Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

In 2006 famous zookeeper and environmentalist Robert Steve Irwin died of a stingray sting while doing what he loved; being with nature. While many mourned his death, he was immortalized for his deep appreciation of nature and his connection with animals. The 2007 film Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn, details the real life experiences and death of Chris Mccandless and his journey to Alaska. Chris, inspired by the transcendentalist movement, wanted to live and survive with nature alone and so, he did until his untimely death at the hand of food poisoning and starvation. Although many argue that Chris was rash and impulsive, ultimately, Chris Mccandless is a transcendentalist because he lived independently, learned and observed nature, and

He also abandons resources given to him, such as in the scene when he burned his money and left his car. These scenes are all displays of Chris’s survival. Chris has the choice to buy food or get a job to earn money to travel more efficiently; however, he consistently denies himself these opportunities because he doesn’t want to rely on them. His rejection of these things means he has to rely on himself which makes him independent. Additionally, Chris also rejects depending on people. Throughout the movie Chris makes friends with multiple people who grow to appreciate him. While hitchhiking, he meets a couple named Reynie and Jan who live in a caravan. As the group spend time together the couple expresses their desire for him to stay with them, an offer which he rejects. He also rejects a similar offer when meeting an old man who gives him dinner and a place to stay for a couple nights. In both of these examples Chris is offered help by people that would relieve the responsibility of taking care of himself. He becomes emotionally close with these people and doesn't show a disdain for those he meets. Despite this, he rejects them and prefers to be alone without people. He chooses to live a life without

Weakly, he writes that “happiness only real when shared”.This scene shows Chris's realization that human bonds are what make true happiness. This is a discovery that Chris was only able to find through his experience in nature. Because he is dying and alone, he is left to his own thoughts which allows him to evaluate his own life freely. Both of these lessons are things that Chris was only able to learn exclusively from his experiences in nature and learning from nature is a common idea that many transcendentalist writers have mentioned such as Emmerson and