what happened to ron from into the wild

What happened to Ron from into the wild? In Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Krakauer recounts the tale of Christopher Johnson McCandless. Ronald Franz, whose wife and son had been killed in an automobile accident caused by a drunk drive years earlier, developed such an attachment to McCandless that he wanted to make the young man part of his family.

Full Answer

What happened to Ron Franz in into the wild?

Ronald Franz, whose wife and son had been killed in an automobile accident caused by a drunk drive years earlier, developed such an attachment to McCandless that he wanted to make the young man part of his family. Click to see full answer. Also to know is, who is Ron Franz in into the wild?

What happened between Ron and Chris in the Outsiders?

During the drive, Ron asks Chris if he can adopt him, but Chris dodges the question, slipping out of Ron’s life. While Ron gives greatly of himself, Chris is unwilling to reciprocate emotionally in spite of the many kindnesses Ron has shown him.

Why does Chris take Ron to a remote location?

That Ron drives Chris out to this remote location signals Ron’s connection to him, and foreshadows that Ron will soon follow in Chris’ footsteps. Ron, having lost his son in a car accident many years earlier, enjoys McCandless’ youthful company. Chris urges Ron to abandon his sedentary life, sell his belongings and live on the road.

What happened to Christopher McCandless in into the wild?

In Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild, Krakauer recounts the tale of Christopher Johnson McCandless. Ronald Franz, whose wife and son had been killed in an automobile accident caused by a drunk drive years earlier, developed such an attachment to McCandless that he wanted to make the young man part of his family. Click to see full answer.

Was Ron Franz a real person?

He set up a camp outside of here. Russell Fritz, the real name of Ron Franz, was a retired old man who befriended Chris.

Who was Ronald Franz Into the Wild?

Ronald A. A Vietnam veteran and leatherworker who befriends McCandless in Salton City, California. Eighty years old, muscular and tall, Franz is a recovered alcoholic and a widowed father who lost his son to a drunk driving accident while he was overseas.

How did Ron find out about Chris's death?

Answers 1. Franz waits for McCandless's return, but one day when he picks up two hitchhikers and tells them about his friend “Alex,” they tell him that they just read an article in Outside magazine about it, and he's dead.

Who was Ron Franz and how did he enter the story?

Who was Ron Franz and how did he enter the story? A man who wanted a copy of the story and claimed he helped Alex. What does Krakauer think about the relationship between Franz and McCandless? he was affected the most by their contact because Chris had such a powerful affect on him.

Where does Chris Meet Ronald Franz?

Ronald Franz Meets Chris The small California town on the edge of the Salton Sea had been planned as a lush resort, but many buildings were dilapidated and many lots stood empty. In January 1992, Chris was on his way back to camp from a supply run when an old man asked if he needed a ride. This man was Ronald Franz.

What effect did Chris have on Ronald Franz?

The theme of this chapter is the astonishing ability of Christopher McCandless to win friends and influence people. Not only did he befriend the octogenarian Ronald Franz, but he convinced the old man to change his ways fundamentally at a time in life when most people have settled down for good.

How did Franz react to McCandless death?

He bought a camper and moved to McCandless's old campsite in the Salton Sea, where he lived until he heard news of McCandless's death from a pair of hitchhikers while in town to retrieve his mail. Rocked by grief, Franz drank a bottle of whiskey, breaking his hard-won sobriety.

What did Chris do that Billie and Walt were unaware of?

Chris had been born to his mother, Billie, while father Walt was still married to his first wife, Marcia. And two years after Chris was born, Walt McCandless fathered another child with Marcia. Discovering this duplicity infuriated McCandless. "But he did not confront his parents with what he knew," Krakauer writes.

Who tried to adopt Chris McCandless?

An 81-year-old man whom Mr. Krakauer calls Ronald A. Franz loved McCandless so much he begged to adopt him as a grandson. ''We'll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron,'' McCandless replied.

How did Jim Gallien find out about McCandless death?

