Epigraphs
Chapter 1: the Alaska Interior
This epigraph is a postcard sent to McCandless two days after he arrived
in Alaska. He asks Wayne Westerberg to return all of the mail that he receives
back to the sender because he does not think that he will be coming back for
quite some time. He ends this by letting Westerberg know that he is heading out
into the Alaskan wilderness.
This passage was used in the first chapter to set off the story and to
kind of give the reader some idea of where McCandless is and what his intentions
are. The biggest hint was the last sentence of the card: “I now walk into the
wild”(p3). The postcard was also addressed to Wayne Westerberg, this let us know
that he was keep in contact with people up to this point in his
journey.
Chapter 2: The Stampede Trail
This entry was a quote written by jack London and was carved into a piece
of wood near were McCandless was found dead. The text was about how quiet and
lonely, and harsh the wilderness is. Jack London also said the wilderness was
“laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life” (6).
The epigraph chosen for this chapter is fitting because London wrote
about the discovery and examination of McCandless’s corpse. This passage works
well because the longer he spent out in the woods the less healthy he became.
This goes back to the epigraph, the wilderness was laughing at him as he slowly
withered away to his death.
Chapter 3: Carthage
The first quote comes from Leo Tolstoy’s “Family happiness". It is about
how he would not enjoy a calm, normal life. He would rather experience the
danger and excitement in life. The second quote is from Wallace Stegner’s “The
American West as a Living Space”. His quote talks about how every person enjoys
the feeling of freedom.
These two quotes match the chapter because they are in many ways similar
to how McCandless lives his life. McCandless loved Leo Tolstoy and even
underlined “I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence”(P15).
McCandless rarely stayed in one place for very long and he was always doing
dangerous and exciting things with his life. The second passage really
encapsulates McCandless’s desire to be free and to wander
around.
Chapter 4: Detriral wash
This passage written by John Sheppard talks about the desert and how special he thinks it is.
He also makes mention of how lots of hermits, prophets, religious leaders, and exiles, all brave
the desert. Sheppard also talks about how it is a magical place.
The Epilogue goes with the chapter because McCandless goes on a pilgrimage of sorts to
get to the sea. He moves through California and gets to the Colorado River. From there, he moves
across the desert to get to Arizona. There he buys a Canoe so that he could hopefully ride a river to
the sea. Sheppard’s quote helps us realize the all of the young man’s traveling is “not to escape but to find reality” (25).
Chapter 5: Bullhead City
This epilogue written by Jack London is about a buck that has matured as
a result of“fierce conditions” it has endured in its life (38). Alexander’s
response to this was “Hail the dominant primordial beast!
And Captain Ahab too!” (38).
In this chapter, McCandless is learning to be a bit more responsible, at
least for a while and he works for a few months to accumulate some money.
However, he cannot live that mundane existence for long and he Is preparing for
a trip to Alaska where he plans to go into the wilderness for some
time.
Chapter 6: Anza-Borrego
Henry David Thoreau, in his book “Walden, Or Life In The Woods”, talks
about how nature is not appreciated like it should be and that most people
choose not to experience it because they are conforming to the accepted ways of
life.
This Epilogue talks about how people are often conforming to the “normal”
way of life. In this chapter, McCandless meets a man who is trying to get
McCandless back on his feet so to speak. So the elderly gentleman was quite
surprised to find out that the homeless looking young man was an educated,
intelligent person who was merely choosing to live in that fashion. McCandless
ends up convincing the man that he should try living with less for a while and
to find the enjoyment of a simpler life style.
Chapter 7: Carthage
The first quote was written by Mark Twain in his book “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn”.
It was about a man in a book who left his family without providing any reason for his
actions. The second quote was written by Anthony Storr from “Solitude: A Return to the Shelf”.
He discusses various reasons why people might want to live an isolated life.
