Vocab 1
The main character of a story
Protagonist
Worn out, abandoned, or in ruins.
Derelict
The author and journalist who reconstructs and analyzes Chris McCandless’s journey.
John Krakauer
A philosophy emphasizing self-reliance, nature, and individual truth that strongly influences Chris.
Transcendentalism
“Rather than love, than money, than fame… give me truth” reveals Chris’s rejection of this.
Materialism
A philosophy emphasizing self-reliance, nature, and individual truth.
transcendentalism
A complicated, maze-like structure or path.
Labyrinthine
The name Chris uses while traveling to separate himself from his past.
Alexander Supertramp
The belief that nature can purify a person and reveal deeper truths.
Idealism
Happiness is only real when shared” suggests Chris realizes this too late.
Importance of human connection
To live on with very limited resources.
Subsist
If Chris crosses the Teklanika River without understanding the terrain, he lacks this knowledge of land features.
Topography
The farmer who gives Chris work and respects his strong work ethic.
Wayne Westerburg
This theme explores who Chris is and how he defines himself outside of society.
Identitiy
“He wanted an unfiltered experience” shows Chris’s desire for this kind of life.
He wanted authenticity
Proud, overly confident behavior that can lead to dangerous mistakes.
Hubris
A dreamlike series of shifting or unreal images.
Phantasmagoria
The older man who bonds deeply with Chris and offers to adopt him.
Ronald Franz
Krakauer complicates the idea that Chris was purely reckless by revealing this deeper truth.
Chris was complex and cannot be reduced to a single label
“The tragedy of the hero is his blindness” points to Chris’s greatest flaw.
Hubris
Carelessly or cheerfully without thinking about consequences.
Blithley
When Chris refuses help or authority figures, he is acting with this attitude.
Defiance
Chris’s sister, whose perspective helps humanize and complicate his story.
Carine McCandless
This theme examines what Chris gains—and loses—by rejecting society.
Freedom and its costs
Krakauer uses quotes like these to help uncover this about Chris’s story.
Truth