1A. "Into the Wild" focuses on the stories and travels of Chris McCandless. He was a college graduated that decided to leave everything he had behind and live on the road. Without any sufficient amount of money he set off west, departing from Georgia. He traveled all over the country, most of which was without a car of his own. He hitched rides with anyone who would pick him up. He traveled for a couple of years before making his final journey, one to Alaska. It was here that Chris unfortunately died in a bus that he had been taking shelter inside of.
1B. The story of a young man who was fed up with the life he had been living and therefore set off on a cross-country journey that eventually led to his demise.
2. The author chose to write about Chris and others who had similar adventures because it was something he could relate to. The author tells a story of his own abandoning of society to be alone in the wild. He was able to relate Chris's story to his own and therefore thought he could portray it in an interesting way.
3. I chose this book because it was one that I had always wanted to read but never got around to do it. I had seen the movie and I knew it was a book. My sister happened to read it a couple of weeks ago, (right around the time we were choosing our lit analysis books), and she suggested I read it. The book caught my attention right away because I love reading things that are real stories but can still keep you reading, which is what the book did to me.
4. This book was very realistic. It mentioned things that I think many people can relate to. Chris was someone who could not stand the upper-middle class lifestyle that was presented for him. He was an independent person that did not like to get help from anyone. He had been this way since he was little and I guess one day he decided that he was done and took a leap of faith. He did not know how this journey would go or where it would take him but he knew it would be somewhere better than where he was presently. I think many people can relate to the feeling of wanting to get out of a situation and start new.
People
1. The author not only must create his character through interpretations, he must create through his interpretations of other peoples interpretations. That may sound confusing but the author never actually met Chris McCandless and therefore all information he got was from people who had met him. The author had to listen to these people's thoughts about Chris and interpret them in his own way. The author seems to write in a way that persuades you to envy Chris.
2. A) Chris McCandless: There is so much to say about him but I will keep it short. He was good at just about anything he set his mind to. He was a scholar in school, great at playing music instruments and the team captain of his high school cross country team. He was short but fit with dark hair and "angelic" eyes. He is someone that is completely caught up in his own thoughts, one that has many friends but would rather spend his time alone. He seemed very cynical by description. He was very intelligent and strong willed, it was impossible to change his mind or tell him what to do.
B) Jon Waterman: Jon was another adventurer who was only talked about for a few pages. He was someone who came long before Chris but had similar desires. He was a small man but very fit. He had a passion for climbing and at the age out 16 he scaled Mt. McKinley, becoming the third youngest person ever to do so. People who knew him described him as being very odd and unstable. His parents split up when he was young and his father abandoned him. He grew up fighting for himself and therefore wanted to live a life of adventure, deciding to "live off the land". It seems he died on 3/13/81, we know this as the last time he inscribed something onto a rock. It is believed that he died shortly after on the summits of Denali.
3. Both of these characters had interesting reasons for their abandonment of society and both had tragic endings. Readers are quicker to enjoy a book that has a character like Chris who they can relate to and the fact that you know he is going to die makes you read on. Jon was interesting to read about because it gave another perspective of someone who went into the wild.
4. He uses the words/thoughts of others to reveal who Chris was. Almost all of his descriptions of Chris come from people who had met him along his journey. Many more come from his family members. He gives you their thoughts on Chris and lets you build your own opinion on him. The information is presented to you and you are left to figure out what kind of person he was.
5. When attempting to describe Chris, he shifts to the use of dialogue that friends/family have told him. He provides readers with ample amounts of descriptions that were given to him by people who knew Chris.
6. Chris seems to be a static character. While he did make a decision to abandon his old life for a new one, I don't believe he is dynamic. His attitude towards his journey seemingly never changes and it does not feel like he regrets doing it. He is living the life he wants to live and feels good about it.
7. Although I enjoyed the reading and could relate to Chris, I did not come out with the feeling that I had met Chris. When it comes to reading I do not have the best imagination so it is hard for me to picture myself meeting Chris.
Style
1. The way the book is written makes it feel like a fiction book. I mean sure, everything that is written about actually happened, but it seems to good to be true. The way he describes Chris's life and his journey makes it sort of unbelievable. To me it seems that if this was written a little differently it could be a fiction novel that many people would buy and love.
2. The author describes people through dialogue. Most of the book is focused on dialogue and/or thoughts about conversations people had with Chris.
3. You can tell that the author envies Chris. He writes in such a way that would persuade you to like Chris. He describes him as a very likable guy who just had weird ambitions. His tone is one of respect and envy. The book makes you feel happy and sympathetic towards Chris.
