walk-into-the-wild

[walk-into-the-wild]

Into The Wild – Chapter One

Reading Experience

The book begins with a note from the author in which Jon Krakauer says that he was contacted by Outside Magazine in 1992. Jon was asked to write an article about Chris McCandless.

McCandless was a man who died while hiking through Alaska in the spring of 1992. The author agreed to write the article and soon became fascinated by McCandless his story. Jon spent more than a year collecting as much information as he could find about Chris, trying to understand why he went on such an adventurous journey. The story of had a big impact on him and eventually Jon became more involved than he initially expected.

Chapter 1

In the first chapter, Jon Krakauer included a postcard that was sent to Wayne Westerberger on the 27th of April 1992. The postcard was written by Chris McCandless, who referred to himself as ‘Alex’ at the time. It says that after a tedious journey through the Yukon Territory, he finally reached Alaska. He mentions that he will stay there for a while and that he might not return at all. Chris seemed to be aware of the dangers that were ahead of him.

The rest of the chapter describes the start of Chris his story from Jim Galien’s point of view. Galien was on his way from Fairbanks to Anchorage when he met Chris. He offered to buy Chris better clothes and equipment, but Chris rejected any assistance and also refused to accept advice from Jim. They talked throughout the three-hour trip to the Stampede Trail. Chris came across as very intelligent. Nevertheless, he still wasn’t interested in help from Jim. Once they arrived, Chris was very excited, but Jim was worried. After they parted ways, Jim considered to alert the authorities. Eventually he thought that Chris would be alright and therefore didn’t take any action.

‘Into the Wild’ isn’t a fictional story. It’s a book made up from a collection of different fragments. Some fragments are directly from Chris his diary, others from people that met Chris along the way and some parts of the book are written from the author’s perspective.

The postcard that Wayne Westerberger received is slightly confusing, since it hasn’t been made clear who Wayne was to Chris. From the context I can conclude that he either was a friend or a distant family member of Chris. The content indicates that they were quite close. I assume that the author will eventually explain what kind of relationship Chris and Wayne had. There is no way to tell how they met and how long they had known each other for. The postcard is an introduction for chapter one, because it’s the last time Chris communicated with one his contacts.

Chapter one was written based on the information that was given to the author by Jim Galien. Once the author starts describing the interaction between Chris and Jim, it’s clear that the story of McCandless his expedition begins at that point. Jim mentions several times that he was worried, because Chris didn’t seem prepared to deal with the wilderness of Alaska.

As a reader, it makes me feel nervous. I understand why Jim Galien felt the need to intervene. Considering that Chris didn’t have the necessary gear with him, the outcome of what happened in the end is quite predictable. In this chapter, the author doesn’t explain why Chris decided to go on this dangerous journey. It makes you wonder why he felt the need to leave everything behind. What caused him to make such a drastic decision that inevitably change the rest of his life? Jon Krakauer mentions that McCandless aspired to live a life without any possessions. He admired Leo Tolstoy and his idealistic views. Chris loathed contemporary society. His aim was to reject any form of materialism. His attitude and strong will can be an explanation for his actions. However, I still wonder why he felt the need to abandon everything, including his family. He used a pseudonym during his travels, to make sure that he wouldn’t be found by his family. This clearly shows that he was desperate to get away from every single person he knew at the time. It makes me wonder whether something happened to Chris while he was still at home or possibly while he was studying at university? Did he have a traumatic past? Did an incident occur that he simply couldn’t process and let go? Was living as a recluse in the wilderness his only option?

Before I read the book I already knew what would happen to Chris in the end. Therefore, I already had several questions while I was reading chapter one. I am aware that the story has a tragic ending. I also vaguely know what Chris did during his travels. Having said that, I have no idea what his intention was when he decided to go on this adventure. I imagine that he wanted to escape from his life because he felt restrained. I wonder what his plans were for the future. What he was going to do once he came back from his travels through Mexico, Canada and the US? The book contains fragments of Chris his diary, but I don’t know to what extent he discussed his future. To me it seems unlikely that he ever intended to live a ‘normal’ life. Was it even part of his plan to return any time soon? Or did he want to live from day to day? From the first chapter it’s hard to tell what Chris envisioned in his future. I also wonder whether he ever had any regrets or if he wished that he had dealt with certain things differently? I suppose that the book will eventually answer all those questions. For now, I will continue reading in the hope to find out.

My main question is what made Chris happy? What was it that he looked forward to most and hoped to achieve? What would make someone like him satisfied?