Examples Of Transcendentalism In Into The Wild

Transcendentalism is a large idea that few people embrace because they act with the majority of the population. It is defined as going beyond expectations while living an independent life. However, a graduate from Emory, Chris McCandless, is inspired by Emerson’s and Thoreau’s essays on transcendentalism and aspires to live the life described in these writings. In the film, Into the Wild, Chris expresses his belief of reliance in nature, self-reliance, as well as rising against authority despite possible consequence. Few people embrace this transcendentalist life because it implies that one has to fend for themselves in this world. Chris lives the life of a transcendentalist because he does everything in his power to live a happier life in

only solitude, which teaches us that it takes deep mental strength and extreme physical action to accomplish the encouraged transcendentalist life.
To begin with, the understanding of a transcendentalist is expressed when one realizes that objects don’t buy him/her happiness; they only hold one back from solitude.

In Thoreau’s Where I Lived and What I Lived For, he talks about planning where one lives in society and eventually leaving behind items that may inhabited a place before moving to that land which is why “A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone” (53). The fewer objects blocking one and his/her independent thought, the happier they are. One should know that objects don’t associate with happiness, but what one defines happiness is about how one feels about themselves and society, which means that the person should believe anything they do not want to believe, without the interference of society to change that. One must know that these objects can make an impact on a person, which can possibly change their perspective on life, which does not necessarily mean that one will be

happy.
Additionally, Chris’s transcendentalist nature blossoms when he rids himself of resources that define his identity to lose touch with society. In the beginning of the film, Chris burns his money, his ID, leaves his family, everything that makes up who he was before he left on his Alaskan voyage to seek independence because he believed “Money, power is an illusion, it’s up here” (Into the Wild). It is more what one mentally has rather than what one physically has no matter what. Money connects a person to a person in society and Chris burned it to lose all connections he may have with society. People, Chris believes are not needed in his ideal world because he claims that all he needs is himself, which is why he was willing to leave everything behind to begin the journey of transcendentalism.
To be a transcendentalist, one should not be afraid to rise against authority, an action that takes a gargantuan amount of courage to pull off.

In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau is talking about how men should not devote themselves to the wrongdoings of society, which is why he exclaims, “The soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war” (6). Those who take action for what they believe in are those who are recognized and praised by the people who refuse to leave the unjust government out of fear. Transcendentalists are those who are not afraid to express themselves whole-heartedly even if that means consequence like imprisonment, murder, etc. If an action is holding one back from living his/her desired life, they should not be afraid to stand up for what they believe

in.
Chris’s transcendentalist self arises even more when he establishes his own illicit rules. When Chris arrives at a place that supplies kayaks, he asks if he could use one, and the man behind the desk says that he needs a permit, but he wasn’t able to get one in another twelve years, so Chris reacted with “Twelve years? To paddle down a river” (Into the Wild). Chris’s somewhat angry reaction to the ridiculity of what the man had said leads him to take out the kayak anyway and row. When Chris finds Sonja, Mads, Ron, and some others, he gains resources, and if he did not make his own rules, then it is possible that he would not have been able to gain those resources. Chris believes those rules had to be broken to heighten his chances of arriving at Alaska by foot, in order to live a happier life.
Chris’s supreme ability to live in solitude and establish his own rules raised his chances of living a happier life, which defines him as a transcendentalist. Even though he would get into trouble with his actions, he was still not afraid to own those actions and be proud of them, just like how he was not afraid to be proud of his ability to live independently from items and take a stand for what is right. If people became transcendentalist like Chris, and they face injustice, maybe just maybe will that problem be solved for anyone who is willing to speak up and not have to confide with society.