Family Matters

When I'm gone, my family will be finished, Gone forever. So I asked Alex if I could adopt him, if he would be my grandson" (Krakauer 55).

The Dynamics of Family

          Franz family has been gone. His son was killed in a car accident. And both Franz mother and father was the only child. He had no family and when he met Alex, he felt glade to him around him. A retired army veteran who once had a drinking loved Alex. Before leaving Alex, Alex gave Franz advice. Alex told him to change his lifestyle and live life for what it is. Franz waits for Alex for 8 months. A hitchhiker tells Franz that Alex froze to death. Franz deeply cared for Alex that when he received the news, he withdrew from the church and started to drink again. If Alex agreed to be Franz's grandson, it would have ended different. Franz fell into depression and must have hard to know that Alex died. In the end, Franz must have felt that family matters even after death. Franz cursed God for letting Alex die. If Alex was running away from his family. He could have started a new one with Franz. But understanding Alex is crucial. Alex wanted to be alone. It is sad knowing that Franz waited for Alex and then finding out that Alex died. Franz gives up on life. Alex did not want Franz to do, that but to live life everyday.

A Little Advice Can Help

"Gallien offered  to drive Alex all the way to anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go" (Krakauer 6).

Travel Advice

Chris inspired many people around the world, but his bad habits of taking everything to his own hands might be the reason he died. Going out into the wild with just a ten pound bag of rice, a rifle, a few cooking utensils, and a few books. But in Gallien's eyes those camping tools just weren't enough. "He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state Road map he'd scrounged at a gas station" (Krakauer 5). Chris's family had no idea where Chris was, nor did Chris tell his family that he changed his name to Alex. Having someone to know you is very important. Chris had no connection to home and was disposed off the face of the earth