Krakauer also goes on to defend Chris against hateful remarks and criticism saying “he was sufficiently skilled to last for sixteen weeks on little more than his wits and ten pounds of rice.” (Krakauer 182). The authors push for the fact that Chris really was competent is clear in the article as well. He further clarifies that McCandless’s death was not the result of him misidentifying potatoes, but rather an unknown toxin led to his death. The work of Ronald Hamilton supports the author’s “conviction that McCandless wasn’t as clueless and incompetent as his detractors have made him out to be” as there was no way Chris could have been aware of this toxin (Krakauer). The novel follows McCandless’s journey as he travels and survives on his own providing explanations showing that Chris is not an arrogant idiot, but rather quite a skillful