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Annandale, Virginia
Alex McCandless grew up in Annandale,Virginia, with his parents and sister, Carine. He and his sister were close, but Alex never had a healthy relationship with his parents. Alex felt that they were harsh on him. Alex wanted to be independent from his parents. Ever since his father had cheated on his mother that relationship worsened. In Annandale, Alex's desire to leave home was established. -
Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Alex typified his characteristics as a well rounded student. He established clubs, was a leader, and got good grades. After his graduation, Alex had no intention of using his degree. -
Detrital Wash, Arizona
Alex drove through Lake Mead National Recreation Area until his car got stuck and he was required to desert it. Here, he represents his independence from society by leaving behind his car and burning his money. He itinerants around the park until he is delirious from the heat and learns that he is more vulnerable in nature than he first believed. -
Northern California
At Crazy Ernie's ranch, Alex displayed his consciousness by leaving when he became aware that he was not going to be paid. -
Willow Creek, California
Alex is ticketed for hitchhiking and gives his real name, Chris, to the authorities. This shows attachment to his past life or some regret in leaving it. -
Orick Beach
From Willow Creek, Chris is picked up by Jan and Bob, who drive him to Orick Beach. He hitchhikes to the eastern coast to Seattle. (This includes Pistol River, Coos bay, Seal Rock, Manzanita, Astoria, Hoquiam, Humptulips, Queets, Forks, Port Angeles, and Port Townsend). He keeps in touch with Jan and Bob which shows that he doesn't have problems with everyone and can be very amiable; he just has problems with people who try to control him, like his parents. -
Carthage, South Dakota
Chris meets Wayne Westerberg. He is distinguished by his work ethic, generosity and is congenial. Chris forms a strong connection with Wayne and proves himself to be infatuated with authors. -
Needles, California and Topock, Arizona
While in Needles, California, Chris begins travelling down the Colorado River towards the Gulf of California. After a 12-mile hike, Chris is now in Topock, Arizona, where he purchases a canoe to go down the Colorado River. -
Colorado River
As he journeyed down the Colorado River, Chris takes some time off to track a herd of horses, showing his appreciation for nature, and trespasses on US Army territory, showing his ignorance for the government and authority in general. He sends correspondence to Westerberg at a stop on his journey down the river, which displays his admiration for relationships he finds important. -
Morelos Dam, Mexican/American Border
When Chris arived at Mexico's border with the United States, he snuck across the border illegally. This demonstrates his absence of respect for laws and government. -
Gulf of California
Chris is dropped off in a village near the gulf and leaves to the sea. He spends a duration amount of time on a plateau by the ocean. While there, he is alone, and is incommunicado. -
United States' border with Mexico
Chris is caught sneaking into the United States. His rifle is taken but he manages to tell a story. After making it back into the United States he learned more tricks about how to live by himself, such as burying his money outside of a town where no one could steal it. Chris becomes better at lying his way out of problems because he doesn't care for the government. -
Los Angeles, California
Chris travels to LA to get an ID and a job, but he finds himself in an awkward society. Chris learns that he is withdrawn and insular. After a couple of days, he wrote in his journal about how different he was from who he used to be. -
Detritral Wash, Arizona
Chris returns to Detrital Wash to dig up his possesions. Subsequently, he hitchhikes to Vegas to serve at an Italian restaurant. This shows his self-determination to work for himself. -
Seattle, Washington
When Chris went to Seattle, postcards he sent tell that he was riding the rails when a bull threatened to kill him if he saw him on the train again. Chris ignored the bull. This is significant because Chris got back on the train immediately after, showing that he didn't care for rules and didn't mind threats. He was going to do what he wanted to do, whether anyone else liked it or not, and this demonstrates that he is brave in what he does. -
Bullhead City, Arizona
At Chris's job at McDonald's he revealed much of his character. He had no appreciation for the rules like dress code but followed them if he had to in order to get by, showing irksome. He worked at a slow pace but did his work well, and, surprisingly, applied for the job using his first name, not his new name, which shows attachment to his past self. -
Niland, California
Chris met back up with Jan and Bob and was glad to see them, which shows an regard for relationships with some people. He showed his enthusiasm for novelists such as Jack London and Charles Dickens. -
Anza-Borrego, California
Chris spent time with a man named Ronald Franz. They had a close relationship, and Ronald wanted to adopt Chris.Ronald had been having trouble getting out of a bad time in his life after losing his son, but Chris helped bring him out of that and Ronald fell back and did take the last advice Chris gave him about hitting the road. Chris' effect on Ronald shows how friendly he was, putting him in a good light. -
San Diego, California
Chris left Ronald to go to San Diego and get a job. Ronald offered him money and a place to stay, but Chris kindly declined the offer as he wanted to support himself, and not take handouts from someone he'd just met, demonstrating his bravery for self-reliance. -
Coachella, California
When Chris returned from Seattle he talked to Ronald about getting a job in Carthage once again. He let Ronald to give him a ride, which is weird because it could conflict his desire to be independent, but it also supports this idea because he wants to be in a job as soon as he can, supporting himself. -
Carthage, South Dakota
When he returned to Carthage, Chris stayed but decided to leave in a month. Wayne, who he was close with, wanted Chris to stay longer, and so did Chris as well, but he had always had his mind set on going to Alaska and he finally felt that he was ready. This shows his dedication and that this goal was significant to him. -
Fairbanks, Alaska
Walking down the highway, is picked up by Jim Gallien, a truck-driving electrician on his way to Anchorage. He blatantly warns Chris that he is unprepared and offers him some supplies; Chris takes some of them reluctantly but refuses to take most of them. This shows his confidence, but also his desire to take care of himself. He wants to be alone in nature, without societal influence; this demonstrates naturalist and realist ideals. -
Sushana River
After getting dropped by Jim, Chris heads into an abandoned bus for shelter. -
Sushana River, Alaska
Posting an S.O.S. note on the bus door saying the he ostensibly died of starvation, in his sleeping bag in the bus along the Sushana River in Alaska. -
Alaskan Wilderness
Chris's body is found in the Alaskan wilderness, near some highways and a national park. He wrote in his notebook that he realized he was unprepared and accepted his fate. He was 'at peace'. -
Theme
-Impossibility of complete self reliance: Chris wants to be self reliant. He travels many different places across the country and can't save his own life when he becomes too weak to forage. If Chris didn't decide to leave human contact, he might've been able to receive help.
-You can't run from familial influence: Christopher McCandless rejects his father, but the same qualities he hates in his father reappear in his own decision to head into the wild. He keeps his location away from his family.