Jim Gallien, the same Alaskan who gave Christopher McCandless his final ride into Alaska, sees a front-page news story about the boy's death based on another story that appeared in The New York Times. Because Gallien thinks he knows the identity of the body, he calls the Anchorage police.

What was McCandless second visit to Ron Franz like?

From Seattle, McCandless returned to California. What was this second visit to Ron Franz like? Franz made a family-oriented request of McCandless.

What does Ron offer for Chris?

Ron's wife and son were killed by a drunk driver. When Ron drives Chris to Colorado, what "special request" does Ron make to Chris? He asks Chris if he can adopt him to be his grandson.

How old was Russel Fritz when he met McCandless?

Russel Fritz ("Ronald Franz") At the time of his meeting with McCandless, Russel Fritz was 80 years old and emotionally unstable. He had previously lost his wife and only son due to a drunk driver and had since been longing to offer the paternal advice for teenagers and adults he was never able to give to his son.

Who helped Chris make his belt inscriptions?

Russel Fritz helped Chris to make his notorious belt inscriptions and even offered to adopt Chris as his grandson due to the strong bond formed between them; nevertheless, Chris, "uncomfortable with the request, dodged the question, 'We'll talk about it when we get back from Alaska, [Russ]" (54).

What does Ron do when Chris takes to the road?

By taking to the road, Ron becomes a devotee of Chris’ way of life and idealizes Chris almost as a Christ-like figure, Like a disciple, Ron receives the word and waits upon his Chris’ return. Chris’ devotion and idealism makes him extremely charismatic—even great—to some people.

What does Ron do in April?

In April, Ron receives a long letter from Chris, exhorting him to turn to the road to find life’s great joys and meaning. Ron takes Chris’ advice to heart, moves out of his apartment and camps in the desert, waiting for his friend Chris to return.

What is LitCharts in Into the Wild?

LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Into the Wild, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Isolation v. Intimacy. On January 4, 1993, Krakauer receives a letter from eighty-one year-old Ronald Franz, requesting a copy of the article Krakauer published in Outside magazine.

Why did Chris leave San Diego?

Yet Chris leaves San Diego soon after arriving because he can’t find work. Chris’ tenacious endurance fails when it comes to conventional jobs and common courtesies, further illustrating his difficulty at meshing with societal norms. Active Themes. Get the entire Into the Wild LitChart as a printable PDF.

Where did McCandless camp?

After leaving Jan Burres in Salton City, California, McCandless hikes into the desert, setting up camp in Anza-Borrego, Calif.

Where does McCandless ride the rails?

Restless, McCandless rides the rails up north to Seattle, where he sends postcards to Jan and Ron, gleefully bragging about his near violent run-in with a railway security guard.

Does Chris reciprocate with Ron?

While Ron gives greatly of himself, Chris is unwilling to reciprocate emotionally in spite of the many kindnesses Ron has shown him. This imbalance situates Chris’ relationships at emotional extremes—fast friends or distant relatives.

What caused Chris McCandless to die?

Shortly after the first edition of Into the Wild was published in January 1996, University of Alaska chemists Edward Treadwell and Thomas Clausen shot down my theory that the cause of McCandless’s death was a toxic alkaloid contained in the seeds of the Eskimo potato plant , Hedysarum alpine, also known as wild potato. When Treadwell and Clausen completed chemical analyses of the Eskimo potato seeds I’d sent them, they found no trace of any poisonous compounds. “I tore that plant apart,” Dr. Clausen explained to Men’s Journal in 2007. “There were no toxins. No alkaloids. I’d eat it myself.”

When was Chris McCandless's afterword updated?

I tell the complete story of the short, fascinating life of Chris McCandless in Into the Wild, which was updated with a new afterword in 2015.

Who was the assistant chair of the biochemistry department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania?

A fter Hamilton read Into the Wild and became convinced that ODAP was responsible for McCandless’s sad end, he approached Dr. Jonathan Southard, the assistant chair of the biochemistry department at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and persuaded Southard to have one of his students, Wendy Gruber, test the seeds of both H. alpinum and H. mackenzii for ODAP. Because the two species are very similar and hard to distinguish from one another, there had been speculation that McCandless confused the plants, and actually ingested H. mackenzii rather than H. alpinum.

