Who influenced the other party the most? Chris or the people he met on his journey? Without money or material items, Chris was able to leave a lasting impact on the people he met on his trip to Alaska. In Jon Krakauer's Into The Wild, Chris McCandless is able to leave a greater influence on the people he met during his trip to Alaska than the impact they had on him. During Chris's trip to Alaska, he meets a man named Ronald Franz, and is able to leave him with a lasting impression that Ron is not able to reciprocate Chris. In the book, author Jon Krakauer states: "McCandless made an indelible impression on a number of people during his hegira, most of whom spent only a few days in his company, a week or two at most. more. But no one was more deeply touched by his brief contact with the boy than Ronald Franz” (Krakauer 48). This quote shows that even though their time together is brief, Chris is able to leave an indelible impact on Ron. No one understands Chris's life and journey to Alaska better than Krakauer, and through his words he acknowledges that Chris had the greatest impact on Ron. Ron considered Chris almost like a son. Franz admitted that "even when he was sleeping, I was happy to know he was there... At one point, Franz dared to make a special request of McCandless... Now that my own boy is dead, I'm at the end thread. 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 years old). This quote shows how much Chris meant everything to Ron at the time. This is very touching because Ron admits that he is getting old, and when he dies, there will be no one to continue his...... middle of paper ...... would not have been prepared for his trip to Alaska. Although only for a short time, Ron is able to nurture Chris by feeding and caring for him, as well as teaching him some interesting traits such as designing leather belts. Although Chris is capable of changing people, people are capable of changing him even more. Throughout Into The Wild, the people Chris interacts with throughout his journey to Alaska have an impact on Chris. Although the people Chris meets leave an impact on him, Chris is able to leave a greater impact on the people he has met. Whether it was Ron Franz, Jan Burres or Tracy, Chris stayed with them longer than they stayed with Chris. Throughout the book, it is very evident that the impact Chris has on people is greater than the impact people had on Chris. Work Cited Krakauer, Jon. In nature. New York: Anchor, 1997. Print.