Into The Wild

McCandless refused gifts of food and advice throughout his travels. Why do you think he did this?

After graduating college, McCandless cut off all contact with his parents. Do you think he was justified in doing so? Or was this unnecessary for his freedom?

McCandless’s death left many of the people who loved him in pain. Does the joy he felt in his travels justify this pain?

How does Krakauer’s personal history contribute to McCandless’s story? Are there any ways in which Krakauer’s narrative takes away from McCandless’s?

McCandless mentioned that he would have liked to write a book on his own travels. How might this story be different if McCandless had lived to tell his own story in the first person?

Krakauer compares McCandless to many historical figures, such as John Muir, Everett Ruess, and Henry David Thoreau. Do you think McCandless is similar to such writers and outdoorsmen? How are they different?

It is suggested that McCandless was at least partially motivated to travel because of his complicated relationship with his father. What do you think McCandless would make of this assessment? Would he agree with it? Do you?

Into the Wild was turned into a major motion picture in 2007. How might McCandless’s story be different when told through images on a screen as opposed to words on a page?