'Into the Wild' Summary

The man of the story is Chris McCandless, who went missing at the age of twenty. he had to live in the Alaskan wilderness for 120 days.eating nothing but seeds and berries. On the way back to civilization, his path was blocked by a melted river. After awhile, Chris started living on a unused bus. I think he was a very selfish man. He didn't tell his family about his leaving, and had them worrying about him. He finally dies out their in the Alaskan wilderness. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_wild

Jon Krakauer was born in 1954 in Corvallis, Oregon. Jon enjoyed traveling to Alaska all this life. In 1977,  he traveled alone to a remote icecap in Alaska. In 1996, Jon also reached the top of Mount Everest. He wrote many books, including Under the Banner of Heaven, and Into Thin Air, which was a number one best seller according to The New York Times. Into The Wild was probably his most famous book. Into The Wild was published in 1990, and was on the Best Seller list for two years. In 1999, Jon received an Academy Award for the, now movie, Into The Wild based off of his book.

 

A place that i would most like to go to, in America, that I haven't been to is Hawaii.  I think it would be fun to be in a tropical place. I would have a great time learning about Perl Harbor, and WWII in general. The history of the country fascinates me. I would like to see the memorial of the Arizona, and learn how everything happened that day. I would go their by airplane and land in Honolulu National Airport on a Monday morning.  It would be sunny all week, except for a flash thunderstorm on Thursday. I would stay in a hotel, not the wild, but I would like to go and experience the beaches and etc. My expectations are that I would have a very fun time, and I would want to come back again.

Direct characterization is when the the author simply tells what the character is like. Indirect characterization is when the author shows qualities of the character through speech, actions, dress, thoughts and interactions with other characters.

Direct Characterization 

• He didn't appeared  to be very old. (Pg 3.)
• Five feet seven or eight, (Pg 4)
• Wiry build (Pg 4 )
• he weighted 67 pounds when he died. (Pg 14) 
• he burned his money (pg 17)
  

Indirect Characterization 

• He looked friendly Pg4
• When Galien Tells him not to go, he still does ( determination) Pg5
• Alex was the hardest worker he has ever seen. ( Pg 18)
• He could talk for hours (pg 16) 
• he didn't want a car. ( Pg 5)

The Example; Chris McCandless: By Thomas Gardner

            “If my adventure proves fatal and you don’t hear from me again I want you to know that you’re a Great man. I now walk into the wild. Alex.” writes Chris. As a young man, Chris McCandless does what most of us could never do. He walked away from the pain and stress of his life, and became one with nature. For two years Chris traveled around North America; stopping in cities and changing the people he met lives on his way. Some people say Chris was selfish, just walking away from his family. Others say he was brave and strong willed to do the things he did. It’s hard to say what Chris was looking for out in the wild, and we don’t know if he found it; but we do know that his life have affected most, and his lessons teach us all.

             In the summer of 1990, 22 year old McCandless gave all him money to charity, and left his family without notice. Where was he going? Anywhere his mind took him. Chris wanted to change his life. He changed his name, discarded all form of identity, burned his money, and did the most he could to make sure his old life couldn’t catch up to him. His family was very worried about Chris when they found out he was gone. Chris was a very pro-nature, antigovernment person from the start, but it was still a shock when he left. Chris’s mother, Billie, recalls one night when she heard Chris calling to her. “I wasn’t dreaming. I didn’t imagine it. I heard his voice.” Billie said, “he was begging, ‘Mom! Help me!’”. His leaving without notice greatly wounded his family. Some people say he was selfish and self centered. He didn’t care about anyone else but himself. He had no consideration for his parent’s feelings or how anyone would react. All he cared about was getting away from them and society and being by himself.

              I do not think he was selfish at all. He went into the wild out of selflessness. He gave his money to the OXFAM charity. He did not possess material items his whole life, he did not believe that they could make you happy. I think the thing that Chris misunderstood is the love, and care that his family had for him. I think that one of the reasons Chris did not really care about leaving and not telling about it is that he thought that his family did not really care. He thought his family wouldn’t have missed him a lot, or somehow would get over it fast. He also had a poor relationship with his father, Walt, and did not realize the love Walt had for him. That was one misconception Chris made.

              Chris also thought that you do not need to have possessions to be happy. He thought that possessions just cluttered up your life. They gave people a false since of happiness. Chris got offered a new car for his graduation, and he did not accept it because the old, ugly car he had still worked fine. One of the reasons Chris went into the wild was to escape from all possessions and ditched his stuff. He thought by being in the wild he could be happy. By completely giving up on possessions, that would make him happy.

That is where Chris went wrong. Possessions don’t make you happy, people do. Human beings are social beings. We are most happy when we share it with others. Chris thought that if her left possessions, he would be happy, but while he was leaving his possessions, he left his family and friends too. He lived a happy life, but he realized, in the end, that he could have been happier if he let himself share his love.

             Chris has indirectly taught us how some great lessons. That I think are really important that we pay attention to. Of course he made some major mistakes, but who hasn’t. His mistakes were great enough and useful enough to teach a lot of people, and change our lives. That is the reason God put Chris on this earth; to teach us that the most important things in our lives are the people we share it with. And Chris is a respectable man for it. So use Chris to your advantage. Learn from him, I know I will. Don’t let Chris dies in vain.