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Chapter 11 - The First of McCandless family chapters

Point of view of several family members is found in this chapter along with that of several of the people McCandless went to high school with who also shed some light on his life. Walt McCandless is here. Try speculating answers to the question he poses at the end of the first paragraph in page 104:

"'How is it. . .that a kid with so much compassion could cause his parents so much pain'" (104)?

Speculate also as to why so much specific detail about Walt McCandless is given. Is it necessary? Krakauer's purpose?

Note that Walt McCandless also said of his son: "We were always trying to pull him back from the edge" (109).

The connections of Billie's father to Chris? List as bullet points. Why is this important to know to understand Chris McCandless?

What about the effect of their (Christopher and Carine) parents working all the time?

The point of view of former classmates:
  • Gordy Cucullu - Think about whether Chris did "push [himself] into unknown territory" (112). Relate this to his journeys.
  • Eric Hathaway - Deconstruct this quote: "He'd tell us to think about all the evil in the world, all the hatred, and imagine ourselves running against the forces of darkness, the evil wall tha twas trying to keep us from funning our best" (112). Can this be applied to McCandless after he dropped out of sight after his Emory graduation? How?
  • Kris Maxie Gilmer - Said McCandless didn't want to go to college. Said McCandless said: "Careers were demeaning 'twentieth century inventions,' more of a liability than an asset, and that he would do fine without one. . . ."(114), which is exactly what he did with his life after Emory.
Note the inconsistencies you learn about McCandless when he was younger, before college.  React to the last sentence of chapter 11: "Nor could anyone in his family have foreseen that a chance discovery during this initial journey would ultimately turn him inward and away, drawing Chris and those who loved him into a morass of anger, misunderstanding, and sorrow" (116).
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