101 Questions

On
Into the Wild
By Jon Krakauer

Name_____________________________ 101 Questions for Into the Wild

Judging a Book by the Cover

1) Use imagery to describe the picture on the front cover in detail:
It shows an old beat up green and white car in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by snow. It looks
abandoned and forgotten
2) Now read the words after the title. You already know the fate of the protagonist. What affect does this
have on you as a reader before you begin the narrative? Why do you think the author chose to do this?

You kind of already know that crhis dies, which makes the story feel sad right away. The author probably
wants the reads to focus on why he dies instead of just knowing the ending.

Chapter 1 “The Alaska Interior”

3) Jim Gallien describes a hitchhiker. What does he say he looks like?
He looks young, in his early 20s, kind of thing, and with a backpack thats not very impressive

4) How did the hitchhiker introduce himself? Why do you think he used a pseudonym?

He called himself alex, probably because he wanted to leave his past behind and just wanted a fresh start.

5) What did Gallien notice about this hitchhiker’s preparedness for the Alaskan wilderness initially and
then after their drive together?

Gallien thought he wasnt ready at first because his gear seemed weak, but later he saw that crhis was
stubborn and confident.
6) What did Gallien notice about the hitchhiker’s feelings about the government?

That he seemed pretty anti government and didnt trust authority

7) Gallien insisted that hitchhiker take a few of his things. How did that interaction play out? What was the
date of this entire incident?
It went kind of well, gallien gave chris boots and some food, even though he didnt really want them. This
happened in april 1992

Chapter 2 “The Stampede Trail”

8) This chapter begins with a quote from Jack London. Who is he and what has he written?

He wrote stories about survival and nature, like call of the wild

9) Describe the bus on page 10 &11. Where is it located and what does it look like?
The bus is rusty and old, and kind of stranded in the wilderness. Its in the stampede trail, far

away from towns

10) What did Thompson, Samel, and Swanson find on the door of the bus? Who else was at the bus that day?

They found a note from chris asking for help, and there were some hunters and hikers who also came by

11) How long had Chris McCandless been dead? What did they decide to do about the body?

He had been dead for about 2 weeks, and they decided to call the police.
12) What is assumed happened to Chris?

That he ate poison or starved

Chapter 3 “Carthage”
13) Who is Wayne Westerberg? Where does he live? What was his relation to Chris (Alex)?

He is a guy who chris worked for in south dakota. They had become friends

14) What is a “rubber tramp”

Is someone who travels a lot but uses a car

15) How did Westerberg describe Chris’s work ethic? How else did he characterize him?

He said that chris worked hard and was smart, but also very stubborn and “idealistic”

16) In pages 19 – 23 we learn more about Chris’s past. Describe what his life was like prior to his Alaskan
tragedy: What were his parents like? What kind of student was he? What were his exact words before left for
the summer?

Chris grew up in a rich family and was very smart, mainly because his parents had high expectations. Before
leaving, he told them he was gonna disappear for a while.

Chapter 4 “Detrital Wash”

17) What did Bud Walsh discover in Lake Mead National Recreation Area? Be specific.

He found chris’s abandoned car in the desert, which was buried by a flash flood.
18) What was ironic about the car after its discovery? Who did the car belong to?

The car still worked, but chris left it behind. Chris

19) McCandless is compared to a “latter-day Henry David Thoreau”. Explain who this person is:
He was a writer who loved nature and lived life simply. Chris admired the guy a lot.

20) How did the author know exactly what Chris was doing if he was travelling alone? Describe his
journey so far:

The author pieced it together using chris’s notes, journal, and people that he met. So far he had been
hitchhiking and exploring

21) We meet Jan Burres and Bob. Describe them:

They were both travelers who sold stuff at flea markets, they both liked chris and helped him out a lot.

22) Which of Chris’s acts “really scared” his parents?

He had donated all of his money and disappeared.

23) Describe Chris’s canoeing adventure on the Colorado River:

He had paddled down the colorado river without much planning and ended up in mexico, meaning that the
journey was dangerous and reckless.

24) Describe Chris’s state of mind at the end of chapter 4:

He felt free but also very lonely, kind of unsure of what he was going to do next.
Chapter 5 “Bullhead City”
25) Why does Krakauer surmise Chris enjoys staying in Bullhead? What does Chris himself say about life in
Bullhead?
He thinks that chris liked bullhead because it was calm and that he could blend in. Chris himself said that he
liked the simplicity there.

26) Describe Chris’s experience working at the local McDonald’s:

He didn’’t like wearing socks or taking orders from managers, he was a decent worker but didn’t fit in well.

