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Individualism in ralph waldo emerson's “self reliance”
Individualism in ralph waldo emerson's “self reliance”
Ralph waldo emerson non conformity
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Since the beginning of humanity, people have tried to separate from society’s norms and live life the way they choose. Sociology labels these people as ‘non-conformist.’ But what exactly is sociology on a large scale? Sociology is the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society (Giddens, 2001). Nonconformity in sociology refers to behaviors or thinking that doesn’t comply with society's norms and expectations (Ridgeway, 1981). For example, imagine a person walking down the street in the summer wearing a bright red jacket. That is nonconformity. Nonconformity is especially important in Jon Krauer’s book, “Into the Wild (1996).” Main character Chris McCandless was the ultimate non-conformist. His lack of conformity allowed …show more content…
One can grasp a better understanding of McCandless through Emerson’s essay, “Self Reliance (1841).” Emmerson taught that individuals must distance themselves from the world so they can listen to their own thoughts, because society will force you to try and conform. Emmerson even says society is, “a conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members” (p. 3). He thought that modern day society influenced people so much, that they forgot certain values such as pursuing happiness without leaching it from other people, but most importantly, being content with being alone. To become truly independent and self-reliant, McCandless did everything he felt necessary. At his college graduation, his parents offered him a new car as well as paying for law school which he refused to accept. In a letter to his sister Carine he complains, “I've told them a million times that I have the best car in the world, a car that has spanned the continent from Miami to Alaska, a car that has in all those thousands of miles not given me a single problem… I'm going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect” (Krakauer, p. 19). This shows McCandless’s hatred of materialism and depending on others. McCandless saw this trait in his parents and his fellow students at Emory, …show more content…
Some see McCandless as an idiot for venturing into the wild, but others see him as an inspiration. His life has a meaning and a purpose to him, and the life he lived meant more to him than any person or possession ever could. Even in his dying words in his journal, Chris McCandless blessed the world saying. “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye, and may god bless all!” (Krakauer p. 61). This goes to show that McCandless found happiness in nature and defying the plastic life that most Americans live. McCandless helps us realize that we don’t have to live life according to someone else’s rules; also the fact that we need to be able to focus on our own abilities and rely on ourselves; and finally sometimes you have to alienate yourself from the world for a few moments so that you can view it through your own eyes, instead of seeing the projection that society wants you to
Throughout Into the Wild, Krakauer portrays Christopher McCandless as an infallibly eager young man hoping to distance himself from the society he so obviously loathes, to "live off the land," entirely independent of a world which has "conditioned [itself] to a life of security." Chris, contrarily to this depiction, is disparagingly viewed by some as a "reckless idiot" who lacked the sense he needed to survive in the Alaskan wilderness. This derogatory assessment of Chris's mindset is representative of the society he hopes to escape and contains all the ignorance that causes him to feel this way. Nevertheless, he is misjudged by these critics, allowing Krakauer to hold the more accurate interpretation of Chris's character, his goals, and his accomplishments.
How many individuals have gone to extreme lengths to reevaluate who they are as a person, to find their purpose? Christopher McCandless was an outrageous individual who was not afraid to push the boundaries, because of his dauntless behavior people questioned his sanity. Many people referred to Chris as a selfish person for not looking back when he decided to go into the wilderness. Christopher McCandless was not a selfish person because he has inspired many individuals to not be afraid and just go into the wild. Chris made an excellent choice by leaving; people dwell differently, on his journey he inspired many, and he hasn’t once took advantage of the opportunities he was given by those he come across in his journey. People didn’t agree with Chris’s decision to pack and leave. In chapter 8 of Into the Wild John Krakauer includes letters that he receives from people that did not agree, and believed that Chris was a selfish person Most of the letters that John Krakauer received were nasty and unnecessary; they were letters of individuals expressing their opinion on Christopher McCandless. “McCandless had already gone over the edge and just happen to hit rock bottom in Alaska.”(Jans) nobody deserves to die, especially not a horrific death like Christopher McCandless. Cristopher McCandless past because of starvation and possibly poisoned by a wrong plant he consumed. His decomposing body weighing only sixty seven pounds was discovered in the Alaska terrier inside a rustic old bus that was located twenty five miles west of Healy, and was used as a halfway boundary.. His body was discovered by a group of people, who rescued his body and found Chris. Those letters expressed the opinions of many; the people believed Chris was childish ...
