Quotes and Characters
Who said it?
"I would like to get a copy of the magazine that carried the story of the young man dying in Alaska. I would like to write the one that investigated the incident."
Ronald Franz
(Picks up Chris outside of the Oh-My-God Hotsprings. Teaches him leather work and tries to adopt Chris as his grandson.)
Where did Chris abandon the Datsun?
Detrital Wash
(During a storm the wash filled and he tried to start his car while wet. The battery drained, so he was forced to leave it behind. The troopers that found it eventually used it as an undercover vehicle for drug busts!)
What item was Alex body found in (not the bus)? What was significant about that item?
Sleeping Bag
(It was sewn by his mother when Alex was a child. It must have meant something to him if he had taken it all that way.)
What activity was Chris known for in high school?
Running
(He was the cross country captain at his high school and would make his team get lost on purpose in dangerous places)The name for a person responsible for keeping "hobos" off of trains by ANY means necessary.
Bulls
(Chris is beaten within an inch of his life by a bull for boarding a train illegally to head north.)
Who said it?
"The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences..."
Christopher McCandless
(Chris wrote this in a manifesto to a friend while on the road traveling)NASA
(He was a systems engineer that helped pioneer satellite transmitters and technology)
Professional Piano Player
(Chris inherited this skill from Walt, and even played/sang for people during his travels west)Which one of Alex's possessions was Krakauer able to use to determine where he had gone on his journey into the wild? Where did Alex get it?
Leather Belt
(Chris engraved pictures from the many places he visited on his travels)
Ron Franz
(He showed him how to do custom leatherwork)
DAILY DOUBLE!!!
YOU MUST ANSWER BOTH CORRECTLY:
Chris donated $24,000 dollars to a charity called OXFAM. What does that charity do with the money AND why was it important to Chris?
OXFAM works to end the injustice of hunger and poverty.
Chris supports this cause because he studied it at Emory University.
In his final days, what did Chris say about happiness? WHY?
"Happiness is only real when SHARED"
(Krakauer states that Chris is most likely ready to go home and start over with his family again.)
Who acts as a "motherly" figure for Chris during his travels?
Jan Burres
(She picks up Chris with her boyfriend Bob. He frequently wrote post cards to her to keep her informed about his travels, and they were once reunited in an old air base in the Mojave Desert)
What item does Chris give to Walt for Walt's birthday as an honest "thank you" gift?
(Chris knew his father would think this was special, but soon regretted gifting the telescope to him after finding out that his father had two families.)
Where did Alex stay while he was working at McDonald's in Bullhead city?
"Charlie's" Trailer
(Charlie let Alex live in an old teardrop-shaped trailer that wasn't even his to offer)
What did Chris discover on his first solo trip out west?
He found out that his father had another family and that his life was a "lie".
Krakauer compares Chris's journey to what famous explorer? WHY did Krakauer say they were similar to each other?
Sir John Franklin
(He failed his expedition to the Northwest Passage, but is similar to Chris in that he thought he could CONQUER nature.)
Who said it?
"He never explained why he'd changed his name. From things he said, you could tell something wasn't right between him and his family, but I don't like to pry into other people's business, so I never asked about it."
Wayne Westerberg
(during his interview with Krakauer)
How are people Chris has met along his travels able to know where he is after leaving them?
(Krakauer used these post cards as evidence for writing and crafting his story.)
Of the many places Alex traveled to, which did he almost make his permanent home? WHY?
CARTHAGE, South Dakota
(He felt like Wayne Westerberg and his employees were the closest to family that he has ever had.)
Fill in the blank to one of Chris's favorite quotes
Rather than love, than money, then fame, than fairness, give me _______________. -Henry David Thoreau
Why is this quote so important to him?
TRUTH
His father, Walt McCandless, was a liar and a cheater. Chris wanted to follow his own path, instead of the path laid down by his father.
What did Chris say was, "the greatest tragedy of my life"?
Killing the moose and not being able to save it before the meat spoiled. It essentially died for nothing.
MUST HAVE BOTH ANSWERS CORRECT:
What is the name of the character who falls in love with McCandless AND where did they meet?
Tracy at The Slabs
(She becomes infatuated with him, but he thinks that at 17 years old she is too young for him. They become friends and bond over puppies.)
During Chris's childhood, what was one thing that he and his father actually enjoyed together?
Hiking/Climbing in the Adirondack Mountains
(Walt described this to Krakauer when he came to their home to interview them.)
Why did Alex consider himself a "Supertramp"?
He was a leather tramp (walked on foot), a rubber tramp (traveled on the road by car), rail tramp (jumped trains), and even traveled by canoe.
What would Chris do with his free time while he was in high school? WHY?
Chris would spend his time getting to know and understand the homeless in Washington D.C.
Chris wanted to understand the homeless and try to help them any way that he could. One time he and a high school friend of his bought cheeseburgers and distributed them to the homeless.
Once local Alaskans near BUS 142 heard of the Chris McCandless story, what did they blame him for?
They claimed that he destroyed their vandalized cabins
(Krakauer made the point that it wouldn't be Chris because 1. He was never one to vandalize 2. He would have mentioned it in his diary 3. He would have used what was in the cabins to survive longer than he did)