Into The Wild Character Analysis

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Christopher Johnson McCandless, the protagonist of the book “Into the Wild,” had made many friends despite his aversion to people. One of his friends was Wayne Westerberg, whom he met in a bar. Chris also befriended Jan Burres, a girl, and Ronald Franz, a man. Westerberg remembered Chris well and they used to hang out at the bar, drinking and talking for hours. Chris was a good friend to Westerberg. “‘These are what Alex used to drink,’ says Westerberg with a frown, swirling the ice in his White Russian. ‘He used to sit right there at the end of the bar and tell us amazing stories of his travels. He could talk for hours." Ronald had a profound impact on Chris, who couldn't stop thinking about him. He could never forget such a wonderful young man. As Franz states in an exotic brogue, "He couldn't get the young man out of his mind[...]He was polite, friendly, well-groomed. He seemed extremely intelligent. I thought he was too nice a kid to be living by hot springs with those nudists and drunks and dope smokers" (Krakauer 51). Ronald's concern for Chris stemmed from his belief that Chris was too smart to be hanging out with drunken, drug-addicted individuals. Despite not being particularly close, Chris spent a lot of time with Ronald, who grew increasingly fond of him. "God, he was a smart kid," the old man rasps in a barely audible voice, reminiscing about the time he spent in the youngster's company (Krakauer 52). Chris provided Ronald with much-needed companionship, as he did not have anyone else to talk to. Ronald was happy to have Chris living with him. Overall, Ronald Franz left a lasting impression on Chris due to his intelligence and the companionship he provided during their time together.

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