Both Thoreau and McCandless were against materialism. Thoreau feels that “Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind” (Thoreau, Walden 28). He thinks that dependance of worldly possessions hidera ones chance of finding their true self. McCandless had a similar mentality, and acted upon that belief. An example of this is when “…he saw the flash flood as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage. He concealed the car as best he could beneath a brown tarp, stripped it of its Virginia plates, and hid them” (Krakauer 29). McCandless was not tied to his own possessions, he was happy to leave them in the middle of no where. Through reduction of worldly possessions and materials, the message that both McCandless and Thoreau throw at the readers is to have a simplistic life without the concerns coming from worldly possessions. These possessions deter one from the true meaning of life.
Chris McCandless does not wish to follow defined life structure that society enforces to simply be alive, instead, he chooses to take a seek a path to live a life with purpose. Such an eagerness to seek detachment from what is expected by society, is enforced by not only McCandless but also Thoreau. A primary factor resembling this, is McCandless’ view that many people “live within unhappy circumstances...yet will not change…they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism...damaging to the adventurous spirit(40).” The detesting tone risen through the confliction of “unhappy circumstances” and “damage,” to “safety, conformity and conservation,” emphasis his will to separate from a lifestyle lacking change. This is done
...fe for oneself. McCandless primary tragic flaw being his unwillingness to form long-term relations brought him both to the happiest moment of his life, but also to his demise. McCandless never had a problem with people, but rather with the status quo of society, the idea that a man or a woman has to live inside of a coordinate plane. McCandless left home and went on his adventure simply for his own well being, he achieved both what he wanted to accomplish while learning a valuable lesson along the way. He learned that happiness must be shared, and while everyone has his or her flaws, it is important to let these go. Christopher McCandless should teach people the importance of following your dreams, and the importance of enjoying the natural serenity of life.
McCandless is a very independent person, a person with high hopes, that has a lot of courage, and is a very brave man for going out by himself in the wild of Alaska of the Stampede Trail. Chris McCandless had a lot of courage on going to Alaska by himself at a young age. While Chris was at any city or anybody’s house, he was ready to go to Alaska. But while he was there, close to the end of his life, he left a note on the back of the bus saying, “S.O.S I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here i am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of god, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return by evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?” Chris McCandless was by himself at the time. He shows his courage because while by himself, he went back out even though he was near death. He went out for food. Food for his health. That shows how much courage he had for his trip. Chris McCandless encouraged many young men to ...
Chris McCandless was a young man who did everything in his power to try and represent that freedom he was searching for. McCandless had everything before we went out but he decided to go out and travel by choice. He was considered a selfish man because when someone offered him to help him he rejects it in a nice way since we wants to do things himself. In the book Into the wild he states that,"You don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice."
McCandless was not the 'sit down and take it in stride' kind of person. If he saw something wrong, something he did not agree with, he would try to fix it, or help in any way that he could. He was inherently compassionate, a man of his principles; owned by the rules that he governed himself with. It is apparent that he had always been an idealistic dreamer, and had always believed himself capable of much, because as his friend shared: “He'd say 'Come on,...
