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Chris McCandless went to college at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. During his freshmen year, "Chris seemed thrilled to be at Emory University" (pg. 119). Chris would even have discussions about going to study at "Harvard Law School" (pg 119).
However, McCandless' attitude changed after freshman year. One of his friends, Eric Hathway, remembered the visible change in his personality. He started taking classes dealing with social issues like racism, world hunger, and inequities in the distribution of wealth. visible change in his personality. After his graduation, McCandless donated his remaining money to OXFAM and set off on a journey, in order to achieve his transcendental personal philosophy, where he was never heard from again. -
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Timespan of Chris McCandless' Journey
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Carthage was a simple town with "one grocery in town, one bank, a single gas station, a lone bar- the Cabaret" (pg. 16). This was the place of Wayne Westerberg, who helped McCandless along his journey of achieving a transcendental state of mind.
Westerberg pulled over for McCandless. He ended up taking him to his friend's place, where McCandless was given a large dinner and a place to rest. McCandless stayed with him for 3 days. Before they parted ways, Westerberg offered McCandless a job at his grain elevator in Carthage. Chris McCandless showed up a little while later and astonished Westerberg with his admirable work ethic. McCandless loved Carthage as it allowed him to achieve his philosophy of denying wealth and working hard. -
The Slabs was "an old navy air base that had been abandoned. It functions as the seasonal capital of a teeming itinerant society-a tolerant, rubber-tired culture comprising the retired, the exiled, the destitute, the perpetually unemployed (pg. 43).
When McCandless came to The Slabs, there was a huge flea market swap meet that Jan Burres was taking part in, so he was able to help her. Burres was someone that McCandless knew and was happy to reconnect with. He showed his playful and sweet personality, which everyone in The Slabs fell in love with. Though he only stayed here for a week, McCandless thoroughly enjoyed his stay. This helped strengthen McCandless' personal philosophy on the unjust distribution of wealth within society. -
It is known that McCandless came to Bullhead City during early October from the letters he wrote to Jan Burres. "The town exists as a sprawl of subdivisions stretching along the banks of the Colorado" (pg. 39).
While in Bullhead City, McCandless got a full-time job working at a McDonalds. His co-workers and managers were never fond of McCandless due to the fact that he constantly smelled bad and was a poor worker. The assistant manager, Lori Garza, stated that McCandless always worked at a slow pace, regardless of many people that urged him to hurry up. McCandless quit in a short amount of time, due to the fact that this area didn't line up with his personal philosophy of rejecting society. -
McCandless spent time in many places but one of the most significant was Bus 142, as it was his home in the wild.The bus was equipped with " a bunk and a barrel stove...previous visitors had left the improvised shelter stocked with...essentials” (pg.163).
Chris McCandless was "elated to be there. Inside the bus, on a sheet of weathered plywood spanning a broken window, McCandless scrawled an exultant declaration of independence” (pg. 163). Bus 142 helped achieve his personal philosophy of carefree, independent transcendentalism as it gave him the privacy and isolation from society that he craved. To him, it was his home that was away from the tangles of the unjust society. Chris felt one with nature within Bus 142, which made him feel complete.
