Into The Wild Transcendentalism Essay

The Transcendentalist ideas that come from philosophers, artists, and religious thinkers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson play a role in shaping the way people think and behave in modern society. The novel Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer and the film based off of this book are about Chris McCandless's separation from his habitual life. This story demonstrates transcendental ideas and the impacts they have on both individuals and society as a whole. He pondered questions such as how world hunger exists and why people are so obsessed with material objects. Chris went from just graduating college, constantly surrounded by people to being completely alone in Alaska. He did not agree with the acquisitive society that we live in and he wanted an escape from his toxic family life.

Chris McCandless’s adventure into the wild expresses the positive effects of transcendentalism on human nature from his self discovery and appreciation of nature.
The escape Chris took from a materialistic society allowed him to experience self discovery. The animosity he felt towards society thrived him towards this goal. Chris’s individualism was what drove him to never doubt his journey to Alaska despite opposing opinions. Many of the people he met during of the travels worried about whether he was truly prepared for Alaska because he did not bring a lot of supplies and he was going alone. To be a transcendentalist it is important to value self reliance before attempting to discover yourself on a deeper level. Chris highlighted in a book he brought on his travels; “And then the two basic ideals of modern man- without them he is unthinkable- the idea of free personality and the idea of life as sacrifice.” (187) Clearly Chris valued being a free thinker because he wanted to be alone in Alaska and he believed in sacrifice if it would improve you individually from his decision to not have any contact with his family. The personal absence of the dependability his parents didn’t provide influenced his appreciation for what he could depend on; himself. It was stated that “many aspects of chris’s personality baffled his parents” (120) which made Chris impatient with their behavior and beliefs. He was driven to maintain his mindset without letting anyone disrupt it. Clearly, Chris’s escape into the wild allowed him to explore the transcendental idea of self discovery.
Chris Mccandless deeply appreciated the beauty of nature and all the resources that it had to offer.

An important aspect of Transcendentalism is respecting nature and viewing it as a gift. Chris used nature's resources by killing his own meat, and finding plants with the help from his books. He explored the land because he wanted to experience the allure of nature as an escape from the society he never believed in. His mother Billie said “He’d find some animal in a trap, take it home, amputate the injured limb, heal it, and then let it go again.” (108) Clearly from early on, Chris had a connection with nature and he as a human wanted to use his knowledge to help other species that were danger. A passage Chris highlighted in one of his books stated that “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” (117) He travelled to find truth from within himself, different people he met and from nature. Throughout these new experiences his opinions were not distorted by society because nature provides the freedom to be a free thinker and find that truth. Due to his interest in learning about wildlife and the comfort it provided him, Chris was positively impacted by the transcendental value of

nature.
Although Chris Mccandless’s death was caused by personal mistakes and the dangers of nature through poisoning which lead to starvation his journey allowed him to be the man he always strived to be. Chris was a good student and could have been very successful but his choice to leave home changed that potential. He was very independent and did not let anyone change his beliefs which is what drove him to go on his journey. Chris’s story reflects on the transcendental ideas of nature and individualism. Chris respected, admired and wanted to learn more about nature by being alone, reading books, through weather conditions and by hunting animals. He left home to have independence and to learn about himself because of the societal values he did not share with others. Patently, transcendental ideas have the power to make human nature stronger through relying on oneself and connecting with the many powers of nature.

Worked Cited
Krakauer, Jon. Into the wild. New York: Anchor , 1997. Print.