Answer to Question #195010 in English for Makaia Hill

Question

In the epigraph for Chapter 1, Chris states in  a postcard dated April 27, 1992 to Wayne Westerfield…”I now walk into the wild.”  In Chapter 1, he tells Jim Gallien, “ I don’t want to know what time it is.  I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am.  None of that matters.”  Write about the quotes and/or your assessment of Chris McCandless so far? An epigraph is a relevant quotation at the beginning of a book, chapter, etc. 

Answer 1

At first Gallien thinks McCandless is "another delusional visitor to the Alaskan frontier." But during their two-hour drive north, Gallien changes his opinion and comes to regard the young man as intelligent and thoughtful. Gallien recognizes, however, that McCandless lacks the basic necessities for surviving in the Alaskan bush: he has no food except for a 10-pound bag of rice, his hiking boots are not waterproof, and his rifle is too small for the large game he will have to kill in order to survive. Other essentials that McCandless lacks include an ax, snowshoes, and a compass.

McCandless plans on following the Stampede Trail, an often unmarked route in the wilderness north of Mount McKinley. Gallien tries to talk him out of this, but the young man is undeterred, claiming there isn't anything that he can't deal with on his own. On Tuesday, April 28, 1992, "Alex" (McCandless) disappears down the Stampede Trail.