Into+the+Wild

**//Into the Wild//** Facilitator: Mrs. Stafford Room Assignment: 414 Student Enrollment:

__Themes from the Reading__ The Allure of Danger The Allure of Adventure Man vs Nature Family Dynamics

__Possible Discussion Questions;__ What draws people to high risk activities? Is it fair to the loved one of the individuals who participate in high-risk activities? Think about Chris's relationship with his family. Does the inclusion of this back story make us more or less sympathetic to him? Do you sympathize with his parents? His sister Carine? Compare Chris’s relationship with his parents and the people he interacted with at Emory, to his relationships with people he met on the road. What made them so different? Many readers find it hard to have sympathy for Chris McCandless. His stubborn idealism and lack of preparedness, as some have pointed out, amount to arrogance. Yet to others he is seen as a hero. Critics point to Krakauer's power as a writer to evoke sympathy for the young man. Where do you stand? Chris McCandless’ story is still talked about today. What do you think his legacy is? Would Chris’s story have mattered if he had lived?

__Guided Reading Questions / Questions for Understanding__ 1. In the article [|**//The Cult of Chris McCandless//**] found in **//Men’s Journal//** (cited above), there is this quote: Carlson, a barrel-chested Athabascan who worked as a tribal liaison on the shoot, shows me around the bus. He chuckles through a handlebar mustache and offers an unburnished appraisal of McCandless: Another fool bit the dust. “We grew up here. You learn how to make a campfire when you’re a kid. This, I didn’t think much of it at the time. That kid’s mistakes started a long time before he got here.” What mistakes, if any, did Chris make before going to Alaska? 2. What do think caused Chris to embark on his journey? How do view and interpret this quote from Chris: So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future.