Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in 1836 as a reaction to rationalism. It taught about the love for nature and humanity, and its believers had strong progressive views towards the government and social problems. In the movie Into The Wild, Chris McCandless , a recent college graduate and Harvard Law School candidate, decides to discard his previous life and all he had worked for in it, In exchange for a new life that followed the transcendentalist writings of Thoreau and Emerson. Chris Begins his journey towards transcendentalism on a car trip through modern society, which leads to smaller marginalized communities, and finally to the Alaskan wilderness where he feels truly alone but happy. Chriss actions from the

Chris uses transcendentalist thinking as an instruction manual for life and by following the manual he is able to live what he considers to be a true life, while also escaping the aches and pains of modern existence. Chris’s problems with the world stem from his parents and their actions. Chris’s father was a NASA scientist who ended up building his own company with Chris’s mother. The father believed that he was smarter and better than the average person, as shown by the way he treated Mrs. McCandless, the pushing, shoving, and fighting, and any retaliation would cause him to say that he didn't need her. Chris grew up seeing violence and disagreement, he grew up seeing only pain and unhappiness. Eventually after

In the very beginning of the movie Chris had to have dinner with his parents. During that scene his facial expressions showed the extent that he didn't want to be there at that time, and how he was forced into a situation that made him unhappy. Chris Listened to Emerson who said, “in the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man”(Nature). When Chris broke out into the wild he was never forced into a situation where he was unhappy because he could either avoid a situation entirely like when he decides to break the law and go rafting without a licence, or change a situation he is in like when he enters a city one night and leaves the same night because he didn't like it. Chris is only unhappy when he himself makes a mistake. The only times when Chris is unhappy is when he kills the moose and feels regret for wasting meat and a life. Also he is unhappy when he eats the wrong berries leading to indigestion and eventual death. Both of these situations were decisions that were influenced by nothing except for Chris and his inabilities. Even as the life drained from Chris a smile could be seen on his face; he knew what he did was right, even on the brink of death Chris felt no remorse because he had achieved what he had wanted to, and had no regrets because he lived life the way he wanted. Chris perfectly created Therous wish to, “