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Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

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Chris McCandless, a Transcendentalist? Unlike the majority, Chris McCandless decides to leave his home and possessions, and embark on a dangerous journey to the Alaskan wilderness. In the novel, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, the author describes Chris McCandless’ journey in depth to show transcendentalist ideals. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that focuses on following your heart and the idea that humans lead towards goodness, while defying against society and materialism. Many well known transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Throughout his long journey across the country, Chris McCandless proves to be a true transcendentalist through the essence of the philosophy. Chris’ individuality should …show more content…

Chris is on the brink of finally reaching his destination in the Alaskan forests, but Gallien worries about his well-being, “Gallien offered to drive Alex all the way to Anchorage, buy him some decent gear, and then drive him back to wherever he wanted to go.’No, thanks anyway.' Alex replied, 'I'll be fine with what I've got.'” (Krakauer 6). No matter who generously offers Chris some basic supplies that can aid him in his trip, he turns them down. He really values the idea of walking into nature without materialistic items that can help him, because to truly find his own spirituality, he has to take away all the influences of society, and find his inner self through nature, and not people. Thoreau’s essay supports Chris’ beliefs of only needing a bare minimum of items, it discusses, “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!” (“Walden”). Thoreau strongly believed that people need to get rid of unnecessary materialistic possessions and live life to the fullest. By disconnecting with society’s influences, individuals would be able to have a closer connection with the universe around them. Simplicity is the key to achieving happiness, peace, and have new experiences in

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After reading Krakauer’s Into the Wild and Henry David Thoreau’s exerts from Walden, we can see a deep connection between Christopher McCandless and Thoreau’s transcendental beliefs. Both Chris McCandless and Thoreau show transcendentalism in their actions of self-wisdom, differences, and liberation. Chris McCandless life choices in Into the wild reflect the transcendental beliefs of Thoreau’s Walden. The first transcendental belief of McCandless is that he marches to the beat of a different drummer.

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The national bestseller Into The Wild written by Jon Krakauer follows one of the best known transcendentalists of the late 20th century, Christopher McCandless, through his journey across the country and into the Alaskan wilderness. The trip helps Chris find pure happiness, and being tested by the elements lets him experience what he believed to be the true beauty of life. In spite of the fact that Chris always seemed to have been drawn to nature, Krakauer hints to other reasons as to why Chris originally left. There are a few reasons for Chris’ departure from civilization, but the push that propelled him away from the only home he ever knew was his parents, Walt and Billie. Despite his overwhelming awe for nature, the most plausible reason

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The man who took McCandless to the edge of Denali Park, Jim Gallien, was concerned for McCandless because he knows, as an “accomplished hunter and woodsman,” that this backpack was “an improbably light load for a stay of several months in the backcountry,” (Krakauer 5). He offered to take Chris to get more supplies and food for his trip, but Chris declined and stated, “I’ll be fine with what I’ve got,” (Krakauer 6). Chris believed that all he needed in order to survive was the few supplies he brought with him and his natural instincts. In “Self Reliance,” Emerson applauds this type of thinking. He states “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.”

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663 Words | 3 Pages

McCandless’s self-reliance is a big part of identifying him as transcendentalist. In the short story, “Death of an Innocent”, Chris says, “I've decided that I'm going to live this life for some time to come. The freedom and simple beauty of it is just too good to pass up.” McCandless feels that life should not be wasted doing what you do not love, and shows this by traveling and living off the land every chance he gets. Transcendentalists take in all of what nature has to give them by becoming one with it; like McCandless does throughout the story.

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849 Words | 4 Pages

Chris went off after he graduated college and “lived off the land”. Chris would travel to the coast of Mexico, the plains of Kansas, and the dunes of Nevada. Chris went on a final expedition to Alaska that cost him everything. In the following paragraphs I will fully detail how Chris was reckless, selfish, and naive. I will also explore how Chris tied his life to the beliefs of transcendentalism.

