Summary and Analysis

Author’s Note

Jon Krakauer is both the author and narrator of the book. He begins the book with an overarching timeline of in April 1992, wherein a young privileged man hitchhiked to Alaska alone. Four months later, his body was found by moose hunters. Initially asked by Outside magazine to cover the story on Chris, Krakauer wrote an essay about Chris’ gifted academic and athletic life and his decision to donate his college savings to Oxfam to pursue the life of a wanderer. Chris changed his name during the course of the journey and stopped contacting his family too. However, Krakauer was intrigued by the young man’s life and decided to continue his research, which later culminated in the book Into The Wild. The major themes of the novel include adventure, the imagination of the wilderness for the American youth, and father-son relationship. He discredits the claim that he identified with Chris’ dispositions and is, therefore, not an objective biographer. Krakauer defines Chris as an idealist young man who, like his idol Leo Tolstoy, wanted to give up his modern life for a simple life amidst nature.

He is of the opinion that Chris was able to manage his life in the wild except for a few misadventures. Chris was aware of the adversities he could have faced. Krakauer also mentions that his readers are divided in their response to Chris: some believe he is a respectable and an inspiring individual whereas there are others who consider him rash and ignorant.

Chapter 1

The narrative begins on April 28, 1992, before Chris has begun his Alaskan journey. Krakauer begins the chapter with the last postcard sent by Chris, who at that time went by the name Alex, to his friend Wayne Westerberg a day before he began his Alaskan adventure. Chris writes that he’s walking “into the wild” and this might be his last postcard to Wayne if his adventure does turn out to be “fatal.”

At the beginning of the chapter, Jim Gallien picks up a young hitchhiker on the outskirts of Fairbanks. The young man introduces himself as Alex and requests Jim to drop him off at Denali National Park. He tells Jim that he plans to live off the land for some months. At first Gallien thinks McCandless is “another delusional visitor to the Alaskan frontier.” However, he changes his mind over the course of their journey and comes to regard Chris as intelligent and thoughtful. .

Gallien worries that Chris’ basic supplies such as rations, boots, and guns are not enough to survive in the wild. Chris shows Gallien a rough drawn map of the area he plans to trek and shares that he is about to follow the Stampede Trail, an often uncharted route in the wilderness north of Mount McKinley. Gallien is worried that Chris is not even equipped with a compass.

Gallien tries to dissuade Chris from undertaking this journey alone but Chris remains undeterred. He says there’s nothing out there with which he cannot deal by himself. Chris attempts to pay Gallien with the loose change he had along with his watch but Gallien refuses to take anything from him. Before leaving, Gallien convinces Chris to accept his leftover lunch and a spare pair of work rubber boots. As he drives away, Gallien considers informing the State Troopers about Chris’ presence, but decides not to. He believes that, like most wanderers, Chris will return once he gets hungry.

Chapter 2

The narrative fast-forwards to early September 1992, where five strangers chance upon the abandoned bus off the Stampede Trail in the Denali National Park. Ken Thompson, Gordon Samel, and Ferdie Swanson are out on moose hunting when they come across the bus. There, they meet an Anchorage couple who are struck by the rotten smell emanating from the bus but are too terrified to investigate further. They point toward the SOS note stuck to the door of the bus. The note said: “I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is NO JOKE. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?”

Samel ventures inside and discovers the decomposing body of Chris inside a sleeping bag. Butch Killian happens to be at the scene as well and calls for troopers’ help through radio. Along with the remains, a camera, and a field guide about edible plants doubling as a diary are recovered from the bus. At a crime lab in Anchorage, starvation is determined as the cause for Chris’ death. There are no signs of identification on the body, which leaves the officials puzzled.

