Learning Guide for Into the Wild

Learning Guide for Into The Wild

Subjects: Non-Fiction Literature, Biography, Adaptation, Point of View, Literary Allusion, vocabulary;

Social-Emotional Learning: Responsibility, Independence, Parent-Child Relationships, Friendship, Forgiveness;

Moral-Ethical Emphasis: Honesty, Caring;

Age: 14+; MPAA Rating—R; released 2007; 148 Minutes, Color; Available from Amazon, Com.

Description: Into the Wild tells the true story of Christopher McCandless, who, after graduation from Emory College in 1990, took off on an adventure, abandoning his family and giving away all of his money. He was found dead in an abandoned bus in Alaska two years later. His journey was documented by Jon Krakauer, a writer for Outdoor Magazine, whose investigation of the places Chris stopped and the people he met along the way resulted in the non-fiction book from which the film was adapted. Told through flashback, the film seeks to explain why Chris chose to go on the road and what he learned from his experiences. As in the book, the film makes use of a multitude of literary allusions, showing how the quest that ended in Chris’s death was not unknown in the annals of American adventurism or in the American literary tradition.

Possible Problems: Brief nudity, minor violence, rough language.

Cast and Director: Directed by Sean Penn; Screen play by Sean Penn and Jon Krakauer; Starring Emile Hirsch, Hal Holbrook, Vince Vaughn, William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden and Jena Malone.

Benefits of the Movie: Chris’s story, imbedded in beautiful scenery and rich in the kind of music that has special appeal to young people, is told using shifting perspective. Thus, it provides a rich opportunity to teach the concept of point of view. The film, as does the book, makes repeated references to important works of literature; the names of authors, and quotes from their works, each found in Chris’s journal, can lead to exploration of the value of literary allusion in communicating theme.

TWM strongly advises those interested in using “Into The Wild” in the classroom to have the students read the Krakauer’s book before seeing the film.

An Approach to reading the book:

Introduce non-fiction as a genre. Non fiction is often more accessible to students who have not yet developed adequate skills in literary analysis. Teachers of literacy have indicated that they have greater success with interesting non-fiction than they do with novels, especially if the topics are timely and related to the lives of the readers. The mystery involved in “Into The Wild,” added to the fact that the story is about a young person, keeps kids reading.

Present information about the author. Jon Krakauer is a respected writer of non-fiction who was assigned the story of Chris McCandlass when he worked for Outside magazine. His earlier book, “Into Thin Air,” about the disastrous 1996 attempt to scale Mount Everest, established his credentials as a serious investigative reporter. In writing about Everest, Krakauer could not hide the guilt he felt over his inability to assist fellow climbers, several of whom died. His voice reflected his dismay. In “Into the Wild” his voice rings with empathy for the young man who sought something other than what had been laid out for him as a member of the upwardly mobile middle class and as a college graduate.

Krakauer is an experienced outdoorsman who has undertaken several solo journeys into wilderness. In reference to an attempt to climb a particular peak in Alaska, Krakauer wrote: “When I decided to go to Alaska that April, like Chris McCandlass, I was a raw youth who mistook passion for insight and acted according to an obscure, gap-ridden logic.” Clearly, Krakauer identifies with McCandlass; his voice is not objective and, although he addresses this lack of objectivity in his reporting, he does not apologize for it. Krakauer’s identification with McCandlass enriches the book as well as the film.

Before assigning the students chapters to read and vocabulary to study, present the summary of the book as presented in the Author’s Note at the beginning of the book either by reading it aloud with the class or through a brief lecture.

Vocabulary study preparation:

Arranged by chapter, the vocabulary words used in the book provide an opportunity to teach new words in context. When students experience words as a part of their reading rather than off of a list, they improve their understanding of the words as well as their ability to retain the knowledge of the word’s meaning. Many of these words are esoteric; known in circles familiar with geography, botany or chemistry. Teachers who want the students to improve their knowledge of words should apply the technique that has been successful for their students to any number of words on this list. Edit as appropriate to the vocabulary development level of the class.

Begin Reading Chapter by Chapter

Chapter 1. Literary allusion:

Check to see that students have looked up the vocabulary words to be found in chapter one.

