Into The Wild Transcendentalism

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Transcendentalism can be defined as knowledge of the conscience, which revealed a person’s moral duty to the world (Siemers 1). Chris Mccandless from the biography Into the Wild originally lived with his parents Walt and Billie while attaining a high GPA throughout high school and college (Krakauer 20). However, he felt trapped and didn’t like the idea of parents, he dropped everything to continue a nomadic and minimalist lifestyle while appreciating the wilderness around him. Chris Mccandless is a true transcendentalist because he believed in self reliance, perfect contentment, and was able to overcome obstacles throughout his journey. To begin, Transcendentalism is an idea of the spirit of nature and focus on individual freedoms. Chris …show more content…

Chris was the one to think that he could do anything which relates to a transcendentalist who believes they can trump state laws (Siemers 2). For example, he didn’t think the odds applied to him Chris was always being pulled away from the edge (Krakauer 109). In the same meaning Chris was fearless and trusted his own intentions. Lastly Chris also overcame many obstacles from trusting his own instincts. In particular, “He’d figure out how to paddle a canoe down to Mexico, how to hop freight trains, how to score a bed at inner-city missions. He figured all of that out on his own, and I felt sure he’d figure out Alaska, too” (Krakauer 46). In the same sense Chris could overcome any obstacle in nature with the highest confidence in himself. As a result, Chris Mccandless faced many challenges, however with his courageous acts he could get through anything in the wilderness. Chris Mccandless can be seen as a transcendentalist however, some people may argue that he is not. For example, some could say that “Christopher Mccandless as another boy who felt too much, a loopy young man who read too many books and lacked even a modicum of common sense.” However, that is not the case. Chris chose to live minimally and be one with the land while relying on himself to face challenges that came his way (Krakauer 184). Therefore, Chris can be seen as a true transcendentalist because he can make do with bare minimum while living with a

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