The Epilogue for this chapter is fitting because we learn about the relationship that McCandless
has with his father. We get some sense of why he didn’t care to talk about them and why he wanted
them out of his life completely. McCandless also did not approve of the life style that his parents lead.
Chapter 8: Alaska
The first quote was written by Theodore Roszak in “In Search Of The Miraculous”. It described about creative
people who are highly motivated but can sometimes become obsessed with one thing which results in “remarkable insights”.
However, they may lose the ability to communicate their ideals with others. The second quote was written by Edward
Hoagland in his book “Up The Black To Chalkyitsik”. In this passage he talks about how people go into the wilderness
in order to contemplate their lives and renew themselves. He also says that it only works if the person is not too badly
damaged, and he makes a reference to the fact that the Alaskan wilderness has more harsh conditions than most places.
The quotes for this chapter are fitting because Krakauer is attempting to show that McCandless was not crazy for doing
what he did. In this chapter, Krakauer talks about three other people that are similar to McCandless. These men never really
gave clear reasons as to why they did what they were doing but none of them were crazy. Like Roszak said, these people
had lots of insight to what they were obsessed about, but they never truly communicated it. Hoagland also talks about how the
wilderness is somewhere that people go to heal. These men might have had experiences in their lives that drove them to take
these solitary adventures from civilization.
Chapter 9: Davis Gulch
The first quote was the last letter a man named Everett Ruess sent to his brother. It talks about how Ruess much prefers
life in the wild compared to mundane city life. He talks about how he hates routine and would rather not live his life in
some boring fashion. The second quote, by Wallace Stegner, addresses the fact that Ruess enjoyed the beauty of
nature and how he was similar to John Muir.
The letter the Ruess wrote to his brother is very fitting for this chapter because Krakauer chooses to show how similar the
two people are in this chapter. They have the same view on many things and both ended up dying in the wilderness. The
quote from Stegner makes another connection between John Muir and Ruess, and said that there was nothing wrong with
loving the beauty of nature. This further helps prove that the people are not crazy.
Chapter 10: Fairbanks
This epigraph was an article from the New York Times Newspaper, from September 13, 1992. It talks about
a hiker who had been found dead after being stuck in the wilderness for an extended amount of time. He had
done his best to survive while waiting to be rescued, but his efforts turned out to be futile.
The passage from the New York Times gives us a hint of what is to come by talking about a hiker that has passed
away from starvation while waiting to be rescued.This chapter was about the confirmation of the remains of McCandless.
Chris’s half-brother goes up to Fairbanks in order to identify the body. He is disturbed at what he saw. Chris had starved
to death and had not shaved for weeks. He looked nothing like he did the last time anyone in his family had seen him.
Chapter 11: Chesapeake Beach
The quotation from Boris Pasternack’s “Doctor Zhivago” talks about the deep need for a sense of purpose in life in times
of change. He mentions that most people feel that they do not have a sense of purpose unless they are following the rules
of society.
This chapter is about Chris and the years before he left everything behind. He had been a gifted student and athlete and
he always wanted to help people. But he was really looking for fulfillment in life and he got a taste of it when he went on his
road trip the summer before he went to college. Pasternak talked about how people need a sense of purpose in life, and for
McCandless, he was meant to be a nomad.
Chapter 12: Annandale
The first quote was from Henry David Thoreau in “Walden, Or Life in the Woods”. Thoreau spoke about how he was hungry for
the truth than money or fame which, in his case, were abundant. The second quote by G. K. Chesterton talks about how the
intentions of children are much more pure than those of adults.
In the epigraph, Thoreau talked about how he wanted the truth more than he wanted any kind of items that he could buy.
Chris was also thirsty for the truth about life and he was not concerned with material goods so much. He had good intentions
and he only wanted to find the purpose to his life.
Chapter 13: Virginia Beach
The quote by John Haines is from the book “The Stars, The Snow, The Fire: Twenty-Five Years In The Northern Wilderness”.
Haines is talking about how he has traveled many paths during his lifetime, and is now planning on walking down one
more path and not looking back.
