Book to Film

The film does Justice to Chris.  It depicts him as being free-spirited and going after his main goal in life.  You can still see some of the family issues in the movie that were seen in the book.  Just as the book, you can see the flashbacks. You know Chris is in Alaska but it also shows most of his background and where he comes from.  Although you can see most of the similiarities, the movie shows him as a much more normal person.  In the book I feel as though he is not always connected with reality and would stand out to most people.  The movie shows him as a normal college student who is full of energy.  He lets his sister drive his car and is somewhat of a rebel.  Also, he yells and celebrates in Alaska which is not illustrated as much in the book.

The cinemas are always more dramatic and paint a better picture of what is really going on.  The book is more factual so you do not see the little bits that the filmmakers had to improvise.  You can actually see what they think Chris might have been doing or what he might have said while he was on his own.  The scenes and music really add to the whole effect.  I enjoy the movie because it brings him to life!  

Perceptions of Chris McCandless

My initial perceptions of Chris were that he was a young, adventurous boy with a good head on his shoulders.  He knew what he wanted to do and did it.  Most people have crazy dreams of doing crazy things but never actually follow through with them.  It was inspiring to see someone go through all of this schooling and still do something that could seem so foolish.

Towards the middle of the book I start to feel that Chris McCandless is just like all the other explorers.  The reactions to the first article written about him were disturbing.  I started to see him as an unknowlegable person that had no chance of surviving.  He seemed to be just like all the others that people wrote about.  It was common for some people to come across travelers that want to "live in the wild" like Chris.

My perception of Chris was quickly switched back when Krakauer explained how he was different from the rest.  He had impacted many lives and was much more levelheaded than all the others.  He did not have a death wish nor was he a recovery addict that needed to get away.  I returned to my originial thoughts of Christ being an incredible person that actually followed through with wanted he wanted to do ever since he was a little boy.

Once his family visits the bus you can sense the calmness.  They came to terms with where he spent the last few months of his life.  They understood what he was doing and were taking back by the landscape.  It had reminded them of some previous trips they took.  It made me like his parents more than before because they finally respected his decision in a way.  His mom and dad were calm and did what they had to do to put themselves at ease when visiting the site.

Outcasts & Names

At first, Krakauer criticizes his own work.  He talks about the different responses he got back from his original article about McCandless.  Many responses came in and said that Chris was just like every other person that tried to live in the woods.  People said that he was not anything special and there were many nut cases just like him.  However, Krakauer does not come back and directly "bash" these people that put down his writing.  He goes on to say how crazy these other explorers were.  Many of them were crazy and did not stand out.  They went into the expedition with even less tools and less knowledge.  These people did not make an impact on as many lives as Chris McCandless did.  You can see Krakauer talk about the emotions that Chris brought out in people.  He had an eighty-year old man nearly in tears when he heard about the tragic death.  The author discretely says, "You're wrong about Alex Supertramp," by giving examples of all "other" explorers that were not near as important.  Alex was different and an important notable figure.

As you can see, Chris McCandless had changed his name to Alex Supertramp.  There are many different theories on why he did this.  I think the most obvious was to hide is identity.  Another idea is that he wanted to become something else.  This was his temporary self before he could return home and to his true identity.  Many people have gone through phases and changed their name.  My one friend in high school always went by "Mikey."  As we got older, he put an end to it.  He wanted to be referred to as Mike.  He felt that it was more mature and it was time for change (although he never did mature or change).  Some people may change their name in hopes of changing their personalities or way of life.  I feel as though "Alex" had returned to his true identity "Chris McCandless" and found himself through this journey because that is the name he signed on his last note.

Chapter 3 Epigraphs

The first epigraphs is very exciting.  It makes you want to get up and do something to with your life.  It has a lot of energy to it and pretty much tells you that you are living a boring life.  I agree slightly but I feel as though I already have a lot of excitement in my life.  I think this influenced Chris in that it compels you to get up and move around.  It talks about sacrificing yourself for love which is something he lacked. Chris also used his "superabundance of energy" to escape the "quiet life" he was leading.

The second epigraph is similar in that it tells you to step out of your comfort zone and escape this world full of rules and obligations.  To me, it says that living on the edge and doing the unknown is the right thing to do.  This correlates with the attitude of Chris McCandless.  Wallace Stegner points out irksome obligations and escaping to the west.  Chris felt obligated at times to live up to his families expectations which could tend to be "irksome."  He left this all behind and just traveled west to be "footloose."

Reinvention

I think everyone has desires to reinvent themselves.  Whether they would actually do it or not is questionable, but the thought has surely crossed their mind.  Chris McCandless does this to the extreme.  He drops everyone and everything he has in order to find himself and discover the world.  I personally would reinvent myself or just get out of this state for a while.  I want to go to Alaska and work for a summer.  I've always worked for my parents at home on the farm.  I feel like I would find out a lot about myself and learn to be responsible for doing things on my own.  It would be refreshing and a good way to meet new people.  I am familiar with a family that lives there because my family vacationed to their home ten years ago.  I would love to revisit and take in the Alaska air for awhile.

Christopher McCandless

Christopher McCandless was lost in himself.  In order to find himself he had to ignore all others and enjoy what the world had to offer him.  He searched for a higher power that came from nature.  This is relative to existentialism.  This man knew that there was something controlling him and he had to find out for himself.  I feel as though he was somewhat foolish.  He lacked some supplies that were important to survival.  If he really wanted to take the time to explore the aspects of nature, he should have prepared more.  Although he was very smart, the task he set out to do was not ideal.

Nature

Nature greatly affects me.  Without it, it would be hard to get by on a day to day basis.  I can always count on nature as a place to get away, get fresh air, and explore.  I live on a fruit farm so it is always nice to just go on a walk through the orchards or through the woods.  In the summer, I work with nature.  I help take care of the fruit along with my family.  It brings us together every year.  Animals are also a big part of nature and my family.  We go hunting and trapping throughout the year together.  The animals provide food for our table.  Nature is a huge part of my life and I take great comfort in it.

I think there is always a "need" to return to nature.  Today, everyone gets caught up with technology and it is important to get away and reconnect with nature.  Every year, about 40 of my family members campout for a night.  All day we cook food over the fire and go on long walks in the creek.  My younger cousins splash around and swim all day.  Each year we rebuild the dam that we started from the very first campout.  It is always a wonderful time for us to just sit around the campfire and reconnect in an environment that is so relaxing.  It is very necessary for us to "return to nature" once a year.  I think everyone should have this type of experience either once a year or at least once in a lifetime.

There is a definitely a relationship between nature and our spiritual side.  When you think of religion it is always connected to nature.  It has a lot to do with the heavens and how the world was created.  The creation of the world its self was something magical, natural, and spiritual.  When people pass away they are laid in the earth.  It is up to nature to take them onto the next step.  This is also a very spiritual process.

Nature is important in my life and should be important to many others' lives.  It connects us all spiritually and is a way to find relaxation.  We are surrounded by it day in and day out.