-Chris (15)and Vanessa(6)
-Manawaka
-"I detested the fact that I was so young"
-Chris creates his own fantasy world (ranch, racing horses etc.) He tries to sell magazines, vacuum cleaners even when he knows he won't make it to university. He can't face reality. Also, when there is conflict he ignores it and it seems like he doesn't even notice it. He holds a fantasy in his mind that seems real to him
-In Shallow Creek, when Vanessa sees the horses is when we are aware that Chris is living in a world of delusions.
-Chris' fantasy world is his only refuge from potential insanity because without it, he would have no hope for life
-Vanessa worries that she is incapable of saying the right thing when they go camping and Chris talks about God and the Stars. "pretending to be asleep" (pg.22)
-Chris doesn't respond when his grandfather talks about him, he sets a barrier between his own world and reality.
-His world consists of his horses, saddle, criss-cross, own ranch. He has control of everything in his world so it only applies to him
-The line slowly, slowly horses of the night means Chris disappears into insanity and that he can't see day and night. Means the night must move slow for Chris and "Whether he had discovered at last a way for himself to make the necessary dream perpetual" (pg.24)
-Chris views God as ridiculous and brutal. He doesn't believe in God. Vanessa doesn't respond, so maybe she does believe in God and doesn't want to tell Chris her views. The circumstances for their views might be the fact that Chris' family lives in poverty while Vanessa is better off a little bit. Vanessa is scared of talking/saying the wrong things
-It reveals that he had a mental breakdown and that he is lost in his fantasy world. He no longer lives in his own world (Chris' letter)
-Vanessa learns that the letter from Chris is the final thing that tells her he is lost and the letter confirmed why he did unrealistic things. She understands why he had a fantasy world.
-excess of imagination harmful
-he has control of his own fantasy world horses Duchess and Firefly. But in reality they are plough horses.
-barrier between person and the real world when a person dreams too much
-he communicates and plays with younger children because he has control and they make no judgements about him.
-sells vacuum cleaners, magazines and knitting machines to university but he doesn't have the marks to get in.
-without his fantasy world he would have no hope for life.
-Chris takes his life to escape the "absolute unbearability of battle"
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
Cormac McCarthy gives his story All the Pretty Horses an unique organization. The book only has four chapters within, yet each chapter is lengthy. There are also very few flashbacks in this story. This flashback was needed, however, to show how things did not change after John Grady Cole’s grandfather died. “On the wall opposite above the sideboard was an oilpainting of horses. . . . his grandfather looked up from his plate at the painting,” shows the painting being there while his grandfather was alive and is stirs up John Grady’s memory of it. There was also one dream sequence in the novel. “That night he dreamt of horses in a field on a high plain . . . they ran in that resonance which is the world itself and which cannot be spoken but only praised,” implies how the horses are wild and…
- 566 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The saddle has the markings “Chris-Cross” inscribed on it. This emphasizes the true nature of his reality. This can be shown by his descriptions to his cousin, Vanessa, about his “ranch” in Shallow Creek: the lake which is more like an inland sea, the house that is made out of trees, and the trees growing so tall with the leaves firm and green. Chris makes it sound as if he is living in a land of pure paradise. However, this turns out to be a great illusion. This is shown when Vanessa visited the ranch later on to find it to be an elderly shack made out of poles and chinked with mud, the numerous flies that would swarm about the food so it is incredibly hard to distinguish what food their was, and the supposedly fantastic lake that turns out to be a no shore, stretched, deep, and green-grey lake that goes beyond human sight. It is hardly the ranch that Chris previously describes it to be. Just as the saddle’s name, Chris Cross, which shows that Chris is living in the world of make believe. The reality of the poor life that he lives in is just too much for him to bear so he makes up a fantasy world not only to impress Vanessa; but, also in an attempt to keep him from falling into the pits of despair. For the reality of his life is truly the cross of Chris’ hopes and dreams. For the wonderful ranch he describes to Vanessa is a dream that he wishes to be true; but, the hard cross of that is the reality that his life at home, in Shallow Creek, is truly the green-grey lake that is by his…
- 1188 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
the shadows that they couldn’t believe what their friend was telling them. Chris was similar to…
- 799 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Quite literally, a brick house. The location of which a lot of the story happens. Owned by Vanessa’s grandfather. “Looked huge and cool from the outside… inside it wasn’t cool at all.” Could possibly represent Grandfather Conner’s cold, ignorant, arrogant attitude and demeanor.…
- 1896 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In the book of Into the Wild by John Krakuer , it is clear that Chris was searching for an escape from society so that he can discover Happiness.. For Instance on page 183 Chris highlights a book from Tolstoy that quotes” I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country. “ This quote shows that we can infer that Chris was looking to move away from society in order for his search of happiness. In doing so he did. In fact…
