What do you make of Alexander Supertramp?

[Stuart]

Krakauer does not state that he fictionalized anything. The book is composed almost entirely of tracking down what happened to McCandless (Alex Supertramp's real name was Chris McCandless) based on hard facts. For example, the postcards he sent to his friends, an interview with the truck driver who drove him from Fairbanks to the Stampede Trail that he followed into the wilderness, quoting from McCandless's journal, and tracking McCandless's wanderings during the time before he went to Alaska including correspondence and interviews with those who came in contact with him.

By and large, the book appears to be an objective reconstruction of what happened to this guy, and what was going through his mind based on his own written and spoken words.

Krakauer does state in the introductory note, however, that he is not a detached writer. "I won't claim to be an impartial biographer. McCandless's strange tale struck a personal note that made a dispassionate rendering of the tragedy impossible." There is a difference between an inability to be dispassionate about a subject, and fictionalizing it. I just read this book, and Krakauer was able to stick with the facts when speaking of fact, while interjecting some of his own speculation about what was driving this kid to his own death. There is no confusion of the two in the book, however.

There ya go... that's what I mean. Did the author say that he did take some license in stating McCandless' feelings at times based upon his own experiences at that age. I'm going from memory.

[Caleb]

It wasnt suicide. This was an unfortunate event that shouldnt be idolized nor put down. It is half Thoreau and half ignorance. After I read the book a few years ago i was drawn to Chris. He had qualities and beliefs that represented this generations frustrations with the world that we were to inherit.

what Chris did was tantamount to being dropped off in the middle of the ocean without a flotation device. he knew he would need some sort of quantum shift in reality to stay alive (ie learning how to walk on water) but he also knew there was a decent chance he was seting himself up to die. He had a remarkable ability to adapt or shift reality, so he wasn't ever fatalistic, but in Alsaska he rolled the dice and came up short, an outcome possiblity that he understood.

The tragedy is that he had he made it, forever strengthened in his approach to life, success would have accurued to him in just about any venture he could imagine. C

[JoeHiker]

McCandless postcard was not a suicide note. It was a reflection of the very possible eventuality that he might not survive. The man wanted to live on the very edge of survival and was cognizant of the fact that he was greatly increasing his chances of dying. His previous experiences living "on the edge" in the lower 48 had not prepared him for the Alaskan wilderness but the fact that he was aware of this and went anyway does not make him suicidal or crazy. He did try to go home and he did post a note begging for help.

Back to the original post, one question didn't make sense to me:

3. Did Chris think that he was the only one intellectually capable to converse on his level thus indicating arrogance?

I've read Krakauer's book a couple of times. Yes he was foolhardy, angry, and a bit arrogant but I don't ever recall McCandless or Krakauer expressing the feeling that nobody else was "intellectually capable of conversing on his level". He might have felt that way toward his parents, but not the world in general.

On another note, while I know that Krakauer has a reputation for being a bit arrogant and he wrote both this and (of course) Into Thin Air from a very personal point of view, the man does "stick to facts" as far as I know. Blue Jay, if you have an example to back up your statement to the contrary, I'd like to hear it.

[Caleb]

McCandless postcard was not a suicide note. It was a reflection of the very possible eventuality that he might not survive. The man wanted to live on the very edge of survival and was cognizant of the fact that he was greatly increasing his chances of dying.

Well I guess we disagree on what constitutes suicide. I think intent is heavily expressed in our actions, and I think suicide can be unintentional in the respect that suicidal behavior can exist without a specific suicidal intent. Is playing Russian Roulette suicidal? A person may not intend to die, may in fact feel powerfully capable and lucky, even able to discern threads of opportunity and safety invisible to others, but if a person chooses to play Russian Roulette, or any other game where the odds do not favor success, I don't have a problem calling that suicidal. C

[White Oak]

McCandless postcard was not a suicide note.
.

Looks pretty suicideal to me. Telling a friend that its the last time you'll ever hear from me, and if I die remember you're a good dude.

[Mags]

Don't think he was suicidal; he was just like many men in their late teens/early twenties:
A little cocky, a little idealistic, sure that nothing bad would happen to him.

Before he ate the seeds in question, he wrote in his personal journal more or less that he was ready to move on. If he had survived he'd be one of the many people who did some crazy and reckless things in their early 20s then who laugh about it later and filter out the bad parts of their experience.

I honestly don't think he meant to kill himseff; he just went on an adventure that he was woefully unprepared and ignorant about. There was a good chance he would have survived and we would not be having this conversation about him now.

God knows I did some stupid things ten years ago (my girlfriend says I **SAY** stupid things nowadays, but that's another story. ) that while did not leave me to die in Alaska somwhere it could have caused some unfortunante events. Just like most of us.

Anyway, I don't think he meant to kill himself. He just rolled the dice one too many times and came up short.

[Blue Jay]

Krakauer does not state that he fictionalized anything. Krakauer does state in the introductory note, however, that he is not a detached writer.