27) Describe the “Slabs”. Who does Chris meet up with again? How does he help them?

They were a community of nomads and drifters. Chris reunited with kan and bob there,
where he helped them with their flea market booth.

28) Who fell in love with Chris? Why does he rebuff her advances?

Tracy, who was a teengaer, but he wasn’t interested in her, probably because he avoided

relationships
29) What is the only slice of Chris’s life that he reveals to Jan? How does she find this information out?

He showed jan some family photos, which was pretty rare for him to do. She also found out about his past
that way

Chapter 6 “Anza-Borrego”
30) Who did Krakauer receive a letter from and why?
He got a letter from Ron Franz, someone who had met chris and wanted to talk about him
31) How did Ron meet Chris?
He had given chris a ride in california

32) What happened to Ron’s family? Why do you suppose Ron took such a liking to Chris?

His wife and son died in a car crash, and he liked chris because he saw him as a son
33) What skill did Ron teach Chris? What did he make using this skill?

Ron taught chris leatherworking, where chris made a belt with designs showing his journey.

34) After Chris left Ron, how did they meet up again?

They met up briefly when chris wrote and asked ron to visit him
35) What does Ron offer to do for Chris?

He offered to adopt chris, but chris denied him because he didnt want to be tied down

36) What advice does Chris give Ron in his letter to him? How does Ron react?

He told ron to live adventurously and not stay in one place. Ron listened to him

and traveled for a bit

37) When Ron learned of Chris’s death, how did he react?

He was heartbroken and stopped believing in God

Chapter 7 “Carthage”
38) How does Wayne characterize Chris?
He said that chris was smart and hardworking, but stubborn and intense.

39) How does Chris feel about his parents?

He was frustrated with them because he felt that they were controlling and only cared about stuff.

40) Describe Krakauer’s analysis of Chris’s sexual appetite:

Not very interested in romantic relationships, because he

focused more on his ideals

41) What “frightened” Borah?

Borah was scared by how serious and determined chris was

about leaving and going to alaska.

42) Describe the postcards Chris sent on April 27, 1992:

They displayed how chris was happy and always hinted about his excitement about heading into the wild.

Chapter 8 “Alaska”
43) What was the general public’s reaction to news of Chris’s death?
44) Describe the adventures of the following “dreamy half-cocked greenhorns”:
a)Countercultural Idealist:

b) Vietnam Vet:

c) Gene Rosellini, Mayor of Hippie Cove:

d) John Mallon Waterman:

e) Carl McCunn:
45) What does Chris have in common with the aforementioned individuals?

Chapter 9 “Davis Gulch”

46) What similarities do you notice between Evrett Ruess’s letter and the postcards Chris sent to Wayne, Jan
& Bob:
47) Describe five similarities between Ruess and McCandless:
a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

Chapter 10 “Fairbanks”
48) What is your reaction to the New York Times article on page 98?

49) Initially, no one knew the identity of the body they found in the bus. How did they determine it was
Chris?
Chapter 11”Chesapeake Beach”
50) How did Walt & Billie react to Chris’s death?

51) Chris’s childhood had both good and bad times. Give a few examples of each: 52)

Describe Chris’s relationship with Carine:

53) Describe Chris’s relationship with the sport of running:

54) What was Chris like in high school?

55) Chris is described as puzzling, complex, and paradoxical. Why?

Chapter 12 “Annandale”
56) Where did Chris go after he graduated from high school?
57) What was Chris like at college?

58) Why did Chris’s relationship with his parents deteriorate?

59) What trip did Chris take in the spring of 1989?

60) Ho would you characterize Chris’s relationship with his parents as time passed?

61) Describe what happened to Billie on the night of July 1992:

Chapter 13 “Virginia Beach”

62) Why does Carine wish Chris had taken Buck with him?
She wishes that he had taken the dog with him because she

thought that buck would have given chris protection, and

maybe not left him so lonely throughout his journey. She

also thought that buck being there might’ve made chris

want to live more.

63) How does Carine feel 10 months after Chris’s death?

She still struggles with his death, mainly because she hasn’t
fully come to terms with his death.

64) How did she react when she first heard the news?

She broke down into uncontrollable sobbing and couldn’t eat or sleep for days.

Chapters 14 & 15 “The Stikine Ice Cap”

65) What connections does the author see in himself and McCandless? a)
Both were interested in extreme adventrues

b) They both had complicated relationships with their parents, but mainly their fathers

c) THey both wanted isolation in nature

d) They both took big risks when they were young

e) They were both determined to test their limits.

