Into the Wild

Into the Wild
Student Version
Reading selection for this module:
Krakauer, Jon, Into the Wild. Doubleday: New York, 1996.
All work to be done in the “Notebook”
Activity 1: Getting Ready to Read
Into the Wild is a nonfiction, full-length text by Jon Krakauer. Published in 1996, it is based on an article Krakauer wrote in Outside Magazine about Christopher McCandless, a young college graduate who went off to Alaska and died in the woods. Because Krakauer’s article drew a huge amount of mail to the magazine, he decided to write a book about this interesting character. He’s a young, idealistic guy who forms a life philosophy based on his experience and his reading in college. His idealism, ironically, leads to his death by starvation. He makes choices that seem foolish as we look at them now. But McCandless genuinely loved the outdoors and wanted to live in the world without all the trappings of money and his middle-class upbringing. Into the Wild is, in a way, a mystery story. We’re unsure as to why he rejects his family, why he’s so angry with them, and why he chooses to head for Alaska.
Quickwrite:
* Think about your experience hiking, backpacking, and/or existing in the wild. What are the benefits of any one of these activities? or * Think about some alternative plans you might have to beginning college immediately after high school. What might you do? Why would you do it, and for how long could you see yourself doing that activity? or * Think about an experience you have had when you were alone and made some misjudgments that could have led to disaster but didn’t (it doesn’t have to be in the outdoors). What miscalculations did you make and how did you avert disaster? Activity 2: Introducing Key Concepts
We know about characters from their actions, their thoughts, what they say, their appearance, and what others say about them. This book explores a character, Chris McCandless, and the actions he takes. Before reading about him, complete this pre-reading activity. Read the scenarios below and use specific words to describe the character in the scenario. In groups, you will compare your lists, then turn in your finalized list of descriptive words to your teacher.
Mary was from the Valley. She used the word “like” in front of most of her adjectives when she spoke and talked quite a bit. On her 16th birthday she expected to get a car. It was a given. Her friends thought she would get a pink Maserati, but she was sure her parents would buy her the candy-apple red Alfa Romeo. The day of her birthday came, and as she peered out her bedroom window, she noticed a new car in the driveway, but it was yellow—surely not hers. She thought it may have been the new cleaning woman’s. She did not see any other car in the long driveway. She ran down to get a closer look. It was a new canary-colored convertible Volkswagen bug. On the front driver’s-side seat was a birthday note to her. She burst into tears and ran into the house.
Words to describe Mary: ________________________________________________
Vandana had a comfortable life. Not unlike her friends, Vandana had gone to school and done well and soon was to attend the university. She had received several scholarships and her parents had planned to pay the rest for her education. Vandana hoped to help people in her future career, but hadn’t quite decided in which field she wanted to do this. She decided to take a year off before attending college. Her parents refused her this. She worked hard the summer before she was to go to college, and made enough money for a one way ticket to India. She had been interested in the life of Buddha and wanted to learn more about him. Leaving a note for her parents, she headed off to India, in hopes of discovering a spiritual and centered path for herself.
Words to describe Vandana: _____________________________________________
Emory was very popular and made friends easily. People were drawn to his honest nature and his free spirit. It was odd when two of his classmates saw drawings he had made to build bombs in his math notebook. It was even odder when he took off one day without a word to his teachers or friends. His parents notified the police. When they did a search of his room, they found two small guns and threatening notes he had written to a former girlfriend a year earlier.
Words to describe Emory: ______________________________________________

Activity 3: Surveying the Text * Count the number of chapters in the text. * Read a few chapter titles. * Read a few of the short epigraphs that come before a chapter begins. (An epigraph is a relevant quotation at the beginning of a book, a chapter, etc.) * Look at the length of the book. * Look at any maps or photographs. * Identify the author and publication date. * What other works has Krakauer written? Do you know of them? Have you read them?
Author’s Note:
Many readers skip the author’s note that begins a book, but this note by Krakauer is particularly interesting and will guide your reading of his book. Read the three-page author’s note before you begin to read the work. Then form groups of three or four and discuss the following questions: * What might have McCandless’s motives have been for his behavior (paragraph 3)? * How difficult would it be to invent a new life? * In paragraph 4, Krakauer introduces some themes of the book. Discuss these. * In paragraph 5, Krakauer warns us that he will not be an impartial biographer. What does this mean? Are all biographers impartial? What might we expect from Krakauer? * In the last paragraph, Krakauer introduces the complexity of Chris McCandless. Keep in mind the following four questions as you read the text: 1 Should we admire McCandless for his courage and noble ideas? 2 Was he a reckless idiot? 3 Was he crazy? 4 Was he an arrogant and stupid narcissist?