Chapter 3

The narrative now moves to Carthage, a small town in South Dakota, where Krakauer has come to interview Wayne Westerberg. Two months have passed since Chris’ body was discovered. Wayne Westerberg, a grain elevator operator, remembers picking Chris up, who went by the pseudonym Alex, in September 1990 while driving to Carthage. Krakauer imagines that Chris would have looked weak and hungry to Wayne. Wayne confirms this and mentions that Chris wolfed down the food offered to them at Wayne’s friend’s place and quickly fell asleep at the table. Wayne tells Krakauer that Chris’ initial plan was to go to Saco Hot Springs. It was raining hard when Wayne was going to drop off Chris, so he suggested that Chris stay over at his trailer. Chris stayed for three days, at the end of which Westerberg told Chris to look him up in Carthage if he ever needed a job.

A few weeks later, McCandless showed up in Carthage. Chris impressed Wayne with his work ethics while working as a part of his crew and thereafter obtained longer term work from him. During this time, the two develop a lasting bond. Wayne’s arrest by the FBI forced Alex to leave Carthage earlier than he would have liked. Before leaving, Chris gave Wayne a copy of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. He directs him to follow the advice of Pierre, the protagonist of the book. Through tax records, Wayne learns Alex’s real name is Christopher.

Krakauer uses this moment to reveal the truth about Chris’ upbringing and family. He was the son of an affluent aerospace engineer Walt and his business partner Billie. Brought up in a wealthy neighborhood of Virginia, he had a younger sister Carine and other half-siblings from his father’s first marriage. After graduating from Emory University, Chris rejects help from his family and decides to go on a solo cross-country trip in his yellow Datsun leaving everything behind.

Analysis: Author’s Note to Chapter 3

Stylistically, the author’s note is an introduction to the various genres that intermix to give the book its unique identity. The opening reads both as an introduction to a journalist piece as well as an invitation to be curious about the mystery surrounding the life and death of Chris McCandless. The author is inviting the readers to introspect about the reasons that could have driven a young and bright man into an exploration that cost him his life. Chris’ privileged background and possibly promising future makes the tale very gripping. Krakauer also uses this space to explain the length and breadth of his research as well as the reasons behind his interest in this particular case. One of them being his relatability with Chris’ idealism and adventurous spirit. This has led many people to assume that he is not an objective biographer, a claim he is quick to dismiss.

He identifies American youthfulness, the romantic pull of the wilderness, and the relationships within families as the primary themes of the novel. He locates Chris within the literary and philosophical tradition based on idealism. Krakauer’s respect and admiration for Chris shines through and is strongly placed against some of the detractors who attempt to paint Chris as gullible, arrogant, and foolish.

Chris’ postcard to Wayne establishes that he was aware of the dangers he would encounter while venturing into the wild. Gallien’s impression of Chris speaks of Chris’ good manners but also highlights his lack of preparation for the trip. The fact that he was carrying merely a rough map of the area further proves that Chris was ill-prepared for this adventure. Implicitly, this part of the novel also points to Krakauer’s distrust of the romanticization of American wilderness. Chris’ hesitation to accept the important material goods like boots and food shows Chris’ mistrust of material goods. It, however, also points to Chris’ possible lack of separation between tools needed for survival and the larger materially indulgent culture of the society.

The tragic irony of Chris’ death is foregrounded when six strangers chance upon his bus after he has passed away. It also deepens the tragedy because had he been discovered earlier, his life could have been saved.

Wayne’s account tells the reader that Chris was hardworking and had work ethics, which landed him a long-term contract with Wayne. Chris’ attachment to Wayne, his co-workers, and Carthage shows Chris’ need for belonging and is also testimony to his warm nature. The gift of War and Peace shows his love for literature and romance. It also further highlights his idealistic thirst for life experiences over materialism. In Chapter 3, the author gives us details about Chris’ family background. The readers learn that Chris gave up his privileged life to pursue his dreams. There is also some evidence to show that Chris had troubled familial relationships. His disgust at the thought of receiving a new car from his parents shows that he is committed to the new kind of life he has chosen.