In this chapter, Krakauer talks with Chris’s sister about her brother. We learn that she is his confidant. Haines talks about
how he had gone on his journey and not looked back. This is what McCandless did and it ended up killing him eventually.
Chris’s family blames themselves for somehow driving him to leave.
Chapter 14: The Stikine Ice Cap
The first quote was from John Menlove Edwards from the book “Letter From a Man”. Edwards said that he was an energetic
person who always sought knowledge and reality. This drove him to better himself. The second quote was Henry David Thoreau
in one of his journals. Thoreau talks about how great it is to experience the wilderness.
Krakaur had his own experiences with the wilderness. When he was young he went and climbed a peak known as the Devils Thumb.
This was enlightening for him and is the reason that he is so interested in Chris and why he does not think that McCandless is crazy.
Edwards wrote about how we seek Knowledge and our own truths, and for some people this might mean taking on the wilderness solo
for a while. And for Krakauer, the wilderness is a beautiful and magical thing.
Chapter 15: The Stikine Ice Cap
The first quote was from John Muir’s book “The Mountains Of California”. Muir is saying that it is impossible to know
one’s self until tested. The second quote is from Donald Barthelme in “The Dead Father”. This passage has to do with
the reasons why fathers and sons resent each other and why they act the way they do sometimes.
Muir’s passage was stating that you cant really know what you are capable of until you are tested. Krakauer was put to
the test at the end of his journey to Devils Thumb. With the violent weather, he could have easily become a human popsicle
and not lived to tell the tale. This chapter also has some information about Krakauer’s own relationship with his father and he
uses Barthelme to illustrate why they might have had a dysfunctional relationship.
Chapter 16: The Alaska Interior
The first quote is from Estwick Evans in “A Pedestrious Tour, Of Four Thousand Miles, Through The Western States And
Territories, During The Winter And Spring of 1818”. Evans talked about wanting to go back to an older way of living that was
more pure and fulfilling, and to give his life a sense of excitement and danger. The second quote is from Roderick Nash in
“Wilderness And The American Mind”. Nash talks about how people go into the wilderness to get away from people, society,
or to experience solitude.
This Chapter is when McCandless goes into the Alaskan wild and is trying to live off the land. Evans talked about living in a
more natural way and how it is much more fulfilling . McCandless was probably enjoying himself until he found out that he was
not going to be able to leave when he wanted. It was a lack of planning. And Nash mentioned that people go into the wilderness
to get away from it all. It is true that McCandless wanted to leave people behind for awhile but he really wanted to head back once
he knew he couldn’t.
Chapter 17: The Stampede Trail
The quote is from Henry David Thoreau’s book “Ktaadn”. In the quote, Thoreau talks about the power of nature and that
man have really has little influence on something so powerful.
Thoreau knew that the power of nature cannot really be stopped by man. The river that caused the death of Chris was
three acres wide and there was no way that he could swim through it. However, there was a cable that was strung over the
river about a half a mile away from where he was found dead and he had died. He couldn’t have beaten nature, but he could
have sneaked passed it!
Chapter 18: The Stampede Trail
The first quote is from John Campbell’s book “The Hungry Summer”. In the quote Campbell discusses that people today do
not understand how difficult it is to survive primarily by hunting in the wilderness. The second quote is from Boris Pasternak’s
“Doctor Zhivago”. Pasternak talks about people trying to solve the riddle of life in order to cheat death; this is why so many
advancements are made in many fields of study.
The last chapter is about how Chris spent his last few days. Campbell wrote about how living off the land is a truly difficult task.
This shows with McCandless. He was eating plants and killing small animals for food without an issue, but he was still burning
more calories that he was able to consume. This ended up leading to his starvation. Pasternak makes mention to the fact that
people are always trying to figure out life and death, McCandless got his answers before he passed.