Activity 4: Making Predictions and Ask Questions (Extra Credit) * Find an issue of Outside Magazine and write a one-page report describing the magazine, its audience, the kinds of articles it publishes, and so forth. Then ask yourself these questions: * Why do you think Krakauer wrote this particular book? * Who do you think is the intended audience for this book?
Note that the book’s roots can be found in a long article about McCandless in Outside Magazine.

Activity 6: First Reading
Quickwrites (5 minutes)
After you finish each chapter, write down what you think the chapter’s main focus is and what the author is trying to accomplish in that chapter. Here are some other questions to ask yourself:
· What are the issues the author is discussing? (this is basically a summary)
· What does the author want us to believe? (this is the author’s purpose)

Because you will be given directed tasks as you read Into the Wild, you will need to flip back and forth in this guide. For example, you might read chapters 1 and 2, practice a reading strategy, skip to the section on vocabulary for those chapters, skip on to the section that gives you strategies for rereading, and so forth.
Reading Chapters 1 and 2: The Beginning and the End
Note the epigraphs that begin each of these chapters. One is by a friend of Chris McCandless and the other is by McCandless, followed by a quotation from White Fang, by Jack London. In a notebook, keep track of the literary quotations that Krakauer uses in his epigraphs.
Make note of all the maps that begin the text. * What is your assessment of Chris McCandless so far?
Keep notes as you read, ask questions of the text, and write down your reactions.
Reading Chapter 3: Home
Jot down your thoughts on the following questions: * What was Westerberg like? What kind of character did he have? * What was McCandless like? What kind of character did he have? Would you have liked to know him?

Reading Chapters 4–7: The Journey
Study the map that begins Chapter 4 and refer to it as you follow McCandless’s journey.
Jot down answers to the following as you read these chapters: * In your notebook, list the people McCandless met along the way. * What was it about McCandless’s personality that made an impression on people? * Note Alex’s journal. Why do you think he avoided using the first person when he talked about himself? (He did not use “I.”) * What is the purpose of Chapter 4? * Characterize Ronald Franz. What kind of a human being was he? Did he have your sympathy? Why or why not? * What more did you learn about Alex’s relationship with his father? Do you think his anger is justified? Why or why not?
Reading Chapters 8–10: The Outcasts * What is the function of these chapters? What is their relationship to the rest of the text? * Why did Krakauer interrupt the McCandless story with Chapters 8 and 9? * Were you surprised that McCandless left trails so that the authorities could find out who he was? * What’s in a name? Does it matter that we have the name we were given by our parents? How do names matter? Does your name fit you? If not, what name would you choose? Why?
Reading Chapters 11–13: Family History
These three key chapters give background information that will help you piece together the mystery of McCandless. Chapter 11 fills in his personal past; Chapter 12 fills in his family past; and Chapter 13 chronicles McCandless’s family’s grief.
Jot down the surprises (if any) that you encountered as you read. * What was McCandless like as a child and as a teen? What was he like as an adult? Were there indications throughout his life as to the kind of person he would become? * Do you think you are essentially the same person you were as a child? How have you changed?
Reading Chapters 14 and 15: Krakauer Interjects * Why does Krakauer talk about himself in these two chapters? * Do you like his interjections? * What is your reaction to his description of his own climbing experience? * How is Krakauer’s life related to McCandless’s? * John Menlove Edwards said that climbing is a “psycho-neurotic tendency.” Do you think that is so? Always? * Do you think that Edwards defines McCandless? How is he psycho-neurotic?
Reading Chapters 16–18: Into the Alaskan Wild
Go back to the author’s notes and jot down your thoughts on the questions Krakauer asks at that point: * Was McCandless crazy? * Was he just ignorant? * Did he have a death wish? * Investigate further the wild sweet peas and wild potatoes McCandless ate. Were they toxic?
Reading the Epilogue: Grief * What was your initial sense of McCandless’s mental condition compared to what you think now? Have you changed your mind? * What was your reaction to his parents as they visited the bus?

