Chapters 4-5 deal with Chris's movement from a driver --
almost a tourist -- to a legitimate vagabond, a title in which he delighted. Chapter 4
shows how his car was disabled by a flood, and he used that as an opportunity to divest
himself of overt connections to his prior life. Chris believed that material possessions
weighed him down spiritually, and so he was happy that he had the chance to create a
physically and emotionally lighter persona. It also shows the joy he took in wandering
without a specific purpose, preferring to be free of obligations and
responsibilities.
Chapter 5 shows the personal connections
he made in Bullhead City, and how despite his aversion to civilization he felt the need
to live and work for a time, perhaps to recharge some mental batteries for his future
isolation. Jan Burres, a friend with whom Chris corresponded, mentions her own
theory:
"He
needed his solitude at times, but he wasn't a hermit. He did a lot of socializing.
Sometimes I think it was like he was storing up company for the times when he knew
nobody would be around."
(Krakauer, Into the Wild,
Amazon.com)
The interviews in
this chapter show Chris's refusal to conform entirely to social norms, and the
deliberate way he remained aloof from real emotional connections. The chapters taken
together show how Chris codified parts of his personal philosophy, and how he prevented
himself from falling back into the comfort and ease of
civilization.
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