Reaction In Jon Krakauer's 'Into The Wild'

1357 Words3 Pages

Aymeric Alejo-Chaban
9/5/15
English Summer Assignment

Title of Novel: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Chapter 1: The Alaska Interior
Initial Reaction: In the first chapter of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer the author begins by presenting the main character Chris’ last human interaction before entering the wild. This interaction is very interesting as it highlights Chris’ traits through indirect characterization. This is seen when Chris receives advice from Gallien before entering the woods. Chris’ reluctance to listen to the advice given by Gallien exposes his sense of self-reliance.
Subsequent Reaction: I wonder if Gallien ever learned of Chris’ fate and if he did, does he think he could have done more to stop Chris and save him? Additionally, …show more content…

Chris then wrongly taught himself that he could no longer trust anyone and thus his only option was to be alone and forgo human contact in the wilderness so to avoid being betrayed.

Chapter 13-14: Virginia Beach & The Stikine Ice Cap
Initial Reaction: Krakauer makes an interesting parallel between Chris and his family after Chris’ is discovered dead. As his family mourns his passing, Carine and Billy stop eating and lose weight while Walt gains weight due to eating too much. The parallel between Chris and his family is that as Chris’ death is associated with a lack of eating; his family chooses to deal with the grief by changing the way they eat as well. Thus unconsciously bringing their experiences closer to what Chris experienced before his death.
Subsequent Reaction: A second parallel is created by Krakauer when he describes his own hiking adventure up the Devil’s thumb. Krakauer continues to describe that the hike will change his life. Krakauer vision of climbing the Devil’s thumb alone mirrors Chris’ journey into Alaska. Consequently, creating a narrative parallel between Krakauer and

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