Activity 7: Looking Closely at Language
Because this reading is a full-length book, there are many new words to learn. You learn most of the words you know from hearing them or reading them. Here are some clues to help you learn new words as you are reading. 1 Notice what comes before and after the word for clues as well as the parts of the word itself you may already know. 2 Link your prior knowledge with what you are reading—make connections to the word or subject. 3 Make predictions about the word’s meaning. 4 Use references to find more about the word. 5 Make connections to a key concept and, if relevant, place the new word and its meaning in your concept dictionary.

Activity 8: Rereading the Text
Our first reading of a book gives us the story line, the major conflicts, and a sense of what the author intends. The second (or third) reading provides richer analyses and a deeper understanding of the text. In the author’s notes, Krakauer provides a guide to our reading—especially to our subsequent reading of Into the Wild.
As you look at the text again, go back to the four questions he asks in his “notes.” 1 Was McCandless admirable for his courage and noble ideas? 2 Was he a reckless idiot? 3 Was he crazy? 4 Was he a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity—and was he undeserving of the considerable media attention he received?
Make marginal notes as you reread the text. When you respond to the chapter questions, cite the text, if necessary, where you find evidence for your judgments.
Chapters 1 and 2
Each chapter begins with a short epigraph (a quotation that is relevant to that chapter). Now that you have a better sense of Chris McCandless’s story, why do you think these epigraphs are relevant to these chapters?
Chapter 3 * How would you characterize McCandless’s relationships with other people: his parents, his sister, Westerberg? * What did his friends make of his secretive life?
Chapters 4–7
As you read, see if you can find evidence of Alex’s preparation for Alaska:
Read Thoreau’s “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and consider how Alex might have incorporated Thoreau’s advice into his life philosophy.
Read some of Jack London’s work that we know influenced Alex: The Call of the Wild, White Fang, “To Build a Fire,” “An Odyssey of the North,” “The Wit of Porportuk.” * Why did these works appeal to Alex?
Reread the notes Alex sent to his friends at the end of Chapter 7. * What is his tone? * What is his attitude?
Chapter 8–10
Reread Chapter 8 and consider the charges by others against Krakauer. * Should they be taken seriously? Why or why not?
Study the map that begins Chapter 9 and follow Ruess’s journey. * Consider how the story of the papar (Irish monks) relates to the story of the “outcasts” that Krakauer discusses (Chapter 9).
Chapters 11–13
Consider McCandless’s family history. * Does that change your view of him? * Characterize each of McCandless’s family members. What are their strengths and weaknesses? * Was McCandless reasonable in his reaction to his parents’ past? Should he have forgiven them? * How do you think the information about his parents affected McCandless? * Does his anger at them explain something about McCandless’s choices in life? * Chapter 12 ends with McCandless’s mother talking about a dream (nightmare?) that she had. Have you ever had such a thing happen to you? Should we take dreams such as these seriously? Why or why not?
Chapters 14 and 15 * Think about and then jot down comparisons you see between McCandless’s relationship with his father and Krakauer’s relationship with his. * Do you think Krakauer understands McCandless? Why or why not? * Do you think Krakauer reads too much into McCandless’s life because he feels some sort of affinity to him? * Respond to the following quotation at the end of Chapter 15: “It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is you God-given right to have it.”
Chapters 16–18 * List the various miscalculations and mistakes McCandless made. * Toward the end of Chapter 16, Krakauer tells us that McCandless read Walden. Take a look at Thoreau’s text and figure out what Chris found most interesting in Thoreau’s discussion of food. * If you have worked through the module called “Politics of Food,” compare Thoreau with Wendell Berry. * Have you ever fasted? Do you know anyone who has? Do some research on fasting and report to the class what you find or write a short report.
Epilogue
The traditional definition of an epilogue is that it is a concluding part of a literary work. * Is Into the Wild a “literary work”? Why or why not? * Is the last paragraph of the book an effective ending to the book? Why or why not?