Unsullied

Sonorous

Congenial

Meander

Unnaviagable

retort

Read chapter one, “The Alaska Interior” aloud to the class. Point out how five paragraphs into the chapter, Krakauer mentions Jack London. Introduce the term, literary allusion best defined as an author’s reference to the work of another author in order to clarify a concept, and prepare the students for the many references the book makes to authors, philosophers and adventurers.

Introduce Jack London as an American writer from the San Francisco area that lived between 1876 and 1916. His most famous novels are “The Call of the Wild” and “White Fang.” He wrote numerous short stories. Most known for his realistic portrayal of nature and the individuals who seek to survive under harsh circumstances, London sought to live his life commensurate with the stories he told. He was self-educated, gaining most of his skills at the public library, and spent many years as a member of the working class, for whom he showed a great deal of respect. Some critics consider him to have been a socialist.

Although there had been speculation that he had killed himself, London is believed to have died at age 40 of natural causes. He profited well from the popularity of his books and his works are still a part of the English curriculum at most schools.

Distribute copies of “To Build A Fire,” widely considered to be Jack London’s best short story. Have the students read the story and discuss what personal characteristics led to the main character’s death. Answers will vary, but most often the students will decide the man was afflicted with the over confidence that can come from experience but that may lead to hubris and arrogance.

Ask the students to make a connection between Jack London’s story and that of Chris McCandlass. Since they know about McCandlass’s death from the information provided in the Author’s Notes, ask them to speculate about whether there may be any connection between the character in London’s short story and what may have happened to Christopher McCandlass.

Krakauer begins most of the chapters in his book with quotations from some of the world’s authors, adventurers or philosophers and he mentions names of many others in context as he attempts to reveal the mentality of those who sought to live outside the norms and to push the limits of adventurism. Authors mentioned throughout the book are listed here according to chapter.

Chapter One: none.

Chapter two: Jack London, Nickolay Gogel;

Chapter three: Leo Tolstoy, Wallace Stegner;

Chapter four Paul Sheppard, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, James Joyce;

Chapter five: Jack London;

Chapter six: Henry David Thoreau;

Chapter seven: Mark Twain, Anthony Storr;

Chapter eight: Theodore Rozak, Edward Hoagland, Glenn Randall;

Chapter nine: Wallace Stegner, Jules Verne, Edward Abby;

Chapter ten: none;

Chapter eleven: Boris Pasternak;

Chapter twelve: Henry David Thoreau, G .K. Chesterton;

Chapter thirteen: John Haines;

Chapter fourteen: John Menlove Edwards;

Chapter fifteen: John Muir, Donald Barthelme;

Chapter sixteen: Eswick Evans, Roderick Nash, Leo Tolstoy;

Chapter seventeen: Henry David Thoreau, John Muir;

Chapter eighteen: John Joseph?? M. Campbell, Boris Pasternak, Louis L’Amour;

Epilogue: Edward Wymper, Annie Dillard

What is the list below? No transition to it; What is the order?

Jack London

Nickolay Gogel

Leo Tolstoy

Paul Sheppard

Wallace Stegner

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau

Mark Twain

Anthony Storr

Robert Pirsig

Theodore Roszak

Edward Hoagland

Ernest Hemmingway

William Faulkner

Glenn Randall

W.L.Rusho

G.K. Chesterton

John Haines

John Menlove Edwards

Boris Pasternak

John Muir

Donald Barthelme

Estwick Evans

Roderick Nash

John Campbell

Robinson Jeffers

Edward Whymper

Annie Dillard

Michael Creighton

Louis L’Amour

Edward Abbey

Students can be asked to investigate any of the authors, write a brief biography and provide a sample of the writing that provoked Krakauer to reference the work in his book. A brief presentation of the author given just as the students are about to read the chapter in which the author is referenced will help the students understand both the value of literary allusion and the point Krakauer is trying to make in each chapter. By using internet research skills, students will be able to discover where the quotations came from and understand their value in terms of literary allusion. Some of the writers are quite obscure, known only to those who read the genre known as adventure. Nonetheless, the effort to track down the source of the references is worthwhile not only because the writers have something important to say but because students need to appreciate the value of literary allusion.