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In the 19th and 20th century transcendentalism was a new and exciting topic that caused tremendous controversy. In the novel Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless was a man with a very unique character. In more detailed words Chris McCandless was a transcendentalist. His actions and moods played a big part in his life, from beginning to end. He was a transcendentalist because of his self-reliance, confidence and non-conformity.

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In my opinion, Chris McCandless is an example of a modern-day transcendentalist -- someone who believes in nature, confidence, free thinking, self-reliance, and non-conformity. Because transcendentalists are typically people who live in the wilderness with no contact with society, transcendentalism usually relies on a more spiritual thinking rather than a certain scientific-like thinking based on materialistic things. This way of life can prove fatal if carried to an extent exceeding the person’s capabilities, knowledge, and/or experience. “There are no fixtures in nature. The universe is fluid and volatile.

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Mccandless’ Odyssey of Solitude “To go into solitude, a man needs to retire as much from his chamber as from society” , Emerson on Nature. In the biographical narrative, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, an unprepared teenager, walks into Denali, Alaska and never returns. After McCandless’ body is discovered in Fairbanks Bus 142, Jon Krakauer follows McCandless’ footsteps in an attempt to learn what he did and why. Krakauer discerns that McCandless’ ideas and philosophies were closely aligned with the teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both Emerson and Thoreau are pioneers of Transcendentalism, the belief that the reality of oneself is discovered through nature.

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"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer.

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Into the Wild Chris McCandless. Who is he? I guess you could say he is the pure definition of a “transcendentalist”. A transcendentalist is a person who lives a completely different type of lifestyle than your average person, they believe in self reliance, they will always have a strong connection with mother nature, they’re individualists, and always searching for the meaning of life. McCandless went on a journey that no normal american would have thought was sane.

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As a final point, the non-fiction book, ¨Into the Wild,”is a great representation of transcendentalism because it encompasses themes dealing with

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783 Words | 4 Pages

Transcendentalism is to find your inner self and deepest intuitions in nature. Out of John Krakauer the author of Into the Wild and Christopher McCandless, who has more transcendentalist ideas? I believe Mcandless has far more transcendentalist ideas than Krakauer, due to Mcandless’s hate for society, his self-reliance, and his true connection with nature. First of all, McCandless has a hatred towards society and as a result stays away from it as much as he can, while on the other hand, Krakauer fully supports and relies on society. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance, he mentions, “Society everywhere is in a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members.

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785 Words | 4 Pages

In transcendentalism, living a simple live is significant to individuals. In the text From Walden, Henry David Thoreau advise that “simplicity” is the key to a free life and that we all should “keep our accounts on our thumbnail”(Thoreau 106). He states that people should pay less attention to materialism, instead pursue a simple and purposeful live. Thoreau does not consider money as fundamental when compared to nature and freedom. In the movie Into the Wild, Chris McCandless gets very angry when his parents offer him a new car as a gift because he has been everywhere with his old car and it works just fine; besides, he does not need a new one just because there are newer and cooler cars around.

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Was Chris McCandless a true transcendentalist? Transcendentalism is a system developed by Immanuel Kant, based on the idea that, in order to understand the nature of reality, one must first examine and analyze the reasoning process that governs the nature of experience. Influenced by romanticism, Platonism, and Kantian philosophy, it taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity, and its members held progressive views on feminism and communal living. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were central figures. In Jon Krakauer’s novel, Into the Wild, McCandless is viewed as a transcendentalist.

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Because Charlie’s personality is already fixated on this philosophy, Mr. Keating’s idealized presentation of transcendentalism was a recipe for Charlie’s implementation of this ideology to get out of hand. In his case, it was important for Mr. Keating to emphasize the dangers of following this philosophy radically and to teach Charlie how to control himself and not do stupid things, such as the “phone call from God” antic. Similarly, it was important for Mr. Keating to tailor his preaching of the philosophy to Neil as well. Neil was living in one extreme of the spectrum: he was forced to follow orders from an incredibly dictatorial father while living in an oppressive boarding school. Mr. Keating’s theory of seizing the day and thinking for oneself is an idea on the whole other side of the spectrum.

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