Allusions
Page 28:
“McCandless could endeavor to explain that he answered to statues of a
higher order—that as a latter-day adherent of Henry David Thoreau, he took as
gospel the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and thus considered it his
moral responsibility to flout the laws of the
state”(p28).
This Allusion is referring to the fact the McCandless
did not really care about the laws of the state. He was more inclined to break
the rules if they were more convenient to him and he did not care for any type
of government.
Page 29: “Then, in a gesture that would have done
both Thoreau and Tolstoy proud, he arranged all his paper currency in a pile on
the sand—apathetic little stack of ones and fives and twenties—and put a match
to it” (p29).
This Alludes to the fact that both Tolstoy
and Thoreau did not care much for money or having an over abundance of anything.
And they both did not care much for the government. Therefore burning money
would impress both of them because he is throwing away what he needs to live
normally in society.
Page 74:
“He became convinced that humans had devolved into progressively inferior
beings,” McKinney explains, “and it was his goal to return to a natural
state. He was forever
experimenting with different eras— Roman times, the Iron Age, the Bronze
Age. By the end his lifestyle had
elements of the Neolithic”(p74).
This means that McKinney had almost reverted to the same
lifestyle that people living in ten thousand years before Common Era had. This
meant that he was using almost no more that shicks and stones to stay
alive.
Page 115:
“Her son, the teenage Tolstoyan, believed that wealth was shameful,
corrupting, inherently evil—which is ironic because Chris was a natural-born
capitalist with an uncanny knack for making a buck. “Chris was always an
entrepreneur,”Billie says with a laugh.
“Always”(P115).
The term Tolstoyan is referring to the fact that this women’s son Is much like the writer Leo Tolstoy. And it is also
mentioned that it is ironic because Chris was so good at doing the ting he hated most, making money. He had a real
talent for marketing but never really used his natural skills. He only resented them.
Page 183:
“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not
primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the
inner country of his own soul”(p183).
This passage alludes to the fact that Muir and Thoreau were not going
into nature to find answers in their own soul, but to find answers about
nature.
Chapter 1: the Alaska Interior
This epigraph is a postcard sent to McCandless two days after he arrived
in Alaska. He asks Wayne Westerberg to return all of the mail that he receives
back to the sender because he does not think that he will be coming back for
quite some time. He ends this by letting Westerberg know that he is heading out
into the Alaskan wilderness.
This passage was used in the first chapter to set off the story and to
kind of give the reader some idea of where McCandless is and what his intentions
are. The biggest hint was the last sentence of the card: “I now walk into the
wild”(p3). The postcard was also addressed to Wayne Westerberg, this let us know
that he was keep in contact with people up to this point in his
journey.
Chapter 2: The Stampede Trail
This entry was a quote written by jack London and was carved into a piece
of wood near were McCandless was found dead. The text was about how quiet and
lonely, and harsh the wilderness is. Jack London also said the wilderness was
“laughing at the futility of life and the effort of life” (6).
The epigraph chosen for this chapter is fitting because London wrote
about the discovery and examination of McCandless’s corpse. This passage works
well because the longer he spent out in the woods the less healthy he became.
This goes back to the epigraph, the wilderness was laughing at him as he slowly
withered away to his death.
Chapter 3: Carthage
The first quote comes from Leo Tolstoy’s “Family happiness". It is about
how he would not enjoy a calm, normal life. He would rather experience the
danger and excitement in life. The second quote is from Wallace Stegner’s “The
American West as a Living Space”. His quote talks about how every person enjoys
the feeling of freedom.
These two quotes match the chapter because they are in many ways similar
to how McCandless lives his life. McCandless loved Leo Tolstoy and even
underlined “I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence”(P15).
McCandless rarely stayed in one place for very long and he was always doing
dangerous and exciting things with his life. The second passage really
encapsulates McCandless’s desire to be free and to wander
around.
Chapter 4: Detriral wash
This passage written by John Sheppard talks about the desert and how special he thinks it is.
