Into the Wild Test Study Guide

McClandless’ favorite author who wrote “To Build A Fire”

Jack London

Rubber tramp who befriended Alex, he stayed at The Slabs with her & her boyfriend

Loren Johnson

Samuel Langhorne Clemens; wrote “Tom Sawyer”, and “Huck Finn”

Mark Twain

Private investigator hired by Walt and Billie to find Chris

Peter Kalitka

Lived on only life’s essentials at Walden Pond, MA

Henry David Thoreau

Westerberg’s girlfriend who was one of the only girls to ever dance with Alex

Gail Borah

Russian author who believed the link between man & nature could not be broken

Leo Tolstoy

Elderly friend who wanted to adopt Alex after his wife & son were killed

Ronald Franz

Wrote commonly about the wealthy oppressing the poor. “A Tale of Two Cities”, “A Christmas Carol”

Charles Dickens

Friend & employer of McCandless in South Dakota

Wayne Westerberg

Avid outdoorsman & mountain climber wrote Into The Wild

Jon Krakauer

Another adventurous spirit who changed his name to NEMO & vanished in 1934

Everett Ruess

McCandless’ grandfather who had a gift with animals in the wild

Loren Johnson

Last known person to see Chris McCandless alive

Jim Gallien

Author of Walden, a favorite book of Chris’s

Henry David Thoreau

Climbed Mt. McKinley at age 16; disappeared after attempting to climb the Ruth Glacier on Denali

John Waterman

Employed Chris in his grain elevator in Carthage, South Dakota

Wayne Westerberg

Chris’s physics professor at Stanford University; advised him to visit Mexico

John Waterman

Chris’s grandfather

Loren Johnson

Private investigator hired by Walt and Billie McCandless to find Chris

Peter Kalitka

80 year old leather-maker who befriends Chris while in Salton City

Ronald Franz

Adventurer of Davis Gulch who presumably

drowned in the San Juan River in the 1930’s

Everett Ruess

Lived in “The Slabs,” an area outside of Bullhead City; gave Chris a set of Swiss army knives

Jan Burres

Needy, without

Indigent

Dry, drought

Desiccated

Fake name, alias

Pseudonym

Misdating by an author

Anachronism

Very poor

Destitute

Abandoned

Derelict

Amazing

Prodigious

Unreal, illusion

Phantasmal

To be heard

Audible

Permanent

Indelible

“The Seasonal Capital” for the exiled, the destitute, and the perpetually unemployed.

The Slabs

Alaskan schoolteacher who thought McCandless underestimated the wilderness and overestimated himself.

Nick Jans

“The Mayor of Hippie Cove”. Stabbed himself in the heart when his experiment to live as men had lived in the stone age failed.

Gene Rosellini

Climbed Mt. McKinley at age 16. He was never seen again after his last attempt to climb Denali.

John Mallon-Waterman

Last person to have seen McCandless alive.

Jim Gallien

College attended by McCandless.

Emory

“Seize The Day” philosophy followed by McCandless.

Carpe Diem

Where McCandless stayed with Westerberg in South Dakota.

Carthage

Absent minded Texan who went into the Yukon territory and forgot to arrange a way out. Shot himself rather than starve and freeze to death.

Carl McCunn

Running routine McCandless developed for the cross country team.

Road Warriors

“When Alex left for Alaska, I prayed,,,I asked God to keep a finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special.” Speaker:__________________

Speaking to:________________

Speaker: Ronald Franz

Speaking to: Jon Krakauer

Franz, an elderly man who grew close to McCandless, expresses deep affection and almost paternal love for Chris (whom he called “Alex”). This shows how Chris left a strong emotional impact on the people he met. It’s important because it reveals Chris’s ability to inspire devotion and care in others, even though he refused to stay rooted.

“…I possessed neither his intellect nor his lofty ideals. But I believe we

were similarly affected by the skewed relationship we had with our fathers.”

Speaker:__________________

Speaking to:__________________

Speaker: Jon Krakauer

Speaking too: The reader (in the book’s narration)

Krakauer makes a personal connection between himself and Chris, suggesting that both were driven into dangerous journeys partly because of difficult relationships with their fathers. This is important because it humanizes Chris, showing his struggles weren’t just about wanderlust but also family conflict. It also explains why Krakauer feels so compelled to tell Chris’s story.

“I’ve given jobs to lots of hitchhikers over the years. Most of them weren’t much good, didn’t really want to work. It was a different story with Alex. He was the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. Didn’t matter what it was, he’d do it…”

Speaker:_________________

Speaking to:_________________

Speaker: Wayne Westerberg

Speaking to: Jon Krakauer

Westerberg, a grain elevator operator, befriended Chris and gave him work in South Dakota. His testimony matters because it shows Chris wasn’t just reckless—he was hardworking, disciplined, and respected by people he met. This contrasts with the view of Chris as simply irresponsible.

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun…If you want to get more out of life, you must lose your inclination for monotonous security and adopt a helter-skelter style of life…I really hope that as soon as you can, you will get out of Salton City, put a little camper on the back of your pick up truck, and start seeing some of the great work God has done in the American West.”

Speaker:________________________

Speaking to:_______________

Speaker: Chris McCandless (in a letter)

Speaking to: Ronald Franz

This quote reveals Chris’s philosophy: rejecting security and embracing adventure as the essence of life. It’s significant because it shows why he chose his wandering lifestyle and how he encouraged others, like Franz, to pursue freedom and risk. It highlights his idealism and influence on those around him.

“Chris would never, ever, intentionally burn down a forest, not even to save his life. Anybody who would suggest otherwise doesn’t understand the first thing about him.”

Speaker:______________________

Speaking to:_________________

Speaker: Walt McCandless

Speaking to: Jon Krakauer

Walt defends his son against accusations that he was careless or destructive in nature. This is important because it reveals the family’s grief and need to protect Chris’s reputation. It also shows that despite their strained relationship, Walt still loved Chris and wanted others to recognize his respect for nature.