Into the Wild

by

Jon Krakauer

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Into the Wild makes teaching easy.

The Slabs and Oh-My-God-Hot-Springs Symbol Analysis

The Slabs and Oh-My-God-Hot-Springs Symbol Icon
As locations where hippies and vagabonds coalesce to run away from their fears, responsibilities, and everyday life, the Slabs and Oh-My-God-Hot-Springs are a symbol of “itinerant society” and the transient, alternative culture of nomads and hitchhikers.
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The Slabs and Oh-My-God-Hot-Springs Symbol Timeline in Into the Wild

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Slabs and Oh-My-God-Hot-Springs appears in Into the Wild. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 5 - Bullhead City
The American Wilderness Theme Icon
Arrogance, Innocence, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Materialism and Idealism Theme Icon
Isolation v. Intimacy Theme Icon
...to visit him, but before they can depart Chris arrives at their campsite located at the Slabs , an unconventional campground for vagabonds and drifters. Chris explains that he was tired of... (full context)
The American Wilderness Theme Icon
Arrogance, Innocence, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Materialism and Idealism Theme Icon
Chris helps Jan sell secondhand books at the Slab’s flea market by recommending books and stories by his favorite author and chronicler of the... (full context)
Risk and Self-Reinvention Theme Icon
Arrogance, Innocence, and Ignorance Theme Icon
Materialism and Idealism Theme Icon
Isolation v. Intimacy Theme Icon
After a week, McCandless decides to leave the Slabs . Jan drives him to Salton City, California so that he can pick up his... (full context)
Chapter 6 - Anza-Borrego
Isolation v. Intimacy Theme Icon
...Ronald Franz, an eighty-one-year-old man and a devout Christian, who gives him a ride to Oh-My-God Hot Springs , a winter refuge for hippies and nomads, that is close to Chris’ campsite. (full context)