<p> “The Cult of Chris McCandless”</p><p>Section 1, “The Cult of Chris McCandless”</p><p>1. The article is titled “The Cult of Chris McClandess.” Define “cult” by looking it up in the dictionary. What impression does this title leave the reader? How do you predict that Powers will present McCandless’s story?</p><p>2. Craig Medred wrote that “the Alaska wilderness is a good place to test yourself. The Alaska wilderness is a bad place to find yourself.” Why do you believe McCandless was drawn to Alaska for his “final and greatest adventure”?</p><p>3. Power describes Hollywood as the “ultimate mythologizer.” What does he mean by that? What aspects of McCandless’s story make it appealing to Hollywood?</p><p>4. Power says that McCandless can either be viewed as a “visionary seeker” or an “unprepared fool.” What parts of his journey and story can be presented to support each side of the debate?</p><p>5. Write a one paragraph summary of the section you have read.</p><p>Section 2, “The Cult of Chris McCandless”</p><p>1. Matthew Power comes across Kevin and Rob Mark, brothers inspired by Krakauer’s book to travel through the Alaskan wilderness. What happens to them? What does the author seem to imply about McCandless as an influence to young people?</p><p>2. Dermott Cole wrote that McCandless’s story has been “made into a fable.” Look up “fable” in the dictionary. What is the Cole suggesting about his story and why might he be upset that McCandless has been glorified?</p><p>3. Butch Killian, one of the people who discovered McCandless’s body, does not understand the fascination with his story and says that the site of his death is “nothing but an old bus.” Describe his attitude towards the McCandless story. How might his attitude reflect the feelings of most Alaskans?</p><p>4. People came from all around the world to leave messages to McCandless. What types of statements are written and what do they say about our values and interests?</p><p>5. Write a one paragraph summary of the section you have read. Section 3, “The Cult of Chris McCandless”</p><p>1. Famous actor Sean Penn, who directed and wrote the movie, filmed fifty miles south of where McCandless actually died in a town called Cantwell. How is Cantwell different than the site of his death? Does the film accurately depict the area where he lived and died?</p><p>2. Emile Hirsch, the actor who plays McCandless in the movie, lost a tremendous amount of weight to play the role. What effect did he say this had on him and how might have severe weight loss affected McCandless mentally?</p><p>3. Power writes that the movie Into the Wild represents McCandless as “almost Christlike”. What would McCandless’s life and death symbolize? What about his story might the film find significant to society?</p><p>4. Penn tells critics that “few people in Alaska have done anything comparable to what Chris did,” which is why they have no right to speak badly of McCandless. Do you find this statement reasonable? How might Alaskans respond to this statement?</p><p>5. Write a one paragraph summary of the section you have read.</p><p>Section 4, “The Cult of Chris McCandless”</p><p>1. Dr. Thomas Clausen does not believe that wild potato or wild sweet pea could have caused McCandless’s death. He does, however, say that “it would have made a good story.” In what way does the cause of McCandless’s death add to or detract from the story?</p><p>2. Wayne Westerberg, McCandless’s former boss and close friend, feels that the book and film “shadows the original story and clouds it to a point.” How might have the story been clouded and altered as it has increased in popularity?</p><p>3. Wayne Westerberg also says that if McCandless “wouldn’t have documented it(his journey), there wouldn’t have been a story.” What does the author seem to feel about McCandless’s diary entries and pictures?</p><p>4. In the last line of the article, Gordon Carlson admits that turning the bus from the movie to a tourist attraction would be “profiting off someone else’s story.” Why do you believe that this is the last line of the article? Who else in the article profits off of somebody else’s story?</p><p>5. Write a one paragraph summary of the section you have read. After each group member summarizes their sections with the other members, the whole group will discuss:</p><p>- Has this perspective on the story changed your mind about how you feel about McCandless, Krakauer, the story in general?</p><p>- How is Power’s attitude towards McClandess different than Krakauer’s? Which author do you feel is more fair?</p><p>- Both authors interview people that weigh in on McClandess’s story. Who do you find more credible: veterans of the Alaskan wilderness or McClandess’s friends and family? Why?</p><p>- The author argues that it is dangerous to romanticize McClandess’s death. What does he mean when he says “romanticize” and how might it be dangerous to do that to McClandess’s story?</p>