts to disrespect for the land… just another case of underprepared, overconfident men bumbling around out there and screwing up because they lacked the requisite humility.” -- Nick Jans, page 72 Opinion: I don’t necessarily disagree with Nick Jans, but I think that he doesn’t know the whole story and therefore shouldn’t make such generalizations. McCandless was different from many of these “overconfident men” in that he had a good education and a lot of money, which he made a conscious decision to get rid of. Chris must have had a good reason to do the remarkable and unusual things he did in his life, and I don’t think Nick Jans knows enough to assume that he was merely “bumbling around out there.”
Clarifying question: Did McCandless stay in touch with his sister Carine? If so, why didn’t she tell their parents that Chris was safe?
"Since they won't take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I'm going to let them think they are right, I'm going to let them think that I'm "coming around to see their side of things".... And never talk to those idiots as long as I live." -Chris McCandless Opinion: I can see why chris would be so rebellious after he graduated from college because i think that since he never rebelled in high school or even in college he was sick and tired of people not taking him seriously. But that still does not condone what he did to his family. No matter how angry you are with you r family you should always express it in a calm way instead of bottling it up and then one day just disappearing.
"This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. it was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But i finally got here. Please return all mail receive to the sender... If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man. Opinion: I think this is something he should have sent to his family just telling them I am doing this for me and i don't want you to worry. And it also shows that he does make a lot of friends on his journey. And he is also aware that he might not make it out. Which i think shows that this wasn't juts something he was doing to spite his parents i think he need this. I think this was like his rebirth into the world.
"McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well - relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intemacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it." page 55.
Opinion- Chris (Alex) doesnt want nay connections with other humans. This makes me wonder if he had gotten hurt by someone in his past because most people dont seperate themselves completely from every other human being out there unless theyre afraid. Chris doesnt seem to want any one else in his life.
"Franz grew increasingly fond of Alex. "God was he a smart kid," " Opinion- Alex had a way with people, he seemed to have a way with making friends. I find this weird, because even though he became sound good friends with Franz, it was so easy for Alex to leave him. Alex has no emotional attachment to people. page 52.
"He always wore shoes with socks just plan couldn't stand to wear socks...Chris would comply with the rule,but as soon as his shift was over bang! First thing that was off"-Page 40. Connection: I'm with Alex, I try not to wear socks whenever possible. Even in the winter time, I wear socks but when I come home the first thing that comes off would be the socks.
"You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against out habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living." page 57. Musing: This is a cool idea, because if people are doing coping with their life they aren't really living it. So many people are busy and they just forget about enjoying what's around them.
Clarifying Question: Why do you think Alex choose not to have sex?
I have learned in all my outdoor experiences that if you assume you have EVERY thing you need, you most likely are mistaken and will suffer from that mistake.
"There was just no talking that guy out of it" Gallien page 6
That reminds me of me. If i am truly determined to do something it is nearly impossible to talk me out of it even if you offered me a billion dollars i still wont be talked out of it.
Clarifying Question: Why in the world would Chris not have brought a higher powered rifle?
"Mcandless was simply one more dreamy half-cocked greenhorn who went into the country expecting to find answers for all of his problems and instead found only mosquitos and a lonely death." No page because read on Kindle
I think this is wrong for many reasons. First Mcandless wasn't going inot the wild for answers but t get away. What questions did he have? Second he wasn't lonely when he died because he didn't want to be with anybody. I can say he was lonely but thats the way he wanted it.
"So on december 26, when i learned what happened, I renounced Lord, I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist."
I think that this is very wrong, First if you believe in god you won't become atheist because a young kid dies doing dumb things. But i think this also goes much further it shows that he was really close to alex and did very extreme things because he did such things.
Clarifying Question: why did alex wonder around so much and not just go straight up to alaska
"We're still getting a lot of mileage out of that old car even now," Walsh proudly reports two and a half years after finding the Datsun. "Put a few bucks of gas in the thing, and it will go all day. Real reliable. I kind of wondered why nobody ever showed up to reclaim it."(27) Connection: The part were it talks about Chris's car reminds me of the time we were comeing back from New Jersey and all of a sudden we look back and there was smoke comeing out of our car and we had to stop and we found out that the turbo died.
