Jon Krakauer, Chris Mccandless And Henry David Thoreau

Jon Krakauer, Chris McCandless, and Henry David Thoreau reveal the philosophy of Transcendentalism. After reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and Henry David Thoreau’s excerpts from Walden, readers see that Transcendentalism plays an important role in Chris McCandless’s and Henry Thoreau’s lives. Chris McCandless and Henry Thoreau have similar beliefs in Transcendentalism. Both men adopt deliberation, individualism, and self-wisdom. Chris McCandless adopts deliberation as a way of life. For example, McCandless does not want to know anything about the real world. McCandless says, “I don’t want to know what time it is. I don’t want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters” (Krakauer 7). McCandless wants people to realize

For instance, McCandless sought more into himself than having friends. Eric Hathaway says, “I saw Chris at a party after his sophomore year at Emory, and it was obvious he had changed. When I said, ‘Hey, good to see you, Chris’ ‘Yeah, sure, that’s what everybody says. I think when everybody started going Greek, he kind of pulled back from his old friends and got more heavily into himself” (Krakauer 120). McCandless shows that he and his friends are going in different directions. This relates to one of Thoreau’s teachings in Walden. Thoreau says, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer” (Walden). Thoreau relates to McCandless because both men are heavily into themselves and does not keep up with friends. Individualism, someone who relies on oneself, is a true meaning of both McCandless and Thoreau. The last transcendental belief that stands out in Into the Wild and Walden is self-wisdom. McCandless follows his dreams and does not let anything or anyone come in his way. McCandless embolden Ron Franz to hunt for self-wisdom in a letter to Franz. McCandless says, “I think you really should make a radical change in your lifestyle and begin to boldly do things which you may previously never have thought of doing, or been too hesitant to attempt’… ‘The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure”