As Matthew has now completed the book, in preparation for final tests next week today we analyzed Chris McCandles' journal entries and letters and located the direct influences of Thoreau and Tolstoy. In this regard, we questioned Chris' authenticity .While his intentions may have been authentic , his journal offers nothing by way of original ideas or discoveries that he sought to discover during his two year fatal odyssey. We further studied the final chapters and parsed the author's defense of Chris noting how in the end the author blames Chris' death in great part on a botanist 's book that Chris relied on as the book failed to mention that certain seeds ultimately consumed by Chris were poisonous . Looking at some of Chris' journal entries , Matthew discussed whether Chris valued the very virtues he claimed to embody-truth and honesty- noting the many times and places Chris did not tell the truth. Similarly , we discussed that Chris never had the courage to confront his father about the truth Chris had uncovered about his father's past. Last, we analyzed Chris' claim to have lived and found "reality" questioning whether "real life" can only be discovered in a survival situation. Hw-study for essay and short answer test next week