No, he didn't state that in "Into Thin Air" either. If you read the book by the real hero of the story on Everest, the Russian, Anatoli (spelled wrong), you'll find a completely different version. Krakauer and facts don't mix very well, he's a story teller. Nothing wrong with that, just don't get carried away believing everything he writes.

[Jack Tarlin]

The work Blue Jay mentions is the late Anatoli Boukreev's 1998 book, "The Climb." It is excellent.

[ga>me>ak]

I don't think he went to the woods to die,but, stuff happens. Before he went out, he studied up on survival skills,etc. He spent a month or so at the university studying up on edible native plants. The plant he was eating does not allow your body to absorb nutients from anything you eat. You could eat all day and still starve to death. Even Native Eskimos confuse this root with the edible root. Always wondered why someone hasn't studied this root and used it for weight loss. Eat all you want and still waste away

[JoeHiker]

No, he didn't state that in "Into Thin Air" either. If you read the book by the real hero of the story on Everest, the Russian, Anatoli (spelled wrong), you'll find a completely different version. Krakauer and facts don't mix very well, he's a story teller. Nothing wrong with that, just don't get carried away believing everything he writes.

Never having read Anatoli's book, I can't comment on what he says. But it sounds to me like Krakauer and Anatoli disagreed on what the facts were. Perhaps Anatoli and the facts don't mix very well.

[MOWGLI]

Perhaps Anatoli and the facts don't mix very well.

Didn't mix - not don't mix. He is dead. He was killed in a climbing accident a few years ago.

By the way, there was quite a storm of controversy about the events that took place on Everest. There are always two sides to every story, and since I don't think anyone from WB was up on the mounatin that year, we'll never know what the "real truth" is. Will we?

[steve hiker]

In "The Climb," Boukreev explains what happened on Everest from his perspective. I've heard that Krakauer cast much of the blame for the tragedy on Boukreev in "Into Thin Air," but after reading Boukreev's account, I don't see that at all. Unfortunately, you almost never hear of Boukreev's excellent book, since Into Thin Air gets all the publicity.

As to Into The Wild (about McCandless), however, Krakauer does seem to make a genuine effort to stick to objective facts.

[rickb]

Someday someone is going to make a movie showing how different people view the same situation form very different perspectives. Perhaps in an exotic setting in another age.

While its old news, there is plenty of stuff on the net to remind us that there was a whole lot of debate over the Everest tragedy. At a minimum, I think Krakauer believes in his version of the truth, and wrote a great book regarding McCandless's life.

This was from a quick google.

http://archive.salon.com/wlust/featu...4featureb.html

[Jack Tarlin]

No, JoeHiker, YOU and the facts don't seem to mix well.

One of the key things you discover in Boukreev's book is that while Krakauer was lying stoned in his tent and pretty much useless, Boukreev was making repeated efforts to save people's lives.

Read the book, Joe, and then feel free to comment. Right now tho, your comments about a very brave man, now dead and incapable of defending himself anymore, are pretty ignorant.

[The Solemates]

Just would like to note that I have read Into the Wild, but since Into Thin Air keeps popping up, which I have also read, additionally I have read:

The Climb by the late Anatoli Boukreev
Left for Dead by Beck Weathers
Climbing High by Lene Gammelgaard

all of which deal with the 1996 Everest tragedy, so I would say I am somewhat informed of the ordeal. With that said, I think it is foolish to take sides on such an issue. Each person has their account of what took place, each mixed with a certain amount of disallusion that life at 28,000 feet can bring. Its not worth arguing over here.

[Jack Tarlin]

I agree with you; it's been done to death elsewhere.

All I was saying is that it's pretty silly to speculate on whether or not an author has his facts straight when one starts a post by acknowledging that one hasn't bothered to read the book in question: It's kinda hard to fault a guy's facts or statements if you haven't a clue as to what he actually said.

And in that the poor man is now dead, it's all the more important that people attempt to get a handle on the facts before making idle speculation about a guy no longer capable of speaking for himself.

[rickb]

I don't think Boukreev's tragic death much changes the probability that he would defend himself here.

[Jack Tarlin]

Geez, Rick, do you HAVE to be so snotty so often? And do you practice, or are you that smug every day?

No, I don't suppose Boukreev would've checked in here, even were he able.

My point was that I found it distasteful to speak ill of folks who can no longer speak for themselves.

Sorry if you think there's something wrong with that.

[rickb]

"My point was that I found it distasteful to speak ill of folks who can no longer speak for themselves"

Thanks for the clarification, Jack.

And here I thought you were b-slapping a joehiker for posting a objectively true and rather non-judgemental statement.

Rick B

[SavageLlama]

In short, Supertramp was a kook but he wasn't suicidal. Damn potato seeds!

Have you heard the country tune about Alexander by Ellis Paul? Unintentionally the funniest song ever. Give it a listen at Amazon...

"The Ballad of Chris McCandless"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...106983-5203157
(scroll down to song samples)