...Christopher McCandless, the author of Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild." has been widely regarded as a transcendentalist. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that emphasizes the importance of individualism, nature, and self-reliance. This essay will argue that Chris McCandless fits into being a transcendentalist. Firstly, Chris McCandless embodies the transcendentalist value of individualism. Throughout his journey, he seeks to find his true self and rejects the expectations and constraints of society. He leaves his privileged life behind to live a simple and self-sufficient life in the wilderness. He does not conform to societal norms, nor does he seek approval from others. This pursuit of individualism is a key tenet of transcendentalism,...
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...McCandless, Jon Krakauer, and Henry David Thoreau all believe in the central idea of Transcendentalism. After reading Into the Wild by Krakauer and some excerpts from Walden, we start to gather that Chris bases some of his actions and how he lives based on Thoreau’s ideas. Chris and Henry both embrace to not stay on a particular path, to embrace the idea of wanting more in life, and simplicity. Both men’s life choices are examples of Transcendentalism. One of the first examples of transcendentalism is when Chris embraces to not stay on a beaten path. For example, Chris sends Ron a letter telling him to have radical change in his life, to do things that he has never done. McCandless says, “ I think that you should make radical changes in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things in which you may previously have thought of doing”…(Krakauer 56). McCandless wants Ron to experience the life of nomads, Chris’s belief to not stay on a set path, to do his own thing. Thoreau says, “It is remarkable how easily and sensibly we fall into a particular route, and make a beaten track for yourself …” (Walden). This quote relates to McCandless’s belief to not stay on a set path, to live the extreme, and to not remain doing the same thing for a lifetime. Not having a...
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...Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, and Henry David Thoreau embrace the 19th century philosophy of transcendentalism. After reading Into the Wild by Krakauer and Thoreau’s excerpts from Walden readers start to see similarities between McCandless and Thoreau though the transcendentalism theme of nature and social reforms. One of the first transcendentalism beliefs the McCandless follows is nature. For example, McCandless does not always take the easy paths. McCandless says “All hope collapse! The canal does not reach the ocean, but merely peters out into a vast swamp’’ (McCandless 35). McCandless wants new ideas, places, people, and experiences in his life. He does not want the same life every day. McCandless wants to get out of his confront zone and in the world. This directly relates to the idea of Thoreau. In Walden, Thoreau says, “I did not wish to take the cabin passage, but rather to go before the mast and on the deck of the world” (Thoreau). What Thoreau is saying in the quote above is he rather go take a grown up trail nobody has been through in a while than a well know hiking trail, he wants to get out into nature and see what life has in store just like McCandless. In the two quotes quoted above both men in each of the quotes they both wanted the same thing to get out into nature and experience the wildest adventures, not...
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...In the book Into the Wild and Thoreau’s passages from Walden, John Krakauer shows how Thoreau is important to Chris McCandless and how he was influential to McCandless. Chris’ story in Into the Wild tells how he is driven by Henry David Thoreau’s Transcendental beliefs. Transcendentalism is a religious and philosophical movement that began in New England in the mid-nineteenth century. It was formed by the ideas of American Democracy. Both Thoreau and Chris McCandless grasp Transcendentalism through concepts such as simplicity, self-reliance, and to live an honest life. The first Transcendentalist belief that Chris McCandless follows is to simplify his life. For example, Chris brings a very small amount of food with him on his expedition because...
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...equipment hoping to find a life of solitude. On this thrilling journey in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, Chris displays himself to be a hero of authenticity and transcendentalism, and at times even a fool. Towards the end of his life, he truly morphed himself from a college graduate, to a man that lives and strives off the land known as “Supertramp.” Christopher was a genuine boy throughout the course of his life and always saw the positive in negative situations. His bubbly personality was contagious as he mesmerized everyone with his charm and sincereness. His authenticity is show throughout the entirety of the book, but a single quote represents his mentalities and philosophies, “The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun” (Krakauer 57). He lived and died by this mind set, which exemplified his heroism. Christopher knew there was a intense physical challenge ahead of him in order to achieve the emotional enlightenment he set out searching for; this is another prime example that shows the true hero of authenticity. Most people would be deterred from this expedition because they deem that their body controls their mind and would never be able to experience the bliss that they need. Krakauer writes “Can this be the same Alex that set out in July, 1990? Malnutrition...
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...unfortunately, McCandless fell victim to transcendentalism’s faulty idealism. Chris did exactly what the naturalist most likely wouldn’t attempt – to survive in the barren lands of the Alaskan wilderness. Regrettably, Chris’s idealistic view of the world ended his life. Rational thinking, however, does not prevail in every situation. While naturalism is favorable in instances requiring unbiased assessment to avoid ill fate, it cannot confidently explain intangible concepts like values, morality, or the conscious mind. In these situations, transcendentalists rely on their belief of a higher law or power to guide their understanding of the incorporeal world, which they believe transcends “…beyond what they can see, hear, taste, touch or see” (Transcendentalism, an American...
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