Chris Tolstoy's Journey Into The Wild Answers

Everyone personally wants something different. Chris wanted to be able to survive for as long as he could without utilizing the help of any human soul. He learned and studied how to butcher northern animals, which berries and mushrooms were safe, and how to survive in the harsh Alaskan cold; however, sometimes the limitations on specific goals needed to be taken into consideration. Believing that there was nothing he could not do, he may have had too much confidence, which could possibly be a bad thing. He exclaims to Jim Gallien, a truck driver giving him a lift just before he walks into the wilderness, "'I won't run into anything I can't deal with on my own'" (6). His inability to see the restrictions of what he cannot do may have eventually led to his death. In his defense, he was not on a suicide mission; he was prepared not to make it out alive. Chris knew the risks he was taking but saw it as a personal challenge that needed to be

I think he just wanted to pursue life in a different way. Chris was not seeing life the way anyone else was so he decided to brush off into the wild and be free on his own. Though he did not survive he was still a very bright, arrogant human being. Shaun Callarman states, “He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his Romantic silliness.” Chris knew going into the wild that he did not have much survival skills but that did not stop him from doing what he wanted to do because he did not care about society and was just completely over everything which was why he made the move to the wilderness. This clearly shows us that Chris did not have much common sense. If he had better survival skills and common sense he probably would have known not to eat that poisonous berry. It was his dream to be in the wild and he decided to pursue it. I respect his decisions and i personally believe it was a good decision other than the fact of him dying. He made the infinitive decision to do all of this so why stop

In nature, Chris focused only on himself and survival, rather than his troubles at home, the needs of others, or the standards of society. In a way, he was forced to go into the outdoors because of these poor relationships and inner conflicts within himself. Although Chris sought nature to help him, it destroyed him. He never returned from Alaska to put into practice what he had finally learned about himself and his need for others. Nature and his plan had worked against him, since, he eventually died of starvation.

He didn’t take any shortcuts or cheat his way through; he paved every step himself and owned up to his mistakes. To repay Gallien for the ride, Chris “insisted on giving Gallien his watch, his comb, and what he said was all his money: eighty-five cents in loose change” (Krakauer 7). From an outside point of view, this act might have seemed extra and unnecessary, but to Chris’s conscience, he should give back what he received. He was aware of the chance that he would not come out of the Alaskan wild again so he didn’t want to leave any unpaid debts or favors. Rather than just accepting others’ gifts, or even asking for items, he wanted to earn his own way to Alaska. Throughout the journey, he worked diligently, “...doing dirty, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted to tackle…” (Krakauer 62) in order to achieve his dream. His moral compass might not have been what society considers “right”, but “It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right” (Thoreau). When “Gallien asked whether he had a hunting license” (Krakauer 6), Chris responded with “How I feed myself is none of the government’s business” (Krakauer 6). From a legal standpoint, yes, hunting without the license is illegal, but from Chris’s view, he is not hurting anyone by not having the license. He believed that society is corrupt and therefore he didn’t need the system

Chris acted recklessly when he walked off into the Alaskan wilderness. One major aspect of his journey that contributed to it being risky involved preparation. As Chris prepared, he didn’t think of all aspects for survival in the wilderness, such as changing seasons and traveling. This came apparent right away as he is about to walk into the wild without boots, luckily his ride offered him a pair. After spending more time in the wild it showed that Chris should have brought more food. Also, he should have bought a bigger gun or a gun that you could differ the ammo in. This would have been beneficial for hunting different sized game. During the summer it was harder for him to find food and prepare it fast enough to eat, he may have survived

Chris was a very stubborn individual and never wanted to compromise his morals to please others. Chris never listened to suggestions or advisement of others as he was on his journey. His incompetence and inability to take other people’s advisement into account was ultimately was caused his death. Gallien tried to warn McCandless of the rough conditions by telling him “the hunting wasn’t easy where he was going, that he could go days without killing any game” (Krakauer 5). Gallien is just one example of someone who tried to help McCandless realize that living alone in Alaska would be very gueling, but McCandless assumed that if he could survive for a month in the Gulf of California, he would also be able to thrive in Alaska. Of course Chris ignored Galliens advice and did things his own way because he’s stubborn. One of Chris’ flaws was that he had very strong opinions that were so different from the rest of society and was fiercely independent. Chris’ beliefs and points of view led to him going into the wild without anyone aware of his whereabouts. Chris never wanted help from anyone and he expressed this when he said, “I won’t run into anything I can’t deal with on my own”(Krakauer 6). Chris also “hadn’t spoken to his family in nearly two years”(Krakauer 6). Both of these quotes emphasize the fact that he felt the need to be utterly alone. If Chris had told someone his real name and his desired destination then he wouldn’t have died alone in Alaska. Chris would’ve been better off if he had listened to the advice he was given and if he had told people about his whereabouts.