Henry David Thoreau is by far the most important of the authors referenced in the book by both Krakauer in his investigation of the life and death of Chris McCandlass, as well as from the journals and letters Chris left behind. London, Pasternak, Gogel, Twain and Tolstoy are significant as well.

Chapter two. Tone:

Be sure students have looked up the Vocabulary words to be found in chapter two:

Amphibious

anomaly

contumacious

cordillera

cursory

derelict

disquieting

edible

enigmatic

environ

implication

incongruous

infallibility

maneuverable

mirthless

opaque

oxidize

physique

posit

subcutaneous

till

winch

A writer’s use of “tone,” descriptive or emotive words that create feeling or atmosphere, can be taught using this chapter. Ask the students to write every word that shapes a feeling in the Jack London quote at the chapter’s beginning. These words prepare the reader for the fact that Alex’s death by starvation is revealed in this chapter. The following words from Jack London’s “White Fang” establish a dismal tone: dark, frowned, frozen, stripped, frost, black, ominous, fading, silence, desolation, lifeless, lone, cold, sadness, terrible, mirthless, grimness, futility, savage. Were Alex to have been found alive, what words might have been used to set the mood for a happy outcome of his adventure. Have the students write about a dozen words without any context that express a joyful.

Chapter three. Characterization:

Be sure students look up the definitions of the vocabulary words listed for chapter three.

Chapter 3

affirmation

altruistic

amiable

contrite

convivial

cumulative

emancipated

eminent

emotive

enamored

encrypted

environs

estrange

exhilarated

fickle

hyperkinetic

itinerant

itinerary

jetsam

mawkish

mien

odyssey

onerous

plebeian

questing

stasis

stifling

surrogate

traverse

unencumbered

upbraid

vulnerability

This chapter begins to unfold the kind of person that Chris McCandlass was known to be by those people he met on his adventure. Students may notice that some of the vocabulary words they have defined are used to describe Chris. Westerberg says that Alex was amiable, with the physique of an itinerant laborer. He says that Chris had a strong work ethic and liked plebian virtues. He was convivial.

This chapter introduces the estranged relationship Chris had with his parents .Chris is characterized as anti-materialistic and longing for freedom from the stifling world that awaited a college graduate. Students can be asked to speculate as to why Chris changed his name to Alexander Supertramp as he eschewed his old persona and created a new one.

Chapter four. Individuality:

Be sure students defined the vocabulary words associated with this chapter before they read.

austerity

burble

concoct

confound

contemplative

credo

distraught

egress

excursion

exhilarated

flourish

forage

indolent

intermittent

irksome

jubilant

portage

precipitous

reconnaissance

replenish

saline

sere

stilted

turbulent

This chapter reminds readers of the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. More than any other of the literary allusions in the book, these two American authors capture the spirit of individualism that McCandlass sought to embody. Use this time to have students explore the works of both writers; “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” by Thoreau, and “Self Reliance,” by Emerson, each encapsulate the uniquely American distaste of conformity. Students working individually or in groups can prepare oral presentations aimed at clarifying the principles of these two important writers. Ask students to excerpt passages from their writing and to consider reciting poems each man has authored; “My prayer,” by Thoreau and “Give All To Love,” by Emerson are especially important.

Chapter five. Misfits:

adherent

adjacent

affinity

bourgeois

comply

condemnation

constituents

delegate

denude

destitute

enthrall

espoused consignment rigor

fatuous

fervent

garrulous

ideologue

idiom

infatuated

oxymoron

perpetually

porous

primordial

razed

rheumy

sheathe

turgid

unkempt

Engage the students in a discussion about what kinds of people live in a place like the Slabs. Sites such as this exist all across the country and are usually populated people who have few other choices. Close to 5,000 people live at the Slabs in winter. Krakauer says they are a “tolerant, rubber tire culture” largely retired, destitute or unemployed. He suggests they may be tired of the “middle class grind.” Encourage the students to express what they feel about these kinds of people. Ask them to compare their feelings, which will vary considerable, to those apparently felt by Alex.

Chapter six: Relationships on the Road:

Be sure students have completed finding definitions for this long list of words.