Individualism In Into The Wild

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Chris McCandless and Henry David Thoreau both live to embrace the religious, philosophical, and literacy movements of being transcendentalists. Transcendentalism arose in the 19th century and let many people embrace their self-wisdom, individualism, and nature. In the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, and Thoreau’s excerpts from Walden, it is very clear that Chris’s beliefs and Thoreau’s beliefs have a lot in common. The connections show through both Chris’s and Thoreau’s self-wisdom, individualism, and nature. The first Transcendental belief Chris McCandless embraces is self-wisdom. In one of Chris’s letters to Ron he explains to him that to find self-wisdom, people do not have to be in conformity with society. Chris writes,” So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not change… because they are conditioned to a life of security and conformity… but in reality nothing is more damaging to the adventurous spirt within a more than a secure future” (Krakauer 57). Chris’s meaning by this is that if …show more content…

Chris writes in his journal: TWO YEARS HE WALKS THE EARTH, NO PHONE, NO POOL, NO PETS, NO CIGARETTES. ULTIMATE FREEDOM… AN AESTHETIC VOYAGER WHOSE HOME IS THE ROAD…AND NOW AFTER TWO RAMBLING YEARS COMES THE FINAL AND GREATEST ADVENTURE… TEN DAYS AND NIGHTS OF FREIGHT TRAINS AND HITCHHIKING BRING HIM TO THE GREAT WHITE NORTH… NO LONGER TO BE POISONED BY CIVILIZATION HE FLEES, AND WALKS ALONE UPON THE LAND TO BECOME LOST IN THE WILD. (Krakauer 163) Chris means that he will be alone in the wild, just simply him and nature. This also relates to Thoreau because he also was one with nature. Thoreau writes,” I went to the woods because I wish to live intentally, to front only the essential facts of life” (Thoreau). Both Chris and Thoreau clasp being one with nature by actually going into the wild to live. This is how Chris and Thoreau become one with

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