Reading "First Aid" resources
If you're having trouble keeping track of what's happening in Into the Wild, these resources will help!
Map, Timeline, and Characters:
Summaries of every chapter:
PDF of Into the Wild
Map, Timeline, and Characters:
- Map of Chris McCandless's journey on Tripline.com - this is amazing: it maps out every step of Chris's journey, with a summary of what happened at each stop.
- Timeline of Chris McCandless's journey on TimeRime - this starts when Chris graduates from Emory University, and ends in the weeks following his death.
- All the Characters in Into the Wild - keep track of who everyone is!
Summaries of every chapter:
PDF of Into the Wild
- This PDF isn't particularly attractive, and isn't as pleasant to read as an actual book, but it's useful if you've got nothing else, and it's especially useful if you're finishing a packet at home!
Vocabulary tools:
Chances are, if you're reading Into the Wild carefully, you'll notice lots of words you've never encountered before!
The quickest way to find out what a word means is to check it on this awesome vocabulary list.
If it isn't there, look it up in a dictionary or search it on Google
Another way to learn these words is to practice them on Vocabulary.com. Here are three different word lists available on Vocabulary.com:
The quickest way to find out what a word means is to check it on this awesome vocabulary list.
If it isn't there, look it up in a dictionary or search it on Google
- For example, if you're looking up the word "recondite", type Define:recondite into Google.
Another way to learn these words is to practice them on Vocabulary.com. Here are three different word lists available on Vocabulary.com:
Further Reading:
I want to find out more about Slab City, where Chris lived with Jan Burres and Bob in Chapter 5!
I want to find out more about the Salton Sea, where Chris met Ronald Franz in Chapter 6!
I want to read a story by Chris's hero, Jack London!
I've heard rumors that Chris McCandless followed the ideals of these 19th century people called "transcendentalists", and I want to read the most important transscendentalist essay EVER!
I want to find out more about the history of hobos, the Americans who illegally ride freight trains, like Chris McCandless started doing!
I want to find out more about hitchhiking (warning: this article is disturbing):
Dr. P recommends waiting to read the following articles until you have finished reading Into the Wild:
I want to know more about what other people think about Chris McCandless!
I want to know more about Chris's sister, Carine!
I want to know more about the people who have been inspired by Chris McCandless's story!
- Time Magazine story about Slab City
- Will Slab City Remain the last Free Place in America? (NPR)
- Talk of a Sale fills Hippie Haven with Bad Vibes (NYTimes)
I want to find out more about the Salton Sea, where Chris met Ronald Franz in Chapter 6!
- I went to California’s Post-apocalyptic Beach Town (Vice)
- The Dying Sea (New Yorker)
I want to read a story by Chris's hero, Jack London!
I've heard rumors that Chris McCandless followed the ideals of these 19th century people called "transcendentalists", and I want to read the most important transscendentalist essay EVER!
- Self-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson
I want to find out more about the history of hobos, the Americans who illegally ride freight trains, like Chris McCandless started doing!
I want to find out more about hitchhiking (warning: this article is disturbing):
Dr. P recommends waiting to read the following articles until you have finished reading Into the Wild:
I want to know more about what other people think about Chris McCandless!
I want to know more about Chris's sister, Carine!
I want to know more about the people who have been inspired by Chris McCandless's story!