Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

“So many people live in unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation” (57). Chris McCandless was determined to not be one of those men, he strived for a life in solitude, away from the demands of society. For that reason he went on an epic transcendental experience that took him from Mexico to Alaska. Along the way, he met and made an impact on peoples’ lives, people like Wayne Westenberg and Ronald Franz. Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild discusses Chris’s journey, and makes the reader question Chris’s reasons for going out into the wild. In the novel, Chris did some dangerous things, such as kayaking across a country and not taking nearly enough supplies, he insisted it was all part of the journey though.

He did take a meager amount of supplies but that is what made the trip truly transcendental, because it connected him with nature in a way that cannot be done in a tent or sleeping bag. On his last trip, Chris tried to take a ten pound bag of rice, non waterproof boots, and a small rifle, to live for an extended amount of time in the Alaskan wilderness. He also forgot to take a map and did not know how to preserve meat out in the wild. However, that lack of preparation was not a death wish, he truly thought that he could survive on those things. Chris knew it would be difficult to do so, but he would survive, and that overall the challenge would make the trip a true experience. He even said “I was dimly aware that I might be getting in over my head. But that only added to the scheme’s appeal. That it wouldn’t be easy was the whole point.” (135). Chris going out there only a few supplies in hand might seem idiotic to some, but it made him truly courageous. He had the courage to do what his heart told him to do, which was to live in nature, not many others can say they have done the same. Going out in nature and doing stuff like that is what made him happy, leading him to write “I have lived a happy life. Thank the lord.” (199). The only part he cared about was living life on his terms not losing it. He saw that transcendental lifestyle as the perfect way to live, and to live it he had to be simplistic. Also he

Chris was quite young to have one, but he had one nonetheless, and what he did is no different that someone buying a sports car or quitting their job to go travel . Those people want to live their life before time passes and they are unable to. People in midlife crises usually spend their lives in quiet desperation, and that can develop into depression, quite severe depression, at that. Chris followed his heart and did what he thought was best for him, admitting to Ronald Franz, “there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon.” (57). So, rather than living his life wishing he could be free from society and out in the wild, he followed his passion and died happily. That is not at all a waste of his life or a suicidal mission, that is something to be proud of, and Chris is someone to look up to. He followed his dreams and many people would like to do just that. They want to live his truly transcendental lifestyle because of it’s simplistic way of life and disconnecting with society and connecting with nature, which is the basis of