"One Thursday in mid-January,McCandless was hitching back out to the bajada after filling his jug when an old man, name of Ron Franz, stopped to give him a ride."(49) Musing: I think its kind of weird how he always got rides. If I saw someone that looked like a wild looking person,I wouldntn't want them to get in my car casue I would think they were dangerous.
Discussion Question: Did Chris ever get to see his family before he died or send them a letter to say how he was or what he was doing?
"But unlike Waterman, McCandless wasn't mentally ill." pg. 85 (Opinion Response)I agree with Jon Krakauer on that one. Waterman slowly went crazy by being alone, whereas McCandless made friends along the way, kept in touch, and was intelligent throughout his life and his final years.
Musing Response: "Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn't even consider it." This passage really shows how much his Alaskan Odyssey meant to him, and how even though he often did not make plans, when he did, he stuck to them. It also showed how when he put his mind on something, he did it.
Clarifying Question (or maybe Discussion?): When Alex/Chris writes to Jan Burres and Bob saying "This is the last communication you shall receive from me... it was great knowing you." (pg. 69), how does he know he will never speak or write to them again? Does he say "it was great knowing you." just in case? Or does he have a suspicion he will die in Alaska?
"Until then I never knew he was musical" Jan Burres pg. 43 Musing: This quote shows that Chris didn't tell anyone what he did or what he was good at he just let them figure it out for themselves.
" Alex used to sit at the bar in the Cabaret and read that belt for hours on end" Wayne Westerberg pg.68 Musing: this quote shows that alex really did care about things that had happened in the past and he treasured all the memories he made with various people.
Clarifying Question: Why does Chris think that it would be "cheating" to fly to alaska?
In May 1990, Chris graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, where he'd been a columnist for, and editor of, the student newspaper, The Emory Wheel, and had distinguished himself as a history and anthropology major with a 3.72 grade point average. pg 20 Musing: He had a very good chance at a high paying job and a good life but he turned it down to go into the wild.
"Nice guy, yeah, a pretty nice guy," Charlie pg 42 Musing: A lot og people thought that he was a very nice guy.
Clarifying Question: Why did chris leave behind his good collage and good life?
"During those four weeks in Carthage, McCandless worked hard, doing dirty jobs, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted to tackle: mucking out warehouses, exterminating vermin, painting, scything weeds" Westerburg pg. 62. Chris is a hard-worker, what ever he puts his mind to he'll complete. He uses that same sense by thinking the notion of living a nomadic lifestyle, and completing it.
"In the distance spiky, chocolate-brown mountains floated on eerie pools of mirage. Leaving the river for a day to track a herd of wild horses, he came across a sign warning that he was trespassing on the U.S Army;s highly restricted Yuma Proving Ground. McCandless was deterred not in the least" pg. 33. McCandless is stubborn and has an extremely large sense of pride. He is a rebel. His new life defies the laws of America and his behavior defies the civic virtues of a citizen. He is independent and brave. I think that in his previous lifestyle back home, he was most likely a considerate and mild tempered kid, and being able to rebel gives him a new sense of power and freedom. Clarifying Question: What happened that made him want to be this way? what were his family relations?
"The cabin he was staying in caught fire and burned to ruble, incinerating both his equipment and the voluminous accumulation of notes, poetry, and personal journals that he regarded as his life's work." I can see why this would cause waterman would submit himself into a mental ward after this, because (as I see it) most of these explorations and trips are of a philosophical nature, for instance, did not Gene Rosellini live in that hobble because he thought that mankind could no longer with out machines and gunpowder? I believe this is why all these journeys a sort a walkabout.
“McCandless made an indelible impression on a number of people during the course of his hegira, most of whom spent only a few days in his company, a week or two at most.” (48) (Opinion) I think this is a very telling statement in the fact that Chris was able to leave a lasting imprint on people he briefly met. This would later impact their knowledge of Chris not being mentally unstable after people questioned this upon his death.
“He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn’t a hermit.” (44) (Musing) This quote plays into the personality of Chris. He was balanced in his social life. He liked to be alone and have his freedom but he needed people and their support.
Why did he want to go to Alaska to be “alone” for a long time if he needed people’s company?