Chapter 16”The Alaska Interior”
66) How did Chris get to Alaska? He hitchhiked and was driven to fairbanks by stuckey
67) What was Stuckey’s impression of McCandless?

That he was smart and determined but also naive

because he didn’t know about the dangers of alaska.

68) What was ironic about the Geophysical Institute?

He could’ve found help there, but he didn’t get that

information.

69) Where did Gallien drop McCandless off?

He dropped him off at the Stampede Trail

70) How did Chris get across the Teklanika River?

He crossed it on foot when the water was lower in the

spring.

71) What is a Rubicon? Why is this Chris’s Rubicon?

Its a point of no return, and his decision to cross into

alaskan wilderness displayed his commitment to it.

72) React to Chris’s declaration of independence:

He had completely embraced freedom from society, and also felt like he was entirely reliant on himself,
which he saw as a personal victory

73) What difficulties did Chris initially encounter?

He struggled with hunting to get food, and adjusting to the harsh conditions

74) What did Chris tell Gallien his plan was? How did his plans change?
That he had planned to live off the land for months, but him struggling

made him rethink his survival strategy.

75) What was ironic about the “wilderness” surrounding the bus?

It wasn’t that remote, mainly because there was civilization and plenty of

resources nearby.
76) How did Chris feel about killing the moose?

First as a victory, but he didn’t feel great about it later when he couldn’t

preserve the meat.

77) Why does Krakauer speculate that Chris wanted to leave Alaska?

Because he realized the harsh reality of isolation, and he wanted to speak to someone else.
78) React to Chris’s writing in the middle of page 169:
He reflected on his journy, which showed that he was maybe reconsidering his choices.

79) What was Chris’s first pivotal setback?

The Teklanika River became impassable, which made it hard for him to return.

80) What did he decide to do after this first setback?

He had returned to the bus, where he tried to wait out the high water.

Chapter 17 “The Stampede Trail

81) Why did the author return the site of Chris’s death?
To understand chris’s journey and his final days.

82) What would’ve helped Chris escape that he was unaware of?

There was a hand operated tram that could’’ve help him cross the river
83) What is the author glad for that he had previously been annoyed by the thought of?

That the journey to retrace chris;s steps had actually given him closure.

84) What did many letters say was the one identifying mark of Chris’s incompetence? What did Krakauer
discover to counteract this?
He didn’t even bring a map, but it was intentional because he wanted to enhance his sense of adventure.

85) What feeling do you get as the author scans the empty bus?

A sense of loneliness, and he could see how Chris’s final days were.
86) What was McCandless’s prime mistake in trying to live off the land?

He underestimate the challenge of preserving food, and getting food.

87) Who is John Muir?

Someone that chris admired because he was a naturalist and advocated for wilderness preservation.

88) What did Liske notice about Chris’s journal?

It became more desperate and reflective as every day got worse.

89) The three men note how hard it is to do what?

That it is very hard to survive off the land in the alaskan wilderness

Chapter 18 “The Stampede Trail”

90) After being thwarted by the river, what did Chris do?
He returned to the bus

91) What did he write in bold print in the margin of his copy of Dr. Zhivago?

Happiness only real when shared

92) What is one theory of Chris’s death? Why is this theory flawed?

That he starved, though it was flawed because he had food but he just couldn’t digest it

properly.
93) What is the second theory behind Chris’s death? What does Chris himself blame?

That he was poisoned by some moldy seeds, which he himself thought of.

94) Why does Krakauer believe the above theory is less plausible?
Because there was no scientific proof that the seeds by themselves were fatal.
95) What is Krakauer’s final theory about Chris’s death?
That the potato seeds were toxic and caused him to have paralysis and starvation.

96) React to the entry on page 195:

He had accepted his fate, and he had shown peace but some regret.

97) What could’ve saved Chris if he had had a map?

He could’ve seen that there was a marked emergency shelter nearby.

98) Why does Forsberg suspect Chris had trashed the cabins? Why does Krakauer rule him out?
Because he believed that it was a survival desperation, but the author had found no evidence that

linked chris to the vandalism.

99) React to Chris’s note on the top of page 198:

It was like a final farewell, which showed him accepting his death.
100) What do some suggest Chris should’ve done to save himself?

He could’ve looked for a different route, or signaled for help.

101) How does the author describe Chris in his final moments?
Like he was at peace with his fate.

EPILOGUE
102) How do Walt & Billie react when visiting the bus where Chris died?

They are distraught, and left a plaque and a memorial.

103) What is your reaction to the end of the narrative?

I thought that it was something very sad, but a little insightful as it reminds
me of what life’s flaws are with society.