“McCandless’s strange tale struck a personal note that made a dispassionate rendering of the tragedy impossible.”

This is a variation on the book’s thesis statement: Krakauer intends to argue against critics who dismiss McCandless as an ignorant, dreamy kid who deserved to die from his lack of preparation. Instead, Krakauer argues that McCandless was a lover of life whose story is worth remembering.

“It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t hear from me again I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.”

Many claim that McCandless’s awareness that his adventure might kill him proves that he was bent on death, but Krakauer excerpts this passage as an indication that McCandless was not suicidal.

“His rifle was only .22 caliber, a bore too small to rely on if he expected to kill large animals like moose and caribou, which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country.”

Jim Gallien was one of many who met McCandless and tried to influence him into adopting better gear, food, or clothing. In Chapter 1, Gallien’s suggestion that McCandless is unprepared foreshadows the fate that awaits him in the wild.