...elligence to help him last an extended period of time in the Alaskan wilderness. In truth, McCandless was someone who wanted to find himself. He wanted to get away from a life in which he could not find fulfilment, which is something many others would be able to relate to. Although most people would not go to such extremes to find fulfilment, everyone has a different way of finding happiness and going after what their heart truly desires. For McCandless, his desire was to live out in the wild. Unfortunately, this man of great character did not succeed in getting out alive. However, that does not change the fact that he tried. McCandless knew what he wanted for himself and he persisted, regardless of the obstacles he faced. He put an incredible amount of effort into accomplishing his goals and never gave up, and that is why Christopher McCandless is someone to admire.
... every aspect of his life whether it be his education, physical endurance, or making it through the Alaskan wilderness with nothing more than a rifle, a backpack, and a road map. Chris was aware of his differences and that he did not fit into society. He fully embraced that and and chose to lead his own path. Chris led a happy life according to one of his last journal entries he wrote, “I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” (Krakauer 199). Chris was willing to risk everything to gain that happiness. His ambition to enter the wilderness, in the end, took his life but that did not stop him. He would have rather died a happy man than lived a miserable one. Chris ventured out into the wilderness and found himself; a tragic story for a tragic hero.
Chris McCandless is regarded as being something as a spiritual figure almost as a cult hero, some call him a disillusioned fool, some call him a great adventurer, and the debate still continues. As Matthew Power calls in his article, an article where he tells the story of McCandless,“The debate falls into two camps: Krakauer's visionary seeker, the tragic hero who dared to live the unmediated life he had dreamed of and died trying; or, as many Alaskans see it, the unprepared fool, a greenhorn who had fundamentally misjudged the wilderness he'd wanted so desperately to commune with.” Like so many stories covering Christopher McCandless’ death, both ends of the argument are discussed in an unfavored manner in the hopes to help develop an opinion on the McCandless story. This open ended question can only be answered open-endedly based on what the readers base for themselves as covered stories intend. Like Power has done, ...
In 1990, when he was 22 years old, Christopher McCandless ventured out into the Alaska wilderness in search for true happiness, and 2 years later he suffered a tragic death. An aspiring writer, Jon Krakauer, found McCandless’ story fascinating and chose to dedicate 3 years of his life to write a novel about him. The book entitled “Into the Wild” tells the tale of Christopher McCandless, an ill prepared transcendentalist longing for philosophical enrichment, who naïvely, failed to consider the dangers of isolating himself from human society for such a long period of time. Though Christopher McCandless made a courageous attempt to separate himself from society, in order to achieve self-fulfillment, the stubborn nature of this reckless greenhorn led him to his unfortunate demise.
Chris McCandless was a graduate from college whose dream was to go into the Alaskan wilderness and live there to get an overall experience of living off the land. McCandless wanted to experience how to hunt and gather everything that he needed to live in the Alaskan Wilderness. However was it a good idea when Mccandless went into the wild. Many people on his adventure tried to help him by giving him some equipment or buy him some because he wasn't prepared for his adventure. After McCandless’s death to this date people would say that McCandless is an idiot or stupid for not being prepared for the Alaskan wilderness.
McCandless was a fearless human being. I think that most of the people’s ideologies and personalities have to do with how they were raised by the parents and everything that was taught to them. When a lack of love exists from a parent towards his child, a hate can be created without knowing it. McCandless could have gone away from society to escape reality or, for being in a place where he could find himself at peace. Either one, we can assume that he obviously had different ideas about civilization; the idea of having a life full of danger and adventure inspired and excited him.
Chris McCandless saw life different than most people did. He wished to live in a way where he believed that he was his fulfilling his purpose. Although he left the ones he loved and gave up what he had Chris McCandless did what was necessary to feel alive. Many people like myself would disagree with what he did, and it contradicts with my definition of being alive, it would be wrong to judge a man who made his decisions based on how he believed what being alive is. With that said we can assume that what McCandless was trying to do was to find himself, but “life is not about finding yourself. It 's about creating yourself.” If McCandless were to embrace what he had and coped with what he felt was pointless, he wouldn’t have had to leave it all behind rather he could have used it to create his life