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Research Paper On Chris Mccandless

639 Words3 Pages

The transcendental movement, which reached the height of its popularity in the 1830’s and 1840’s, inspired many people to live essentially, without unnecessary material possessions, and to practice civil disobedience by breaking laws that one feels are unjust. Chris McCandless, Alexander Supertramp, is one of the most well known people in recent history inspired by transcendentalism because he, just like Henry David Thoreau, took the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and put them into action. When Chris fully applies the principles of transcendentalism, he enhances his life by giving him the opportunity to stop pretending to be someone that he is not and pursue a more authentic Chris McCandless.
Chris McCandless grew up in a wealthy family and received …show more content…

Henry David Thoreau wrote the essay “Civil Disobedience” to inspire people, just like Chris, to challenge laws that they feel are unjust. Chris is faced with the choice of rafting down a river without a permit and breaking the law, or complying with regulations he feels are limiting his freedom. The act of rafting down the river without a permit demonstrates how the new, more authentic Chris does what he wants, not what society wants him to do because the “government is best which governs least” (Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 388). Chris continues to break the laws he feels are unjust and quits his job because it requires him to wear socks, a policy he believes does not affect his productivity.The act of not wearing socks is not just about defying one rule, it is about how Chris shows that society cannot make him do anything he does not want to do. The rules of the restaurant are like “the obstacles which legislators are continually putting in [the way of the people]”(Thoreau, Civil Disobedience, 389). The restaurant itself is like the “trade and commerce” that Thoreau discusses and would be more productive without these unnecessary rules. The act of rafting without a permit and the act of not abiding by the rules of the restaurant are ultimately acts of civil

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