Chris McCandless thought that he was prepared for his Alaskan odyssey. It turned out he was very ill prepared which is what caused his death. He did not pack enough food because he compared the amount of food he would need to his southern adventures. He also didn’t have the

First of all, Christopher McCandless was not prepared for life in Alaska. If Christopher did more planning for his trip, then he would have had a better chance at surviving. It is believed that, “By design McCandless came into the country with insufficient provisions, and he lacked certain pieces of equipment deemed essential by many Alaskans: a large-calibre rifle, map and compass, an ax” (Krakauer 180). Christopher did not bring any of the needed supplies with him to Alaska. If he did more research on Alaska then he would know it is not easy to survive without the basic essentials. He was naive and believed he could live off the land. Christopher should have found out that even the most experienced of people have trouble surviving in Alaska. Even if they had all the supplies. People who prepared for Alaska have a better chance of survival. Jon Krakauer is an example of somebody that was prepared for Alaska. He states in his book that “Unlike McCandless, however, I have in my backpack a 1:63,360-scale topographic map (that is, a map on which one inch represents one mile). Exquisitely detailed, it indicates that half a mile downstream, in the throat of the canyon, is a gauging station” ( Krakauer 173). He explains that he brought a map that helped him find a way across the water safely. If Christopher was better prepared and he brought a map it could have saved his life. He could not make it across safely so he headed back to the bus. He would not have had the opportunity to eat bad seeds ( believed to be what killed him) if he knew a way across.

For him, spending a year or two in the Alaskan wilderness was his way of doing that. In my opinion, Chris had every right to go into the Alaskan wilderness and Shaun Callarman had no business questioning Chris’ right to do so. Shaun Callarman talks about romantic silliness. “...going into Alaska with his romantic silliness” (Krakauer, 1997) At what point was Chris trying to be romantic? He was just trying to find himself and escape the life that brought him so much pain. He wasn’t on some grand quest for some romantic journey.

While in these different states he met people along the way that got close to him and wanted to help him on his journey. He believed in self reliance and self trust so whenever people offered him anything he wouldn’t take them. (Krakauer 33). After an extended argument Burress also got McCandless to accept some long underwear and other warm clothing she thought he would need in Alaska. “He eventually took it to shut me up.” said Burres. “But the day after I found most of it in the van.” It is quite obvious that Chris did not want to help of others or rather even hated it. (Krakauer 33). As the novel states Chris “Acted really offended when Burres offered him supplies.” Chris hated when he was offered help most likely because he wanted to be able to prove something that he could do this odessey without anyone’s help. He left the people that he met with the impression that he didn’t want their help although he liked their company. As well as the fact that he was determined to accomplish his goals by all means necessary.

One of Chris McCandless’s most foolish mistakes was failing to inform anyone on when he was planning to return. Chris made many new friends on his trip around America. He listened to their stories, learned from them, and told them about his plan to enter Alaska, but never talked about

2. On page 107, “He could be alone without being lonely.” Chris adored being alone, away from other people. It seems rational that this attitude was a basis of his later journey where he was unaccompanied for months. On page 109 “Chris was fearless even when he was little.” Chris wouldn’t have lived alone in the Alaskan wilderness for that long if he was frightened. At the end his behavior was the resolute by a lot of factors, but his fearlessness was definitely one of them.

People considered Chris’ search for happiness crazy and insane, but that is just their opinions. Other’s opinions didn’t mean anything to Chris because he did what he wanted, and no one was going to stop him, no matter how crazy his goals were. He wasn’t just searching for happiness but as Krakauer said, “McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder the the nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the inner country of his own soul”(183). Chris went into the wilderness to learn who he was and why he was that way, and in his search for his identity, he had to search for his happiness, as that is what he lives for. Chris went into the Alaskan Bush in order to live the way he wanted.

The book states,” some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideas.” It takes bravery to do what Chris did. He didn’t agree with how society wanted people to live, so he took action to change his living conditions. As stated in the book, “No, thanks anyway, “Alex replied,” I’ll be fine with what I’ve got.” This goes to show Chris is an independent person. He wanted to accomplish his goal of living in the wilderness with little to no aid. “There was just no talking the guy out of it.” This demonstrates Chris’ drive to live in the wild. He had a goal, and was not going to stop till he achieved it. Thus, Chris was a determined independent

Throughout Chris’s adolescent years, there was something inside of him that drew him to the wilderness. A desire to leave behind his past perhaps, or just a passion that could only be satisfied through nature. As a young boy, his family would take camping trips every year. This was one of Chris’s favorite memories with his family. Walt, Chris’s father, reminisces and explains, “Chris loved those trips, the longer the better” (108). Everyone recognized his fascination with the wild. A yearly camping trip however, couldn’t fulfill his need to be in the wild. As Chris ventured into the Alaska wilderness, he discovered the happiness he was looking for his entire life. The happiness he was longing for was finally achieved.