"As a young man Gene had been a good athlete and a brilliant student... He sustained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through high school and college (pg.73)." (Connection) I think that Rosellini was very similar to Chris. They both were very smart, headed in a good direction, and excelled in sports. However, they decided that none of these qualities seemed to tell anything about their personalities. They were both obsessed with nature and finding their own way to live and thats just what they did.
"The ice looked colder and more mysterious, the sky a cleaner shade of blue. The unnamed peaks towering over the glacier were bigger and comelier and infinitely more menacing than they would have been were I in the company of another person. And my emotions were similarly amplified: The highs were higher; the periods of despair were deeper and darker. To a self-possessed young man inebriated withe the unfolding drama of his own life, all f this held enormous appeal (pg. 138)." This passage shows how being alone with no one but nature has its appeals; everything feels more real and exhilarating. You feel attuned with what is going on around you and everything you do is by your own judgement. To some, this feeling could be rehabilitating while others might find themselves claustrophobic or panicky , and there are more who would not know how they feel about it.
Would chris have left his home to go wander all over the country if he and his parents had a better relationship?
"I prayed. I asked god to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one...... but he let Alex die." -Ronald Franz
ReplyDeleteI really like this quote because it shows how easliy McCandless became friends with people, and how much Franz cared when he died.
"When McCandless turned up dead in Alaska and the perplexing circumpstances of his demise were reported in the news media, many people concluded that the boy must have been mentally disturbed."
Many people found McCandless's story strange, but I think it was a cool thing to do in his life. McCandless met tons of people who all had wierd first impressions of him, yet were sad to see him go. I think that if the people who said he was "mentally disturbed" met him they would think differently, and would possibly appriciate him more
When McCandless writes letters to friends, why does he just say good bye and not give them more background on his situation and why they won't be hearing from him again?
“Since they won’t take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I’m going to let them think they are right… And then, once the time is right, with one abrupt, swift action I’m going to completely knock them out of my life… and never speak to either of those idiots again for as long as I live.” -- Chris McCandless, page 64
ReplyDeleteOpinion: I think this is wrong of Chris McCandless. No matter how much he disagrees with his father, his parents deserve to at least know where he is and that he is safe. Chris should have been clear with them about his plans, even if that meant telling them that he wouldn’t be in touch for a while, rather than just letting them worry.
“Such willful ignorance… amounts to disrespect for the land… just another case of underprepared, overconfident men bumbling around out there and screwing up because they lacked the requisite humility.” -- Nick Jans, page 72
Opinion: I don’t necessarily disagree with Nick Jans, but I think that he doesn’t know the whole story and therefore shouldn’t make such generalizations. McCandless was different from many of these “overconfident men” in that he had a good education and a lot of money, which he made a conscious decision to get rid of. Chris must have had a good reason to do the remarkable and unusual things he did in his life, and I don’t think Nick Jans knows enough to assume that he was merely “bumbling around out there.”
Clarifying question: Did McCandless stay in touch with his sister Carine? If so, why didn’t she tell their parents that Chris was safe?
"Since they won't take me seriously, for a few months after graduation I'm going to let them think they are right, I'm going to let them think that I'm "coming around to see their side of things".... And never talk to those idiots as long as I live." -Chris McCandless
ReplyDeleteOpinion: I can see why chris would be so rebellious after he graduated from college because i think that since he never rebelled in high school or even in college he was sick and tired of people not taking him seriously. But that still does not condone what he did to his family. No matter how angry you are with you r family you should always express it in a calm way instead of bottling it up and then one day just disappearing.
"This is the last you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. it was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But i finally got here. Please return all mail receive to the sender... If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again I want you to know you're a great man.
Opinion: I think this is something he should have sent to his family just telling them I am doing this for me and i don't want you to worry. And it also shows that he does make a lot of friends on his journey. And he is also aware that he might not make it out. Which i think shows that this wasn't juts something he was doing to spite his parents i think he need this. I think this was like his rebirth into the world.
"McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north, and he was relieved as well - relieved that he had again evaded the impending threat of human intemacy, of friendship, and all the messy emotional baggage that comes with it." page 55.