He also makes mention of how lots of hermits, prophets, religious leaders, and exiles, all brave
the desert. Sheppard also talks about how it is a magical place.
The Epilogue goes with the chapter because McCandless goes on a pilgrimage of sorts to
get to the sea. He moves through California and gets to the Colorado River. From there, he moves
across the desert to get to Arizona. There he buys a Canoe so that he could hopefully ride a river to
the sea. Sheppard’s quote helps us realize the all of the young man’s traveling is “not to escape but to find reality” (25).
Chapter 5: Bullhead City
This epilogue written by Jack London is about a buck that has matured as
a result of“fierce conditions” it has endured in its life (38). Alexander’s
response to this was “Hail the dominant primordial beast!
And Captain Ahab too!” (38).
In this chapter, McCandless is learning to be a bit more responsible, at
least for a while and he works for a few months to accumulate some money.
However, he cannot live that mundane existence for long and he Is preparing for
a trip to Alaska where he plans to go into the wilderness for some
time.
Chapter 6: Anza-Borrego
Henry David Thoreau, in his book “Walden, Or Life In The Woods”, talks
about how nature is not appreciated like it should be and that most people
choose not to experience it because they are conforming to the accepted ways of
life.
This Epilogue talks about how people are often conforming to the “normal”
way of life. In this chapter, McCandless meets a man who is trying to get
McCandless back on his feet so to speak. So the elderly gentleman was quite
surprised to find out that the homeless looking young man was an educated,
intelligent person who was merely choosing to live in that fashion. McCandless
ends up convincing the man that he should try living with less for a while and
to find the enjoyment of a simpler life style.
Chapter 7: Carthage
The first quote was written by Mark Twain in his book “The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn”.
It was about a man in a book who left his family without providing any reason for his
actions. The second quote was written by Anthony Storr from “Solitude: A Return to the Shelf”.
He discusses various reasons why people might want to live an isolated life.
The Epilogue for this chapter is fitting because we learn about the relationship that McCandless
has with his father. We get some sense of why he didn’t care to talk about them and why he wanted
them out of his life completely. McCandless also did not approve of the life style that his parents lead.
Chapter 8: Alaska
The first quote was written by Theodore Roszak in “In Search Of The Miraculous”. It described about creative
people who are highly motivated but can sometimes become obsessed with one thing which results in “remarkable insights”.
However, they may lose the ability to communicate their ideals with others. The second quote was written by Edward
Hoagland in his book “Up The Black To Chalkyitsik”. In this passage he talks about how people go into the wilderness
in order to contemplate their lives and renew themselves. He also says that it only works if the person is not too badly
damaged, and he makes a reference to the fact that the Alaskan wilderness has more harsh conditions than most places.
The quotes for this chapter are fitting because Krakauer is attempting to show that McCandless was not crazy for doing
what he did. In this chapter, Krakauer talks about three other people that are similar to McCandless. These men never really
gave clear reasons as to why they did what they were doing but none of them were crazy. Like Roszak said, these people
had lots of insight to what they were obsessed about, but they never truly communicated it. Hoagland also talks about how the
wilderness is somewhere that people go to heal. These men might have had experiences in their lives that drove them to take
these solitary adventures from civilization.
Chapter 9: Davis Gulch
The first quote was the last letter a man named Everett Ruess sent to his brother. It talks about how Ruess much prefers
life in the wild compared to mundane city life. He talks about how he hates routine and would rather not live his life in
some boring fashion. The second quote, by Wallace Stegner, addresses the fact that Ruess enjoyed the beauty of
nature and how he was similar to John Muir.
The letter the Ruess wrote to his brother is very fitting for this chapter because Krakauer chooses to show how similar the
two people are in this chapter. They have the same view on many things and both ended up dying in the wilderness. The
quote from Stegner makes another connection between John Muir and Ruess, and said that there was nothing wrong with
loving the beauty of nature. This further helps prove that the people are not crazy.
