Chapter 7, Carthage Summary and Analysis

Chapter 7 opens with two quotations, which provide support for McCandless's choice to avoid his family and the society of other people.

In South Dakota, Wayne Westerberg repairs a tractor against a deadline and with increasing bad temper. Afterwards, he apologizes to Krakauer, explaining that he and his crew are shorthanded since Alex did not return to work this fall as expected. It is two months since McCandless's death and seven months since Westerberg last saw him. Alex had worked hard for Westerberg, taking on the unskilled, hard jobs, which no one else wanted to do. Westerberg had tried to teach Alex a higher-skilled job, but Alex was not mechanically inclined. Westerberg also mentions that despite Alex's intelligence, he lacked common sense.

During Alex's final visit to Carthage, he becomes close to Westerberg's girlfriend, Gail Borah. Borah is a divorced...