When did Hamilton become acquainted with the McCandless story?

As Hamilton explains it, he became acquainted with the McCandless story in 2002 , when he happened upon a copy of Into the Wild, flipped through its pages, and suddenly thought to himself, “I know why this guy died.”.

When did McCandless write his theory about seeds?

My theory about the seeds was based on the alarming entry McCandless wrote in his journal on July 30, 1992:

Did Christopher McCandless die in the wild?

It might be said that Christopher McCandless did indeed starve to death in the Alaskan wild, but this only because he’d been poisoned, and the poison had rendered him too weak to move about, to hunt or forage, and, toward the end, “extremely weak,” “too weak to walk out,” and, having “much trouble just to stand up.”.

Who sent Chris McCandless a postcard?

Postcard that Chris McCandless sent to his friend Wayne Westerberg the day before he headed down the Stampede trail on his fatal journey. Photo © Jon Krakauer. H amilton is neither a botanist nor a chemist; he’s a writer who until recently worked as a bookbinder at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania library.

Who is Ronald Franz?

Ronald Franz was a fictitious name given to Russel Fritz to protect his privacy. He has passed on and is no longer with us but, from what I was told, was a very generous and kind man. This is why I share his name to those interested to know who he was as I did a few years ago. Sean Penn hit a home run with the scene where Chris says goodbye to "Ron" in the movie. I should say they all did a remarkable job with that scene as it's one of a couple that chokes me up to tears every time I watch it. So Kudos to Sean, Emile, and Hal, I still think this movie deserves more recognition than it received.

Where was Alex's body found?

Ron Franz picked up two hitch hikers and mentioned Alex to them. The Indian told Ron that Alex's body was found in Alaska. Ron then became an atheist and bought a bottle whiskey and got drunk for the first time since he became sober.

Why is Ronald Franz a fictitious name?

Ronald Franz was a fictitious name given to Russel Fritz to protect his privacy. He has passed on and is no longer with us but, from what I was told, was a very generous and kind man. This is why I share his name to those interested to know who he was as I did a few years ago.

What happened to McCandless when he got down to the Teklanika River?

When he got down to the Teklanika River, the crossing that he previously made over the frozen waters was now thawed and became impassible. Unable to cross, McCandless returned to the bus. "Rained in. River looks impossible.

How old was McCandless when he set out?

The Tragic Adventure. McCandless was a 22 years old college graduate when he set out for his two-years trip across the American West: a journey that would eventually take him to the Alaskan wilderness.

What was the cause of Chris' death?

There is still much debate happening over the cause of Chris's death. According to the coroner's report, it was starvation. But a few years ago, a writer Ronald Hamilton, posted his investigation that brought previously unknown evidence to light.

Who is Chris McCandless?

Chris McCandless is a misfortunate young man who managed to starve to death a few hours hike off the George Parks Highway and was made into a celebrity post-mortem. Chris's story is just a tragic one. He chose to discover his way in life by trying to live off the land, not an impossible challenge if you apply common sense ...

Where did Chris go after two months?

Chris planned to journey across Alaska towards more lived-in areas but settled in an abandoned bus he found along the way, as it seemed like a good camping spot. After two months of living there, he decided to get back to society. He packed up his camp and headed back to civilization on July 3.

Is the movie "Into the Wild" based on a true story?

The 2007 movie "Into The Wild," a story of Chris McCandless's short adventure in the Alaskan wilderness, is a work of fiction; however, it is based on real events. In 1992, a pair of moose hunters came across an old, rusted bus just outside of Denali National Park.

Did Christopher McCandless starve?

One of his photos shows a Ziploc bag full of these toxic seeds. We can say that Christopher McCandless did indeed starve to death in the Alaskan wild, but because of the toxin, which made him too weak to move and care for himself.