Chapter 10: Fairbanks
This epigraph was an article from the New York Times Newspaper, from September 13, 1992. It talks about
a hiker who had been found dead after being stuck in the wilderness for an extended amount of time. He had
done his best to survive while waiting to be rescued, but his efforts turned out to be futile.
The passage from the New York Times gives us a hint of what is to come by talking about a hiker that has passed
away from starvation while waiting to be rescued.This chapter was about the confirmation of the remains of McCandless.
Chris’s half-brother goes up to Fairbanks in order to identify the body. He is disturbed at what he saw. Chris had starved
to death and had not shaved for weeks. He looked nothing like he did the last time anyone in his family had seen him.
Chapter 11: Chesapeake Beach
The quotation from Boris Pasternack’s “Doctor Zhivago” talks about the deep need for a sense of purpose in life in times
of change. He mentions that most people feel that they do not have a sense of purpose unless they are following the rules
of society.
This chapter is about Chris and the years before he left everything behind. He had been a gifted student and athlete and
he always wanted to help people. But he was really looking for fulfillment in life and he got a taste of it when he went on his
road trip the summer before he went to college. Pasternak talked about how people need a sense of purpose in life, and for
McCandless, he was meant to be a nomad.
Chapter 12: Annandale
The first quote was from Henry David Thoreau in “Walden, Or Life in the Woods”. Thoreau spoke about how he was hungry for
the truth than money or fame which, in his case, were abundant. The second quote by G. K. Chesterton talks about how the
intentions of children are much more pure than those of adults.
In the epigraph, Thoreau talked about how he wanted the truth more than he wanted any kind of items that he could buy.
Chris was also thirsty for the truth about life and he was not concerned with material goods so much. He had good intentions
and he only wanted to find the purpose to his life.
Chapter 13: Virginia Beach
The quote by John Haines is from the book “The Stars, The Snow, The Fire: Twenty-Five Years In The Northern Wilderness”.
Haines is talking about how he has traveled many paths during his lifetime, and is now planning on walking down one
more path and not looking back.
In this chapter, Krakauer talks with Chris’s sister about her brother. We learn that she is his confidant. Haines talks about
how he had gone on his journey and not looked back. This is what McCandless did and it ended up killing him eventually.
Chris’s family blames themselves for somehow driving him to leave.
Chapter 14: The Stikine Ice Cap
The first quote was from John Menlove Edwards from the book “Letter From a Man”. Edwards said that he was an energetic
person who always sought knowledge and reality. This drove him to better himself. The second quote was Henry David Thoreau
in one of his journals. Thoreau talks about how great it is to experience the wilderness.
Krakaur had his own experiences with the wilderness. When he was young he went and climbed a peak known as the Devils Thumb.
This was enlightening for him and is the reason that he is so interested in Chris and why he does not think that McCandless is crazy.
Edwards wrote about how we seek Knowledge and our own truths, and for some people this might mean taking on the wilderness solo
for a while. And for Krakauer, the wilderness is a beautiful and magical thing.
Chapter 15: The Stikine Ice Cap
The first quote was from John Muir’s book “The Mountains Of California”. Muir is saying that it is impossible to know
one’s self until tested. The second quote is from Donald Barthelme in “The Dead Father”. This passage has to do with
the reasons why fathers and sons resent each other and why they act the way they do sometimes.
Muir’s passage was stating that you cant really know what you are capable of until you are tested. Krakauer was put to
the test at the end of his journey to Devils Thumb. With the violent weather, he could have easily become a human popsicle
and not lived to tell the tale. This chapter also has some information about Krakauer’s own relationship with his father and he
uses Barthelme to illustrate why they might have had a dysfunctional relationship.
Chapter 16: The Alaska Interior
The first quote is from Estwick Evans in “A Pedestrious Tour, Of Four Thousand Miles, Through The Western States And
Territories, During The Winter And Spring of 1818”. Evans talked about wanting to go back to an older way of living that was
more pure and fulfilling, and to give his life a sense of excitement and danger. The second quote is from Roderick Nash in
“Wilderness And The American Mind”. Nash talks about how people go into the wilderness to get away from people, society,
or to experience solitude.