ReplyDeleteOpinion- Chris (Alex) doesnt want nay connections with other humans. This makes me wonder if he had gotten hurt by someone in his past because most people dont seperate themselves completely from every other human being out there unless theyre afraid. Chris doesnt seem to want any one else in his life.
"Franz grew increasingly fond of Alex. "God was he a smart kid," " Opinion- Alex had a way with people, he seemed to have a way with making friends. I find this weird, because even though he became sound good friends with Franz, it was so easy for Alex to leave him. Alex has no emotional attachment to people. page 52.
"He always wore shoes with socks just plan couldn't stand to wear socks...Chris would comply with the rule,but as soon as his shift was over bang! First thing that was off"-Page 40.
ReplyDeleteConnection: I'm with Alex, I try not to wear socks whenever possible. Even in the winter time, I wear socks but when I come home the first thing that comes off would be the socks.
"You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against out habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living." page 57.
Musing: This is a cool idea, because if people are doing coping with their life they aren't really living it. So many people are busy and they just forget about enjoying what's around them.
Clarifying Question: Why do you think Alex choose not to have sex?
" I will be fine with what i've got" Chris page 6
ReplyDeleteI have learned in all my outdoor experiences that if you assume you have EVERY thing you need, you most likely are mistaken and will suffer from that mistake.
"There was just no talking that guy out of it" Gallien page 6
That reminds me of me. If i am truly determined to do something it is nearly impossible to talk me out of it even if you offered me a billion dollars i still wont be talked out of it.
Clarifying Question: Why in the world would Chris not have brought a higher powered rifle?
they are both connections
Delete"Mcandless was simply one more dreamy half-cocked greenhorn who went into the country expecting to find answers for all of his problems and instead found only mosquitos and a lonely death." No page because read on Kindle
ReplyDeleteI think this is wrong for many reasons. First Mcandless wasn't going inot the wild for answers but t get away. What questions did he have? Second he wasn't lonely when he died because he didn't want to be with anybody. I can say he was lonely but thats the way he wanted it.
"So on december 26, when i learned what happened, I renounced Lord, I withdrew my church membership and became an atheist."
I think that this is very wrong, First if you believe in god you won't become atheist because a young kid dies doing dumb things. But i think this also goes much further it shows that he was really close to alex and did very extreme things because he did such things.
Clarifying Question: why did alex wonder around so much and not just go straight up to alaska
"We're still getting a lot of mileage out of that old car even now," Walsh proudly reports two and a half years after finding the Datsun. "Put a few bucks of gas in the thing, and it will go all day. Real reliable. I kind of wondered why nobody ever showed up to reclaim it."(27)
ReplyDeleteConnection: The part were it talks about Chris's car reminds me of the time we were comeing back from New Jersey and all of a sudden we look back and there was smoke comeing out of our car and we had to stop and we found out that the turbo died.
"One Thursday in mid-January,McCandless was hitching back out to the bajada after filling his jug when an old man, name of Ron Franz, stopped to give him a ride."(49)
Musing: I think its kind of weird how he always got rides. If I saw someone that looked like a wild looking person,I wouldntn't want them to get in my car casue I would think they were dangerous.
Discussion Question: Did Chris ever get to see his family before he died or send them a letter to say how he was or what he was doing?
"But unlike Waterman, McCandless wasn't mentally ill." pg. 85 (Opinion Response)I agree with Jon Krakauer on that one. Waterman slowly went crazy by being alone, whereas McCandless made friends along the way, kept in touch, and was intelligent throughout his life and his final years.
ReplyDeleteMusing Response: "Westerberg was both shorthanded and very busy, so he asked McCandless to postpone his departure and work a week or two longer. McCandless wouldn't even consider it." This passage really shows how much his Alaskan Odyssey meant to him, and how even though he often did not make plans, when he did, he stuck to them. It also showed how when he put his mind on something, he did it.
Clarifying Question (or maybe Discussion?): When Alex/Chris writes to Jan Burres and Bob saying "This is the last communication you shall receive from me... it was great knowing you." (pg. 69), how does he know he will never speak or write to them again? Does he say "it was great knowing you." just in case? Or does he have a suspicion he will die in Alaska?
