Into the Wild: Characters and Parallels

Who is the subject of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild?

Chris McCandless (Alexander Supertramp).

What chapter delves into the history of Chris McCandless's parents and childhood?

Chapter 11.

What was the profession of Chris's father, Walt McCandless?

NASA radar engineer and aerospace consultant.

What secret did Chris discover about his father that deeply disillusioned him?

Walt maintained a secret second family with his former wife, Marcia.

Who is Chris's mother?

Billie (Wilhelmina) McCandless.

Who is Chris's fiercely loyal younger sister with whom he shared a close bond?

Carine McCandless.

How did Carine react when she first learned of Chris's death?

She broke down, then flew to Alaska with her husband to retrieve his ashes and belongings.

What grain elevator owner in Carthage, South Dakota, befriended Chris?

Wayne Westerberg.

What crime led to Wayne Westerberg serving a federal prison sentence?

Ordering the descrambling of television satellite signals.

Who was the elderly retired leather craftsman who grew deeply attached to Chris in California?

Ron Franz.

What life-changing decision did Ron Franz make after learning of Chris's death?

He renounced his church, stopped drinking, and began living a nomadic lifestyle.

Who is the rubber tramp traveler who befriended Chris and traveled with her boyfriend Bob?

Jan Burres.

What was Jan Burres's boyfriend's name, who traveled with her?

Bob.

Who was Jan Burres's close friend in Bullhead City who also grew fond of Chris?

Gail Borah.

What did Chris do while staying in Bullhead City, Arizona?

Worked at a local fast-food restaurant (McDonald's).

Who is the cheerful older man who gave Chris a ride to the edge of the Stampede Trail?

Gaylord Stuckey.

What did Gaylord Stuckey warn Chris about before dropping him off?

That he lacked a proper hunting license and sufficient gear.

Who were the moose hunters who discovered Chris McCandless's body inside the bus?

Ken Thompson, Gordon Samel, and Ferdie Swanson.

Where was Chris's body discovered?

Inside Bus 142 along the Stampede Trail in Alaska.

What was the official cause of Chris McCandless's death?

Starvation.

Who was the private investigator hired by the McCandless family to track Chris?

Peter Kalitka.

What historical adventurer carved "NEMO 1934" on an alcove wall in Utah before disappearing?

Everett Ruess.

How does Krakauer compare Chris McCandless to Everett Ruess?

Both were intense, idealistic young men who cut ties with society and perished in the wilderness.

Who was the brilliant young mountaineer who vanished on Mount McKinley in 1969?

John Mallon Waterman.

Who was the former Berkeley student who lived like a Stone Age man before committing suicide?

Gene Rosellini.

Who was the amateur photographer who stranded himself in the Alaskan wilderness and died?

Carl McCunn.

Why does Krakauer include stories of Rosellini, Waterman, Ruess, and McCunn?

To show that Chris was part of a long tradition of idealistic dropouts drawn to the wild.

What personal parallel does Krakauer draw between himself and Chris?

Krakauer also had a strained relationship with a demanding father and risked his life climbing in his youth.

What Alaskan mountain did a young Jon Krakauer attempt to climb alone?

The Devil's Thumb.

What did Walt and Billie McCandless do when they visited the Fairbanks bus where Chris died?

They left a plaque, a cross, and a bouquet of flowers inside the bus.

What item did Chris leave behind with Wayne Westerberg that helped authorities identify him?

His social security card and an old identification card.

What alias did Chris adopt when he began hitchhiking across the American West?

Alexander Supertramp.

What craft did Ron Franz teach Chris during their time together in California?

Leather-tooling.

What agricultural business did Wayne Westerberg operate in South Dakota?

Grain elevators and custom-combine harvesting operations.

What psychological trait does Krakauer argue contributed significantly to Chris's fatal isolation?

His extreme stubbornness and absolute, uncompromising idealism.