This Chapter is when McCandless goes into the Alaskan wild and is trying to live off the land. Evans talked about living in a
more natural way and how it is much more fulfilling . McCandless was probably enjoying himself until he found out that he was
not going to be able to leave when he wanted. It was a lack of planning. And Nash mentioned that people go into the wilderness
to get away from it all. It is true that McCandless wanted to leave people behind for awhile but he really wanted to head back once
he knew he couldn’t.
Chapter 17: The Stampede Trail
The quote is from Henry David Thoreau’s book “Ktaadn”. In the quote, Thoreau talks about the power of nature and that
man have really has little influence on something so powerful.
Thoreau knew that the power of nature cannot really be stopped by man. The river that caused the death of Chris was
three acres wide and there was no way that he could swim through it. However, there was a cable that was strung over the
river about a half a mile away from where he was found dead and he had died. He couldn’t have beaten nature, but he could
have sneaked passed it!
Chapter 18: The Stampede Trail
The first quote is from John Campbell’s book “The Hungry Summer”. In the quote Campbell discusses that people today do
not understand how difficult it is to survive primarily by hunting in the wilderness. The second quote is from Boris Pasternak’s
“Doctor Zhivago”. Pasternak talks about people trying to solve the riddle of life in order to cheat death; this is why so many
advancements are made in many fields of study.
The last chapter is about how Chris spent his last few days. Campbell wrote about how living off the land is a truly difficult task.
This shows with McCandless. He was eating plants and killing small animals for food without an issue, but he was still burning
more calories that he was able to consume. This ended up leading to his starvation. Pasternak makes mention to the fact that
people are always trying to figure out life and death, McCandless got his answers before he passed.
Allusions
Page 28:
“McCandless could endeavor to explain that he answered to statues of a
higher order—that as a latter-day adherent of Henry David Thoreau, he took as
gospel the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and thus considered it his
moral responsibility to flout the laws of the
state”(p28).
This Allusion is referring to the fact the McCandless
did not really care about the laws of the state. He was more inclined to break
the rules if they were more convenient to him and he did not care for any type
of government.
Page 29: “Then, in a gesture that would have done
both Thoreau and Tolstoy proud, he arranged all his paper currency in a pile on
the sand—apathetic little stack of ones and fives and twenties—and put a match
to it” (p29).
This Alludes to the fact that both Tolstoy
and Thoreau did not care much for money or having an over abundance of anything.
And they both did not care much for the government. Therefore burning money
would impress both of them because he is throwing away what he needs to live
normally in society.
Page 74:
“He became convinced that humans had devolved into progressively inferior
beings,” McKinney explains, “and it was his goal to return to a natural
state. He was forever
experimenting with different eras— Roman times, the Iron Age, the Bronze
Age. By the end his lifestyle had
elements of the Neolithic”(p74).
This means that McKinney had almost reverted to the same
lifestyle that people living in ten thousand years before Common Era had. This
meant that he was using almost no more that shicks and stones to stay
alive.
Page 115:
“Her son, the teenage Tolstoyan, believed that wealth was shameful,
corrupting, inherently evil—which is ironic because Chris was a natural-born
capitalist with an uncanny knack for making a buck. “Chris was always an
entrepreneur,”Billie says with a laugh.
“Always”(P115).
The term Tolstoyan is referring to the fact that this women’s son Is much like the writer Leo Tolstoy. And it is also
mentioned that it is ironic because Chris was so good at doing the ting he hated most, making money. He had a real
talent for marketing but never really used his natural skills. He only resented them.
Page 183:
“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not
primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the
inner country of his own soul”(p183).
This passage alludes to the fact that Muir and Thoreau were not going
into nature to find answers in their own soul, but to find answers about
nature.