"Until then I never knew he was musical" Jan Burres pg. 43
ReplyDeleteMusing: This quote shows that Chris didn't tell anyone what he did or what he was good at he just let them figure it out for themselves.
" Alex used to sit at the bar in the Cabaret and read that belt for hours on end" Wayne Westerberg pg.68
Musing: this quote shows that alex really did care about things that had happened in the past and he treasured all the memories he made with various people.
Clarifying Question: Why does Chris think that it would be "cheating" to fly to alaska?
In May 1990, Chris graduated from Emory University in Atlanta, where he'd been a columnist for, and editor of, the student newspaper, The Emory Wheel, and had distinguished himself as a history and anthropology major with a 3.72 grade point average. pg 20
ReplyDeleteMusing: He had a very good chance at a high paying job and a good life but he turned it down to go into the wild.
"Nice guy, yeah, a pretty nice guy," Charlie pg 42
Musing: A lot og people thought that he was a very nice guy.
Clarifying Question: Why did chris leave behind his good collage and good life?
"During those four weeks in Carthage, McCandless worked hard, doing dirty jobs, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted to tackle: mucking out warehouses, exterminating vermin, painting, scything weeds" Westerburg pg. 62. Chris is a hard-worker, what ever he puts his mind to he'll complete. He uses that same sense by thinking the notion of living a nomadic lifestyle, and completing it.
ReplyDelete"In the distance spiky, chocolate-brown mountains floated on eerie pools of mirage. Leaving the river for a day to track a herd of wild horses, he came across a sign warning that he was trespassing on the U.S Army;s highly restricted Yuma Proving Ground. McCandless was deterred not in the least" pg. 33. McCandless is stubborn and has an extremely large sense of pride. He is a rebel. His new life defies the laws of America and his behavior defies the civic virtues of a citizen. He is independent and brave. I think that in his previous lifestyle back home, he was most likely a considerate and mild tempered kid, and being able to rebel gives him a new sense of power and freedom.
Clarifying Question: What happened that made him want to be this way? what were his family relations?
"The cabin he was staying in caught fire and burned to ruble, incinerating both his equipment and the voluminous accumulation of notes, poetry, and personal journals that he regarded as his life's work."
ReplyDeleteI can see why this would cause waterman would submit himself into a mental ward after this, because (as I see it) most of these explorations and trips are of a philosophical nature, for instance, did not Gene Rosellini live in that hobble because he thought that mankind could no longer with out machines and gunpowder? I believe this is why all these journeys a sort a walkabout.
“McCandless made an indelible impression on a number of people during the course of his hegira, most of whom spent only a few days in his company, a week or two at most.” (48)
ReplyDelete(Opinion) I think this is a very telling statement in the fact that Chris was able to leave a lasting imprint on people he briefly met. This would later impact their knowledge of Chris not being mentally unstable after people questioned this upon his death.
“He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn’t a hermit.” (44)
(Musing) This quote plays into the personality of Chris. He was balanced in his social life. He liked to be alone and have his freedom but he needed people and their support.
Why did he want to go to Alaska to be “alone” for a long time if he needed people’s company?
"As a young man Gene had been a good athlete and a brilliant student... He sustained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average through high school and college (pg.73)."
ReplyDelete(Connection) I think that Rosellini was very similar to Chris. They both were very smart, headed in a good direction, and excelled in sports. However, they decided that none of these qualities seemed to tell anything about their personalities. They were both obsessed with nature and finding their own way to live and thats just what they did.
"The ice looked colder and more mysterious, the sky a cleaner shade of blue. The unnamed peaks towering over the glacier were bigger and comelier and infinitely more menacing than they would have been were I in the company of another person. And my emotions were similarly amplified: The highs were higher; the periods of despair were deeper and darker. To a self-possessed young man inebriated withe the unfolding drama of his own life, all f this held enormous appeal (pg. 138)."
This passage shows how being alone with no one but nature has its appeals; everything feels more real and exhilarating. You feel attuned with what is going on around you and everything you do is by your own judgement. To some, this feeling could be rehabilitating while others might find themselves claustrophobic or panicky , and there are more who would not know how they feel about it.
Would chris have left his home to go wander all over the country if he and his parents had a better relationship?