Activity 9: Analyzing Stylistic Choices
Precise writers make linguistic choices to create certain effects. They want to have their readers react in a certain way. Go back through the text and analyze Krakauer’s use of words, sentences, and paragraphs and take note as to how effective a writer he is.
Chapters 1 and 2
Words
As you revisit these chapters, pay attention to the denotative and connotative meanings of key words. Think about the effect certain words have on you.
Krakauer describes McCandless’s body in a very clinical way. Reread that description:
“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 sixty-seven pounds. Starvation was posited as the most probable cause of death.” * How are you affected by this description? * Look again at the words in the vocabulary list that relate to the harshness of Alaska. Are you interested in traveling there sometime? * Why does understanding the new words matter?
Sentences
Consider the sentence structure Krakauer uses. * How varied are his sentences? * What effects do choice of sentence structure and length have on the reader?
Chapter 3
Denotation/Connotation
Consider the connotations of some of the word choices Krakauer makes. For example, he describes Westerberg as “drawn into a scheme to build and sell ‘black boxes,’ which illegally unscramble satellite-television transmissions, allowing people to watch encrypted cable programming without paying for it.” * Is Krakauer sympathetic to Westerberg? How do you know? * Compare the language and tone of the two letters that McCandless writes, one to his sister and one to his parents. What did McCandless mean when he said, “ . . . they will think they have bought my respect”?
Chapters 4–7
Paragraphs
A few pages from the end of Chapter 7, Krakauer gives us an analysis of Alex’s relationship with his father and mother (it begins, “Westerberg’s latter conjecture . . . ”). * What is the tone of this paragraph? * Does Krakauer cite any evidence that suggests he “knows” that his analysis is accurate? * Does it matter?
Chapters 8–10
Paragraphs
In the first part of Chapter 8, Krakauer quotes Alaskans who had opinions about McCandless and his death. * Why does Krakauer cite these letters? How does doing so add to the text or subtract from it? * Choose one of these letters and respond to it, explaining the degree to which you agree or disagree.
Tone
Krakauer inserts himself into the story in Chapter 8. * Does this give him more credibility? * Do you find this annoying? Why or why not?
Chapters 11–13
Words
A few pages into Chapter 13, Krakauer describes McCandless’s sister’s behavior when she was told about her brother’s death. * Why does he use the word “keening” instead of crying? * What are the denotations and connotations of this word? What is its history?
Sentences
Reread aloud the next-to-last paragraph in Chapter 13, where Krakauer powerfully describes Billie’s grief. * Rephrase the paragraph and simplify it in your own words. * What makes Krakauer’s description powerful?
Chapters 14 and 15
Words
The technical vocabulary in these two chapters is important. Investigate the meaning of the vocabulary and provide information for the class, using slides or drawings.
Chapters 16–18
Tone
Read aloud the last paragraph in Chapter 18. * How does Krakauer know that McCandless “was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God”? Explain. * Does Krakauer have the right to infer from the photograph that McCandless had the serenity of a monk? * What is an alternative interpretation of the photograph?
Epilogue
Read aloud the last paragraph of the book. * Is the language literary? Why or why not? * What is its effect on you?

Activity 10: Considering the Structure of the Text
Mapping out the organizational structure of the text helps us to understand the content itself.
Chapters 1 and 2
Mapping the Organizational Structure * Contrast the two chapters. What is the purpose of each? * How effective is the organization? * Consider the last paragraph of each chapter. What is the function of each? How does each paragraph work?
Chapter 3 * What is the point of focusing on Carthage, South Dakota, and on Westerberg in this chapter? * How does this chapter function in terms of the organization of the whole?
Chapters 4–7
Descriptive Outlining
Write brief statements describing the function of each of these chapters. What is Krakauer trying to accomplish? * Chapter 4: * Chapter 5: * Chapter 6: * Chapter 7: * How do these chapters work as a whole?
Chapters 8–10
Briefly outline each of these chapters and explain the function of each. * Chapter 8: * Chapter 9: * Chapter 10: * How important is it for us to compare McCandless with Rosellini, Ruess, and Waterman? * Why did Krakauer give us these details?
Chapters 11–13
These chapters give us important background knowledge. * Would the book have been more effective if Krakauer had used a different organizing strategy? * What if the book had ended with McCandless’s death (i.e., moved chronologically)? Argue for an organizing strategy (either Krakauer’s strategy or another one).
Chapters 14 and 15
In these two chapters, we learn about Krakauer. * Are these chapters important to the story of McCandless? * What do they add? * Is there an argument for dumping them? * In the first few pages of Chapter 14, Krakauer gives his thesis for the whole book. Can you find it? * Do you agree with Krakauer’s thesis? Why or why not?
Chapters 16–18
In Chapter 16, Krakauer gives a summary of the last few months of McCandless’s life. * Do you think Krakauer admires McCandless? Cite your evidence. * In Chapter 17, Krakauer does not arrive at the bus until after about four pages. In those first pages, he gives us the details of the equipment he carries, the river flow, and the others with him. Is this necessary? What does it add? What does it detract? * Krakauer says that McCandless had a kind of “idiosyncratic logic.” Explain what Krakauer meant and the extent to which you agree or disagree with him.
Epilogue
This part of the book is very short. * What is the effect of having an epilogue that focuses entirely on the parents’ return to the bus?

