Into the Wild Chapters 11-13

Objective: Determine why Krakauer chooses to include elements of McCandless’ childhood

later in the book. Identify passages that have changed in meaning, or are deeper in
meaning, with the revelations in chapters 11-13. Explain how these revelations affect our
interpretations as readers.

Select 2 moments from chapters 11-13 that give us information on how McCandless was
growing up/in college (paraphrasing is fine, but be detailed).

1. While McCandless was a kid his parents specifically played a major role in
McCandless disliking the whole working society norm because when they would
work all day and never see McCandless or his sister it really affected McCandless.
Not seeing his parents for days on end led to him resenting the work that they did
and even the money that came with it.

2. Another event is when McCandess’s parents fought it affected McCandless with not
having the greatest relationship with his family. With the factors of not seeing his
parents for long amounts of time and his parents fighting that almost led to divorce
it may have left him with no remorse of leaving them and never coming back.

Identify 2 moments from earlier sections that can be read differently with the information
above (paraphrasing is fine, but be detailed).

1. When McCandless worked at Mcdonalds he didn’t completely conform with how it

worked. He was a reliable worker but didn’t hurry when it was rush hour or like to
wear socks and rebelled against it. Simple things like these can now be traced back
to him still being upset and against the long hours his parents worked which kept
them away from him.

2. McCandless was seen to be happier and more relaxed with/around his family when
he went on camping trips with his family when he was a child. This is able to reflect
when he is older because he can associate a happier family life with nature
compared to his unhappy disliking to working jobs where is used to that and his
fighting parents at home, inside.
Select and Explain: Choose one of the examples above and explain the effect on the
reader when gaining new information (3-6 sentences)

When reading Into The Wild, Krakauer really lingers in the beginning of the book about McCandless’s
time working at McDonalds. Krakauer writes about how McCandless was a little dysfunctional as a
worker there and how he hated working there. When it came to McCandless wearing socks or
rushing during rush hour he always stayed trying to rebel in little ways. So then when Krakauer later
writes in the story about McCandless’s childhood, it makes the reader think differently about the
situation. With his parents being a slave to there jobs and never seeing their family it put a mental
toll on McCandless that seemed to never leave, it made him hate the working society norm and is
why he did those things at McDonalds and then left his job there after he got the money he needed
to go on his adventure. Krakauer doing this gave the reader time to think about the information
they are being given and to question it, it also partly lets the reader think they are uncovering this
mystery like a detective as they read along instead of learning about McCandless’s childhood first
and making the story seem more just like a biography.