5. The author mentions tons of newspaper articles and others that had been written about Chris. I haven't gotten around to looking them up and reading about them but I assume they would further my understanding of Chris as a person and his journey into the wild. He also gives a few transcripts of letters that were sent after the founding of Chris's body. It was crazy to see how many people criticized Chris for doing what he did. Why must someone be looked down upon for doing what they want to do? (assuming it is not something illegal)
Enduring Memory
I think the main thing that I will take away from this book is that you should do what you want to do. If you are sick of living one way, try something else, the worst thing that can happen is you DYING! This doesn't only apply for life changing decisions, if you are in a situation that is uncomfortable for you and you have a way of getting out, GET OUT. Sure, Chris died, but he sure had the time of his life. He did exactly what he wanted to and I bet that if he had the chance to do it again, he would. He seems like the type of person who would regret nothing as he would learn from his own mistakes. Life is actually pretty darn long so fill it up with whatever makes you happy. For Chris, this was the excitement of living off nothing but himself. He did not need the outside world, or so he thought. You can in a way relate this to Hamlet, both people were faced with decisions that would change their lives forever, and both took the road they believed was best. For Chris, it was one that he would be comfortable with while Hamlet did not know what to expect. If you were not thinking of reading this text, I suggest you do, it may be eye opening or even life changing.
2. A) Chris McCandless: There is so much to say about him but I will keep it short. He was good at just about anything he set his mind to. He was a scholar in school, great at playing music instruments and the team captain of his high school cross country team. He was short but fit with dark hair and "angelic" eyes. He is someone that is completely caught up in his own thoughts, one that has many friends but would rather spend his time alone. He seemed very cynical by description. He was very intelligent and strong willed, it was impossible to change his mind or tell him what to do.
B) Jon Waterman: Jon was another adventurer who was only talked about for a few pages. He was someone who came long before Chris but had similar desires. He was a small man but very fit. He had a passion for climbing and at the age out 16 he scaled Mt. McKinley, becoming the third youngest person ever to do so. People who knew him described him as being very odd and unstable. His parents split up when he was young and his father abandoned him. He grew up fighting for himself and therefore wanted to live a life of adventure, deciding to "live off the land". It seems he died on 3/13/81, we know this as the last time he inscribed something onto a rock. It is believed that he died shortly after on the summits of Denali.
3. Both of these characters had interesting reasons for their abandonment of society and both had tragic endings. Readers are quicker to enjoy a book that has a character like Chris who they can relate to and the fact that you know he is going to die makes you read on. Jon was interesting to read about because it gave another perspective of someone who went into the wild.
4. He uses the words/thoughts of others to reveal who Chris was. Almost all of his descriptions of Chris come from people who had met him along his journey. Many more come from his family members. He gives you their thoughts on Chris and lets you build your own opinion on him. The information is presented to you and you are left to figure out what kind of person he was.
5. When attempting to describe Chris, he shifts to the use of dialogue that friends/family have told him. He provides readers with ample amounts of descriptions that were given to him by people who knew Chris.
6. Chris seems to be a static character. While he did make a decision to abandon his old life for a new one, I don't believe he is dynamic. His attitude towards his journey seemingly never changes and it does not feel like he regrets doing it. He is living the life he wants to live and feels good about it.
7. Although I enjoyed the reading and could relate to Chris, I did not come out with the feeling that I had met Chris. When it comes to reading I do not have the best imagination so it is hard for me to picture myself meeting Chris.
Style
1. The way the book is written makes it feel like a fiction book. I mean sure, everything that is written about actually happened, but it seems to good to be true. The way he describes Chris's life and his journey makes it sort of unbelievable. To me it seems that if this was written a little differently it could be a fiction novel that many people would buy and love.
2. The author describes people through dialogue. Most of the book is focused on dialogue and/or thoughts about conversations people had with Chris.
3. You can tell that the author envies Chris. He writes in such a way that would persuade you to like Chris. He describes him as a very likable guy who just had weird ambitions. His tone is one of respect and envy. The book makes you feel happy and sympathetic towards Chris.
5. The author mentions tons of newspaper articles and others that had been written about Chris. I haven't gotten around to looking them up and reading about them but I assume they would further my understanding of Chris as a person and his journey into the wild. He also gives a few transcripts of letters that were sent after the founding of Chris's body. It was crazy to see how many people criticized Chris for doing what he did. Why must someone be looked down upon for doing what they want to do? (assuming it is not something illegal)
Enduring Memory
I think the main thing that I will take away from this book is that you should do what you want to do. If you are sick of living one way, try something else, the worst thing that can happen is you DYING! This doesn't only apply for life changing decisions, if you are in a situation that is uncomfortable for you and you have a way of getting out, GET OUT. Sure, Chris died, but he sure had the time of his life. He did exactly what he wanted to and I bet that if he had the chance to do it again, he would. He seems like the type of person who would regret nothing as he would learn from his own mistakes. Life is actually pretty darn long so fill it up with whatever makes you happy. For Chris, this was the excitement of living off nothing but himself. He did not need the outside world, or so he thought. You can in a way relate this to Hamlet, both people were faced with decisions that would change their lives forever, and both took the road they believed was best. For Chris, it was one that he would be comfortable with while Hamlet did not know what to expect. If you were not thinking of reading this text, I suggest you do, it may be eye opening or even life changing.
No comments:
Post a Comment