Activity 12: Thinking Critically
Rhetorical appeals are the accepted ways in which we persuade or argue a case. The following questions will move you through more traditional rhetorical appeals. By focusing on logic, emotion, and the appeal of the writer, you will find yourself understanding further how Krakauer persuaded us and how you can use these techniques to persuade others when you write or speak.
Please make sure that you are not only using complete sentences, but also that you are giving these questions a lot of thought. This is not a quick assignment with short answers.
Questions about Logic (Logos) * Locate two major claims and assertions Krakauer makes in this book (e.g., I do [do not] agree with Krakauer that McCandless planned his death because . . . ). * Look at Krakauer’s support for his major claims and ask yourself if there is any claim that appears to be weak and unsupported. Which one(s) and why? Respond to the claims in the quotation below: * In Chapter 16, Krakauer says that McCandless “seemed to have moved beyond his need to assert so adamantly his autonomy, his need to separate himself from his parents. Maybe he was prepared to forgive their imperfections; maybe he was even prepared to forgive some of his own. McCandless seemed ready, perhaps, to go home.” * Look at McCandless’s response to several passages in Tolstoy’s “Family Happiness” toward the end of Chapter 16: “He was right in saying that the only certain happiness in life is to live for others. . . . I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one’s neighbor—such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps—what more can the heart of a man desire.” * Does this indicate a change in McCandless? * Was he ready to “go home”? * Do you think McCandless would fit into modern life—a job, a home, a mate, children? Why or why not? * Can you think of counterarguments the author does not deal with? * Do you think the author has left something out on purpose? Why?
Questions about the Writer (Ethos) * Does this author have an acceptable background to speak with authority on this subject? * Is this author knowledgeable? Smart? Successful? * What does the author’s style and language tell you about him? * Do you trust this author? Why or why not? * Do you think this author is deceptive? Why or why not? * Do you think this author is serious?
Questions about Emotions (Pathos) * Does this book affect you emotionally? Which parts? * Do you think the author is trying to manipulate your emotions? How? * Do your emotions conflict with your logical interpretation of the arguments? * Does the author use humor? How does that affect your acceptance of his ideas?

Activity 13: Using the Words of Others
One of the most important features of academic writing is the use of the words and ideas from written sources to support the writer’s own points. There are essentially three ways to incorporate words and ideas from sources: * Direct quotation. Jon Krakauer says, “I had been granted unusual freedom and responsibility at an early age, for which I should have been grateful in the extreme, but I wasn’t” (148). * Paraphrase. In Chapter 11 of Into the Wild, Walt, McCandless’s father, remembers an early hike with twelve-year-old Chris. They made it to 13,000 feet before turning back from the 14,256-foot summit in Colorado. Chris did not want to quit, and complained all the way down (109). * Summary. In Into the Wild, Krakauer seems to be working out his own past and his relationship with his father as well as telling the sad story of Chris McCandless. Because Krakauer, too, is a man of the outdoors, he understands something about the call of the wild.
Documentation. You will also need to learn to take notes with full citation information. For print material, you will need to record, at a minimum, the author, title, city of publication, publisher, date of publication, and page number. The two most common documentation formats used are the Modern Language Association (MLA) format, which is used mainly by English Departments, and the American Psychological Association format (APA).

Practice with Sources. Choose three passages from the text that relate to a particular theme in the book. Write each passage down as a correctly punctuated direct quotation. Then paraphrase the material in your own words. Finally, respond to the idea expressed in the passage by agreeing or disagreeing with it and explaining why. Later, you can use this material in an essay. * Direct quotation: * Paraphrase: * Respond to the idea expressed in a passage by agreeing or disagreeing with it and explaining why: