Characterization Notes on Christopher McCandless
(a.k.a. Alex Supertramp)
Assignment Directions: As you read Into the Wild, take notes on direct and indirect characterization traits about Christopher McCandless. For each chapter, pick out 2-3 descriptions about Chris that really stand out to you. This could be direct descriptions about what Christopher looks like to indirect descriptions about how Chris acts, what he says, how others view him, how he treats others, and anything about Chris that helps you form an opinion about him by the end of the novel. Keep in mind that by the end of the book, you will write an essay that gives your opinion on either side of the following argument presented in the “Author’s Note”:
“Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity – and was undeserving of the considerable media attention he received.”
Fill out the chart as you read and post on your blog when the chart is completed. Mrs. Z. will check your chart on your laptop periodically to see that you are adding notes and keeping up with the character chart as we read.
Direct and Indirect Characterization Notes on Christopher McCandless
(Alex Supertramp)
| Chapter and page # | Description/quote from novel | What impression you get about Chris with this character trait or description? | |
| Chapter 1 | “Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build, he claimed to be 24 years old and said he was from South Dakota.” “He explained that he wanted a ride as far as the edge of Denali National Park, where he intended to walk deep into the bush and ‘live off the land for a few months.” Page 4 | Chris wasn’t in the right physical shape to be hiking in to Alaska and living off the land. Based on his intentions he seems a little bit crazy. | |
| Chapter 2 | “Chris’s remains weighed only 67 pounds when he was found.” Page 14 | No healthy young adult should way that much. They came to the conclusion that a cause of his death was starvation, he was unprepared. | |
| Chapter 3 | “McCandless was smallish with the hard, stringy physique of an itinerant laborer.” “There was something arresting about the youngsters eyes.” Page 16 | His physical appearance was wiry, but built. He seemed to have a striking charm. | |
| Chapter 4 | “He was a nice kid. Said his name was Alex. And he was big-time hungry. Hungry, hungry, hungry. But real happy.” “Said he’d been surviving on edible plants he identified from the book. Page 30 | No matter what challenges Chris was faced with he remained happy and content with his life. He was very smart and used his knowledge in order to help him survive and find food. | |
| Chapter 5 | “Nice guy, yeah, a pretty nice guy.” “Didn’t like to be around to many people, though. Temperamental. He meant good, but I think he had a lot of complexes. Page 42 | People saw that Chris was a nice guy and had good intentions, but it was obvious to them that he didn’t enjoy company. Anyone could tell Chris was more than just an average young adult looking for an adventure. | |
| Chapter 6 | “The boy had said his name was Alex-he’d declined to give a surname-and that he came from West Virginia.” “He was polite, friendly, and well-groomed.” Page 51 | Chris was a mystery and he was good at keeping a secret. Others thought he was polite, friendly, and well-groomed. | |
| Chapter 7 | “He was kind of shy at first.” “He acted like it was hard for him to be around people. I just figured that was because he’d spent so much time by himself. Page 63 | Chris was shy around people he didn’t know very well and was even a little socially awkward. | |
| Chapter 10 | “He has long hair, and he had beard.” “Chris almost always had short hair and was clean shaven. And the face in the picture was extremely gaunt.” Page 101-102 | Chris’s appearance changed over time just liked he did. He no longer saw the need for shaving or keeping well-groomed in life. | |
| Chapter 11 | “Christopher Johnson McCandless came into the world with unusual gifts and a will not easily deflected from its trajectory.” “He wasn’t antisocial-he always- had friends, and everybody liked him-but he could go off and entertain himself for hours. He didn’t seem to need toys or friends. He could be alone without being lonely.” Pg. 107 | Chris was very unique even from birth. He had a natural talent for just about anything, including things out of the ordinary. Chris was nice and didn’t mind having friends; he got along well with everyone. At the same time he was perfectly fine with being alone. | |
| Chapter 12 | “Chris was good at almost everything he ever tried.” “If you attempted to talk to him out of something, he wouldn’t argue. He’s just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted.” Pg. 119 | Chris had a natural talent at just about everything. Knowing this he was very confident with him and believed he was invincible. He didn’t listen to anyone but himself. | |
| Chapter 13 | “Like Chris, Carine is energetic and self-assured, a high achiever; quick to state an opinion.” Pg. 129 “Standing five feet eight inches tall, Carine McCandless is the same height as her brother was, maybe an inch taller; and looks enough like him that people frequently ask if they were twins.” Pg. 128 | McCandless had a lot in common with his sister. Not only did they have similar personalities but they looked a lot alike. | |
| Chapter 14 | (N/A) | (N/A) | |
| Chapter 15 | (N/A) | (N/A) | |
| Chapter 16 | “Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom…” Pg. 163 “And by the end he kind of let his guard down. He was a dandy kid. Real courteous, and he didn’t cuss or use a lot of that there slang. You could tell he came from a nice family. Mostly he talked about his sister. He didn’t get along with his folks too good, I guess. Told me his dad was a genius, a NASA rocket scientist. Pg. 159 | For two years he lived without any basic necessities and it was freedom for him. When you first met McCandless he wasn’t very open or talkative but he eventually began to let his guard down and talk to you. When he did talk to you a lot he was very nice. You could tell he really cared about his sister and came from a great family. | |
| Chapter 17 | “McCandless, on the other hand, went too far in the opposite direction. He tried to live entirely off the country- and he tried to do it without bothering to master beforehand the full repertoire of crucial skills.” “He had a need to test himself in ways, as he was fond of saying, that mattered. He possessed grand-some would say grandiose-spiritual ambitions.” Pg. 182 | A reason why McCandless may have died is because he may not have been prepared enough to survive entirely off land. Maybe his ambitious personality is also a factor in his death. | |
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