Into the Wild Blog #4

     Chris McCandless was possibly the most unconventional man that I have ever heard of. He was a wanderer and could not stand the thought of being tied down to any one place. So for him to take a job at McDonald's was bewildering because of the uncharacteristic change of heart. I kind of believe that he wanted to give conventional living another shot, or that he just needed some money. He was, however, out of place at this job. Chris was a lone wolf and did not know how to handle being around other people, and especially relying on other people. He worked at his own pace and paid no mind to the other employess pushing him to work faster during rush hour. The thing that ultimatley led him to quit was whenever they asked him to take a bath. I do not think that he was offended necessarily, but I do think that that was when he realized a regular job was not for him, and that he hated being told what to do. If I happened to work with Chris, I feel that I would probably be okay with him. He does his own thing, and that is fine by me.
    
     Bob and Jan Burres are what we all like to call "good people". They took Chris under their wing and truly cared for him. Jan was almost like a mother to Chris, and Bob like a father. Chris obviously did not have a very strong relationship with his parents, so these two sort of stepped up to the plate and I think that meant a lot to Chris. But of course, Chris could never stay in one place to long, so he also left them. They offered him clothes and gear for his upcoming trip to Alaska, but at this point in the novel, it would seem quite uncharcteristic of him to accept their gracious offer.
     
     
      "Nobody, however, was affected more powerfully by his or her brief contact with the boy than Ronald Franz, who was eighty years old when their paths intersected in January 1992" (page 48).There is no doubt that McCandless changed Ronald Franz's life. But how significant was this life change? Ronald Franz was a very good man. He did what he could to help people, especially young man. He was a Christian and always had somebody around. But was that a problem? Always having someone around? Chris told Franz in a letter that he needed to get the idea that human relationships were the key to happiness. This letter explained a lot about Chris. He didn't need anybody. He was completely content with being by himself, and enjoying the many wonders of life. This reminded me of a quote by John Lennon: "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Chris was telling Franz that he didn't need other people to be happy and that simplicity was a great thing. So Franz took a radical step and followed in Chris' footsteps. He lived out in an old camper and tried to see everything that he could see, at eighty years old. His life was changed by Chris in a very radical way.