Similarities Between Mccandless And Walden

The Woods and the Wild “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” (Thoreau, 74). These are the words of political activist, writer, and Transcendentalist, Henry David Thoreau from his novel, Walden. Thoreau was at the time completely oblivious that he would leave a legacy so powerful, so influence, that literature students and soul-seeker alike centuries later. One of Thoreau’s most serious admirers was young Christopher or “Chris” McCandless. Chris McCandless was a young college graduate who had suddenly left his family and life behind in 1990 to travel for two years as

Transcendentalism is not a new or modern concept. According to Johnson, a reporter for LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker, retreating to the wild in order to purge ourselves of daily humanity is seen repeatedly in American culture. Take the case of author Walt Whitman, Jack London, and John Muir, character Huck Finn, and of course, Emerson and Thoreau, for example. Johnson says this journey is necessary in result of our driving need for self-actualization (Johnson). The Bullis Student Tutors, a group of students that are vigorously trained to aid the students at Bullis, imply that the fundamental characteristics of Transcendentalism include the goodness of man, the glories of nature, and the free individual expression (Bullis). Authors Harding and Meyer, internationally recognized experts on Thoreau and Transcendentalism say that, Transcendentalism deals mainly with the matters of: idealism, the relationship between imagination/intuition and reality, a “living religion,” morals, self-improvement leading to social gain, a certain type of human divinity in which salvation is not required, freedom, art, a reliance on God rather than society, and general optimism able to see potential

Neither Did Thoreau” through FreshAir suggests. The events of Thoreau’s life is just one collective piece of evidence for the gap between Thoreau and McCandless. According to Harding and Meyer in The New Thoreau Handbook, the future revolutionary, Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1827. For the most part, Thoreau had what one would consider a typical small-town existence as an early nineteenth century childhood. The only difference would be that his family possessed a rich background in history and reading that may have provided young Thoreau with an advantage. Thoreau was ten years old when he completed his first essay “The Seasons,” a piece that displayed his initial interest in nature. In 1833, Thoreau enters Harvard University. During his time at Harvard Thoreau was not very popular; however, he was not disliked. Harding and Meyer point out the famous legend that says Thoreau refused to pay the five dollars required in order to receive his college diploma when graduating with his Master of Arts Degree. For a long period, Thoreau spent his time teaching and giving lectures to schools and universities after graduating. One of the most well-known aspects of Thoreau’s legacy is his relationship to the “Father of Transcendentalism,” Ralph Waldo Emerson.