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Transcendentalism literature and its impact
Essay on transcendentalism literature
Essay on transcendentalism literature
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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.
One of the very first rules Chris McCandless follows is the anxiousness of individualism when he deserts all his belongings , grants his savings to charity, and leaves his family. After Chris abandoned his own belongings and everyone he associated with, he worked up the urged of seeking individualism. There is a quote from Thoreau that can be a comparison to Chris McCandless. Thoreau states that, ”let everyone mind his own business, and endear too be what he was model” (Walden). This quote clearly can relates to what Chris is trying to achieve in life.
In the short story, “Death of an Innocent” by Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless travels into the Alaskan wilderness with the intention of relying completely on himself. In the true spirit of transcendentalism, McCandless travels to escape the bounds of society and to remove himself from a materialistic world. Many argue, however, that Chris McCandless was not a transcendentalist because he travels to exotic lands as a means of avoidance, but actually, Chris McCandless is the epitome of a transcendentalist. Transcendentalists, however, rely on themselves and nature to survive and do not depend on material items. Transcendentalists romanticize individualism and believe that intuition is the best guide through life.
Into the Wild is a book about a young adventurer named Chris McCandless. He is the main character of the book and usually goes by the pseudonym Alex Supertramp. The author also includes other stories about people who had similar experiences to Chris McCandless. McCandless was a very smart, independent person who hitch hikes around the United States.
Chris McCandless, the young man who left everything he knew to venture into the wild. The core reason why McCandless traveled out into the wild was to escape the stifling world of his parents and peers. Instead of following the commonly accepted road to success he chose to do things his own way, and find his own happiness out in the world around him. Chris McCandless does not meet the definition of a Transcendentalist because he is running away from his problems, rather than feeling the need to belong in nature. Chris had always had problems with his parents, at one point he even writes to his sister saying ”I’m going to let them think they are right, I’m going to let them think that I’m “coming around to see their side of things” and that
McCandless believed that his mind was better than a map and that he could trust his instinct. Chris’s confidence told him that his opinion was better than any opinion out there, and that he could live his life without others useless ideas. McCandless was very confident in his idea, like he should be with the grades that he got in college. Emerson writes, “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of our own mind” (Emerson 4). Opinions are very important because that’s what makes a human different.
Instead of being excited or proud of himself, McCandless told his mother that he did not want to be in the program, because there was more homework than the normal class. This is an example of the transcendentalist key non-conformity. It relates to the essay “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, because both are about non-conformity and that everyone should make their own decisions and form their own opinions about a subject. Walt McCandless, Chris McCandless’ father, provides more information about McCandless’ non-conformity: ““If you attempted to talk [McCandless] out of something he wouldn’t argue. He’d just nod politely and then do exactly what he wanted (Chapter
"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.
Beginning in the early eighteen hundreds the first acts of the transcendentalism arose in the United States. The Harvard divinity school housed the father of transcendentalism as he is known as professor named Emerson, who expressed ideals of independence, freedom, and the art of nature. In fact, his teachings inspired many to open their eyes and see the government 's corruption and horrid ways. Thus changing the citizens ' views on society and listening to these transcendentalist. Within the novel, Into The Wild written by Jon Krakauer tells the amazing story of a true transcendentalists Chris McCandless discovering himself and the lies of his family 's stealthy history.
Transcendentalism is a philosophical and literary movement that emphasizes themes of nature and self-reliance while going against society and materialism. Many transcendentalists including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are the creators of this movement impacting many others. Chris McCandles, the young and fearless main character, in Jon Jrakauer’s text Into the Wild, follows these transcendental leaders shown in his actions. Chris finds himself exploring throughout North America and reaching his goal to make it to Alaska. Like Thoreau, McCandles loves nature and finds it his “congratulation”, “greets everyday with joy”, and “follows his genius”.
Kevin Sun Mrs. Cohen English 2CP --D February 22, 2018 Another Perspective The film Into the Wild is based on the life of Chris McCandless, a young man who rejected the consumerist society of America in order to live a more simple life. Through his travels, Chris carried essays by Transcendentalist philosophers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, suggesting that McCandless is impacted by Transcendentalist ideals. Two key tenets of Transcendentalism that clearly influenced McCandless’ choices are the value of simplicity and the importance of self-reliance.
“As to when I shall visit civilization, it will not be soon, I think. I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time”( 87). Growing up, McCandless would go in the outdoors with his family and go rock climbing. After his family would be done, Chris would go off on his own even when his father would tell him no. In the song Freedom by Akon, there is a lyric which relates to McCandless
Into the Wild: Transcendentalism Into the Wild is a harrowing account of the events surrounding a young individual’s death by Jon Krakauer. A question is presented within this novel about whether this man’s actions make him a transcendentalist or not. Christopher John McCandless is a modern-day transcendentalist in the minds of those who wish they were, but he is only a childish rebel in the minds of those who would think of themselves as, perhaps, realists. The type of people that idolize McCandless are the whimsical naturalists that trick themselves into thinking they are somehow more self-enlightened than those who take a more reasonable and levelheaded approach to life. “McCandless...read like...an above average, somewhat histrionic
As evident by this quotation by Thoreau, his motives purely consist of living in the idealistic states of nature rather than that of “civilization”. Thoreau also stated, “I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life…”- (taken from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden”). Thoreau, in this statement shows that he is completely self reliant in the sense that he alone went out to nature to reap what he could and survive by his merits alone, sustaining himself only on what nature had to offer. While conversely McCandless could only survive with a
The main character, Chris McCandless, walks away from everything, his family, home, and career, just to go to Alaska to live in the wild and be on his own. He gives up most modern-day pleasures and doesn't accept many things from people along his way to Alaska, showing that he is independent and standing up for himself, much like Donovan's poem. Thoreau also expresses the idea of standing up for yourself and what you believe in. In his work “Civil Disobedience”, he says, “Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, …”. Again, a perfect examples of the transcendentalist idea of standing up for what you
