Sunday, July 19, 2015

In Into the Wild, what questions does Chris ask Gallien that impress him?

This incident occurs in the very first chapter of this
excellent book, as Gallien gives Chris a ride in his car to where Chris leaves him to
walk off into the wilds of Alaska by himself. Gallien never knew this at the time, but
he was the last person to see Chris McCandless alive before his self-imposed isolation
and then death in the Alaskan wilderness. However, when Gallien and Chris talk during
the ride that he gives him, it is clear that Gallien does not think that Chris is some
naive youngster who has no idea of how to survive by himself. Note what we are told
about their conversation:


readability="10">

It was a two-hour drive from Fairbanks to the
edge of Denali Park. The more they talked, the less Alex struck Gallien as a nutcase. He
was congenial and seemed well educated. He peppered Gallien with thoughtful questions
about the kind of small game that live in teh country, the kinds of berries he could
eat--"that kind of
thing."



The importance of
this quote then helps to set up the dilemma that dominates this book. Chris McCandless,
in so many ways, appears to be just another wacko wanting to live out his Jack London
fantasies. Yet at the same time, such intelligence and knowledge about local berries and
wildlife means that we can't just dismiss him as such, which leads to the quest of the
novel to try and work out why he did what he did.

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