- 578 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Chris did what was expected of him and went to college. During his time in college Chris was haunted by his parent's past, caused him to lose his identity. Everything he knew became false. He no longer…
- 1001 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
You destroyed my friends.” And then ran off. Jack was tired and didn't know where he was so he lashed down and took a nap. He woke up and looked around he realized he was in his room, in his bed. It was just a dream. He was so relieved that it wasn't real. Then his sister Maddie ran into his room and told him his friends chandler, Harrison, and amari were coming over and to get ready so he got up and put on his clothes and walked out side with his basketball to play with with his friends and then he turned around and saw a stuffed giraffe and laughed to himself and said “another dream for another day.” And walked out side. And there were his friends standing there he started to cry because just 5 minutes ago he thought he would never see anybody he new ever again they started laughing at him saying “why are u crying”. He replied with I'm just happy to see y'all and be with y'all.” Then they ran off into the sunset to play basketball and hang together because that's all they need we're friends just hanging…
- 1122 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Looking over a couple theories that related to Chris and his family, it seemed like attachment theory fit best. I believe that attachment theory is best for Chris because he had that secure attachment with his mom that allowed him branch out and do something completely unexpected of him. He knew that if anything went wrong he had someone there who had his back, which was his mom and sister. That knowledge of security allowed him to go on this journey and experience the unknown. Attachment theory, established by John Bowlby, is a set a concepts that are used to explain the emergence of the emotional bond that forms between an infant and their primary caregiver. It then goes on to explore that way in which the bond affects the child’s emotional…
- 142 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
Chris gives up all of his luxuries in life such as his home, car, family life, college education, and money to accomplish a sense of what he firmly believes will bring him happiness. He goes through extreme measures, all to fulfill his dream, only to realize that “Happiness only real when shared,”(Krakauer 189). Chris realizes towards the end of his life that he has no one to share his eye-opening experiences with.…
- 576 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Chris McCandless is a driven young adult that is unlike any other. By the end of his Alaskan odyssey, he becomes a new man nearly entirely. The most noticeable difference between the Chris that left home in his yellow Datsun and the Chris that took his last photo in the Alaskan bush, was that the last version of Chris was happy.…
- 455 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Horses are the tangible symbol of John Grady's Romantic aspirations and his deep desire to be the right sort of man--a cowboy who is intricately connected with the animal he rides…
- 396 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Chris’s impulsive decision to commit two murders in order to protect his own social position initiated this sudden change. Chris finds himself torn between living a wealthy, prosperous life with Chloe and living in poverty with Nola and a baby. As a result of this, he made an impetuous decision to murder Nola, the child, and an innocent old lady in order to conceal his…
- 751 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
It’s easy to believe Chris suffers from a mental illness such as high functioning borderline personality disorder. This misconception comes from the fact that Chris creates a new version of himself, Alexander Supertramp, fails to maintain relationships he creates throughout his journey, and is meticulous with how the trail to his past life is left. These traits seem to be enough to diagnose Chris with such a disorder, that is if you take it out of context. Chris creates a new version of himself to symbolize the new life he is soon to pursue. He wants to limit the connections to his old life in all ways possible. A life that he regards with disdain, because it failed to meet his moral code. A code highly represented by a passage Chris highlighted in one of his books, “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth” (Thoreau qtd. in Krakauer 117). Chris’ family failed to understand, and respect these ideals, resulting in Chris’ cutting them out of his life. His parents insisted on trying to increase his quality life with material values while also keeping their previous affair a secret from Chris. He fails to maintain his relationships with people not because he’s antisocial, but because he resents society, and doesn’t…
- 519 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Vanessa continues his stint as an entertainer, and continues to have sex with different men until finally he was nabbed and almost got killed by a group of men he had sex with.…
- 284 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Chris has interactions with people from different backgrounds, different geographies, different ages and different genders and it is all of these relationships that ultimately provides Chris the understanding he was seeking. For example, Chris’ time spent with the middle-aged couple, Rainey and Jan provides him with the insight of how his quest could be affecting those that love him, as Jan states to Chris at one point: “You look like a loved kid”. This quote proves that although Jan…
- 1218 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays