Jan Burres & Bob

A "rubber tramp" couple meets McCandless on the side of the road while he was picking berries. The couple decided to pick him up and offer him a ride. Chris stayed and camped with them for about a week. They quickly got attached and became really comfortable with eachother. Chris saw Jan as a motherly figure and Jan basically saw Chris as her estranged son. When they departed MCCandless continued keeping in touch with them. Because of the attachment he grew with that great couple he sent them postcards from almost everywhere he went." When he left we never expected to hear from him again , but he made a point in of staying in touch. For the next two years Aalex sent us postcards every month or two." By Chris staying in touch with the then meant that he wanted that couple to be part of his life. Especially Jan, she was very meaningful to him.

Jon Krakauer

Jon Krakauer wrote a 9,000 word article based on Chris McCandless for Outside Magazine in January 1993 titled "Death of an Innocent". Jon soon became fascinated by McCandless and wanted to retrace his footsteps from after college to the place of his death. Jon is an experienced mountain climber and adventurer which is why he became so fascinated in McCandless. He has written other books such as "Into Thin Air" which was his personal experience climbing the highest mountain in the world, Mount Everest. McCandless interested Krakauer so much because Krakauer wanted to show how difficult it is to live off the land and that the slightest details can lead to your death.

Jim Gallein

Jim is the driver who gives a ride to  McCandless in Alaska. he was a union electrician who saw McCandless on his way to Anchorage and was probably the last person who saw him before his tragically death.. On the way to McCandleess' destination into the Alaskan wilderness, they had a meaningful conversation, where Chris told Gallien about his plans of staying in the wilderness by himself and simply living of on nature. Jim was totally astonished by his decision. He looked at his equipment and thought he was fully unprepared. " He wasn't carrying anywhere as much food and gear as you'd expect a guy to be carrying for that kind of trip" says Gallien. Throughout the trip Gallien tried to support Chris with different equipment , which of course was being rejected. finally he dropped off Chris and on his way back he said " I figured he'd be OK, I thought he's probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That's what any normal person would do." Gallien though Chris wasn't going to handle for a long time.
At the beginning when Chris told Galiien his plans he thought he was totally insane , but of course his mind perspective changed. Chris changed his perspective. Because at the end of the chapter Gallien was convinced that Chris was going to be OK.

Mrs. Westerberg

"There was something fascinating about him," explains Mrs. Westerner, seated at the polished walnut table where McCandless dined that night."
In chapter 7, McCandless has a positive effect on Mrs. Westerberg as she invited him for dinner. Wayne was the one who convinced Hus mother to invite him to dinner because he felt that she really needed to meet McCandless. As soon as she met him, they hit it off quick. They talked nonstop for 5 hours. Mrs. Westerberg felt that there was something fascinating about "Alex" McCandless". Alex was a 24 year old man but she felt that he was more mature than his age itself. She believed that he really wanted to learn things. They talked a lot about books and that amazed her because she said that no one really liked to talk about books. They talked about Mark Twain and that fascinated her. She said that he was a fun person to be with and she couldn't get him out of her head. McCandless made an impact on this woman as soon as he met her. He has a mind that people like to get involved with and that shows a lot about his character.

Ron Franz

"It was a very hard thing for me to do," Franz says. "I was sad to be leaving him."
McCandless made an impact on everyone that he met. People really seemed to enjoy his company and Franz was one of them. In chapter 6, McCandless met a man named Ron Franz. Franz offered to give him a ride to his camp on the bajada.  McCandless and Franz chatted while on their way to the camp. Franz left McCandless at his place and he returned to his home in a small town where he lived alone and rent free. Franz was a Christian who served in the army. On New Years Eve while he was overseas, his wife and son were killed by a drunk driver. Franz then developed an addiction for alcohol. Months later he quit drinking and began to adopt children. When Franz met McCandless, he let go of his addiction. McCandless had a great impact on his life. Franz believed that McCandless was an intelligent young man and he felt that McCandless needed to get convinced to get an education. Little did Franz know that he was a college graduate. Franz and McCandless spent a lot of time together until McCandless had to leave to San Diego. Franz offered to take him and he also lied that he needed to go to San Diego anyway. Franz then dropped off McCandless at the San Diego waterfront. That is when Franz said that leaving McCandless was very hard for him. McCandless made a huge impact on this 80 year old man as he had a thing to do with Franz leaving his addiction. Franz also wanted to adopt McCandless because he lost a son. Franz grew fond of McCandless.

Introduction

Chris McCandless is a 24 year old man who was born in El Segundo California. He went to college and graduated. He lived with his parents but he felt smothered by them. He believed that his parents were materialistic so he wanted to go out into the wild by himself. After graduating, he decided to go on an expedition to The Stampede trail in Alaska to get away from the world his parents provided as well as to finding himself. On his way there, he encountered a man named Jim Gallien. Gallien decided to hitch him a ride as far as he could. McCandless decided to tell Gallien that his name was Alex McCandless. Gallien tried to talk McCandless out of living in the wild but McCandless refused. There begins an unbelievable journey for McCandless. Throughout the times of his travels there were different perspectives on McCandless. He had an effect on many people's lives as well as they had an effect on him.