Part One:
Positive:
Dedicated
Hard-working
Need to find a connection with nature
These three characteristics all benefited Chris McCandless because they helped him in his lonely life. H e was dedicated and did everything that he sent his mind to which eventually hurt him but in general it was a great trait to have; this may be why he did so great in his college career. The best quality he had was work ethic and always doing his best to get a job done. Every place he went to he received credit for being a very hard worker and getting the job done in a flash of time. This work ethic helped Chris earn money which he used to buy materials for the trip over and supplies while in the wilderness. Another great quality was his need to find a connection with nature. This ultimately lead to his decease but in the meantime it brought him closer to his surroundings. It gave him a connection that most people will never have because they don’t appreciate nature and its capabilities.
Negative:
Impatience
Selfish
Self-absorption
While initially reading the novel we find how impatient he was. He tried starting his precious car so much that he over flooded the engine and it dies. He was always in hurry and sometimes messed things up because of this. This helped him speedily get to Alaska because he was too impatient to wait any longer. He was also very selfish and took most things for himself. He did not care about other people and their needs, only about himself. This might have prohibited any connections that he had before he went to Alaska. If he was not selfish, he might have not ended up dead in a bus. He was also very self-absorbed and only thought of himself. This goes hand and hand with selfish but it reaches farther as well. He was all about himself and nothing else mattered. If he had what he needed he was okay with the world. He only did things that would ultimately benefit his outcome in the world. Furthermore, this prohibited him from staying in one place for an extended amount of time. This is why he was so close to the wilderness all the time.
Part Two:
Five Similarities:
Krauker felt oppressed by his father just as Chris did (148).
Krauker remembered little details that made him break relationships with family members just as Chris did (148).
Krauker was selfish and thought of himself when it came to personal matters; Chris was very good at doing the same thing (149).
Krauker loved to be outside and camp as did Chris McCandless (150).
Krauker relied on luck in a sense and was hoping for everything to fall in place just like Chris did. He did not think of outside forces acting on his plan (151).
Five Differences:
Krauker was appreciative of his father even after everything bad was happening; Chris completely was disgusted with his father (146).
Krauker wanted to go on adventures that required thought and planning, Chris just wanted to get away from society (151).
Krauker used drugs to suppress his thoughts and Chris was whole heartedly against their existence (149).
Krauker accepted other people’s graciousness and let other people help him; Chris on the other hand resented any help from outside forces (155)
Krauker simply states that he did not posses Chris's intellect nor his lofty ideals (155).
